Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-12-04
SOUR GRAPES, MAYBE.
Cabinet officers Say They We're Co
ing to Resign Anyhow.
OFFICE HOLDING DOES NOT PAY
According to Those Who Are in q Position
to Speak Positively.
THE ONE FEATURE MOST UNPLEASANT


rcoRREsPoNDENcE OF THE DrsPAroB.I
| WASHINGTON, Dec. 2-Seeretarv Tracy
lives in modest three-story house, one of
row on the north side of K street. near
Fourteenth street. It is furnished hand
somely but not luxuriously. The Secretary
at first hesitated to express an opinion
about the desirability of office holding.
Finally he said: "It is altogether ques-
tion OF mans willingness to make person.
al sacrifices to his country. The salary of
Cabinet oficer-S8,00 900 q year-is beggar-
ly. A poor man cannot afford to accept .
Cabinet position. Of course, there is great
honor connected with the place. But there
is great loss The cost of living in Wash.
ington is very great. Do you know that
story about the Cabinet officer who wanted
to rent a house In Washington No?
Well, as the story goes, he went to see the
house, and the lady who was showing it to
him told him that the rent would be S6, 900
year He pondered for q moment
Z assure you, Mr.. Secretary, that 1t Is not
unreasonable she said. 'Oh, I do not
question that, he replied. I wasn't think
ing of that was just thinking what I
would do with the other 81, 2,0O0.'"
'fYou were one of the seven Cabinet of-
GERS who intended to resign?"
He Intended to Resign.
"Were there seven?" said ths Secretary.
''Who was the eighth7 have not made
any canvass of the Cabinet. It does not
make much difference, though, since the
election. Yes, 1 intended to resign.
could not afford to stay here for eight years
1t is not so much nv expenses here a. the
loss of business in nv profession"
''You are going back to the law?"
"Yes, / shall return to Practice. That ID
as definite plan as have made.
Sand the story that President Harrison
was going into partnership with you
"Was made out of whole cloth, f" said the
Secretary. 'T have always known that the
President would return to Indianapolis to
practice law.
"Can you give me an idea what it costs Q
Cabinet officer to live here?"
'It has cost me a great deal more than
$4,000 q year." said the Secretary, "and
since the burning of my house have lived
very quietly. We did not 90 out for year,
and after that l knew that my stay here
would be short and we did not attempt any
thing. The expenses of household though
are not everything. A Cabinet officer is
expected to contribute to all sorts of things
politics, charity-there are continual de-
mands on his purse. No, 1 could not have
stayed here after March even if the Presi-
dent had been reelected.
The Most Unpleasant Feature.
found Secretary Rusk seated at his
desk in the Agricultural Department
When asked if Office holding paid, he
said: "You will find it pretty hard to get
satisfactory answers to that question, I
fear. You see there are great many
things to be said on both sides, for and
against, and people are liable to get these
two turned around. One of the unpleasant
things, for instance, about Cabinet life il
that the salary is incommensurate with the
unavoidable expenses, and man has to
draw a little too heavily on his other re-
sources, which is all very well when these
resources are pretty good, but rather vexa-
tious when they are but moderate. But in
deed" and the Secretary thoughtfully
stroked his beard, "the most unpleasant
feature to me of holding high Office like
this is the necessity of telling people you
can't give them places The pressure tor
appointment is constant, and am often
obliged to say, in cases, too, where l know
the applicant can do the work, and that he
or she is in want, perhaps with no bread in
the house that have no place to give. We
have $50 employees in the seed department,
mostly women, whose work is not skilled
and whose places do not come within the
civil service rules. They work during a
part of the year only, and draw per diem
paw. The applications are most numerous
for these places, and have had as many as
100 in single day.
'eThe attractive feature Of this depart
ment was the fact that there was something
new to be done here. Under the Commits
sionership, this Office had gotten into rut.
Indeed was inclined to doubt whether it
would be possible for me to lift it out of
the rut and for that reason l hesitated abo;-t
accepting the place; but 1 finally made up
my mind that L could accomplish some-
thing, and so came here. i have had, on
the whole, gratifying success, though there
are still some things which I should like to
finish up and 1 have other things in view
which 1 should like to get started and put
on good footing before leave. OF course
1 came here with the advantage of many
years experience in public life-no small
advantage, can tell you. F.s.
Still Great Deal of Work.
GAS said, while have the qualification
Of feeling that have been able to accom-
plish something while in this Office, some
thing insuring tangible results to the class
this department represents, there is much
to be done yet and there is broad field
here for a man who takes my place, pro-
vided he be the right man in the right place
and that his heart be in his work.
Postmaster General Wanamaker has been
busy with his annual report for two weeks
md he has been denied to all visitors So
has Secretary Elkins. But their views on
The subject of Office holding are well known.
Mr.. Wanamaker made up his mind some
lime ago that he would return to Phiiadel-
ohia to resume the supervision of his enor-
nous business there as soon as he could do
TO- He would have resigned some time ago
4 he had not been under fire from the par
isan press, and ii he had not o strong inter-
.st in pushing the plans for postal teie-
graph, for q house-collection and for other
improvements in the postal service which
10 has laid before Congress from time to
line. Mr.. Elkins has had the honor OF
erving in the Cabinet, and he wants to free
himself from the restrictions of official life
md get back to his home life and his busl-
IL Wat Vfrvinio