Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1893-04-04
CAPITAL GOSSIP.


WASHINGTON, ID. C., March 30, ~.
One gets fair Idea OF the magnitude
% the Government Departments here
from the vast quantities Of Ice and coal
Which are required to quench the thirst
Of the clerks aud keep them warm. The
Treasury consumes ton and half OF
ice daily, taking an average the year
around. An equal quantity Il used I'm
the War, state and Navy building. But
the Department Of the Interior IL the
great deyourer OF Ice. Including the
Pension Office IL consumes from i've To
,iI tone every twenty-four hours. The
quantities utilized are variable. Each
department. makes Its own contract for
lce, bids being advertised for annually.
No definite amount TO be provided Is
agreed ON. The contractor gets 50 much
Tor supplying all the frozen water re
quired, whatever II may be. All the de-
partmeuts. together with their branches,
ronsume 2i,OOO pounds every day. The
Ice i delivered In great blocks from carts
al the departments each morning, and II
l. chopped up In sizes To suit. Each
nom has water cooler or pitcher,
which must be kept filed with cold
drink from "a. ". to I r.. N. The por-
tiers nh buckets with the chopped frag-
msnts aud carry the buckets from room
10 room, distributing to each cooler or
pitcher IT, proper supply, while In the
cellar Of each building are big refriger-
dors, filed with a reserve stock.
Though fully one-half OF the appli-
eanis for places In the departments are
women, only one person Of the weaker
sen l. appointed for every seven men.
There Il a prejudice against female
clerks on several accounts. Neverthe-
less, many Of the officials have discov-
trcd that they can often get a woman
Tor 600 a year, Who Il more capable
than $1,000 man. Before the war the
employment Of women as clerks by the
government was almost unknown,
though they sometimes got copying To
q" AT home. The first woman r~gul,rly
Employed MAS put on the rolls Of Nav,
Department thirty five years ago. Shr
Nas Young willow. IL MAS a grsv-
question What should be done With her,
And U was Thought best To Isolate her,
VI she were contagious. An atth'
ncm wa' given her, and she received
AMI returned her copying by a messep-
g'r. IO-lay there are 1000 women I'm
TIE Treasury Department alone. They
ant olh"rs In different departments are
tncitht a. accountants, correspondents,
hhgul,ts, draughtsmen, typesstters, etc.
The Office seeker. Who have b@en hang
mg on here ever since the inauguration
arr bcvoming very impatient at the de-
nteration and lack Of haste with which
the new Democratic President Is moving
snd The consequent delay In the distri-
uu'lon of the loaves and fishes. Only
comparatively few appointments have
teen thus far announced, and these were
nsarly all to oil positions Of Importance
ihe minor places, which are generally
We Only ones To which the mass OF the
oulce seekers can reasonably aspire, re
main to large extent untouched, and II
Is Ihls Tact which Is causing the greatest
oiciiude to several thousand Demo
e'ats Who are anxious 10 serve thell
ooantry. Meantime they are receiving
seaht consolation from the Presiden
ana his Cabinet advisers, who do mo-
nssllsle to say that changes will be made
slowly and with great care.
us expected that the President vii
very shortly send To the senate the nom
nation OF new Commissioners OF Pen
.'ons, and any changes In policy q
70 pensions and questions Of reorganl
nilon will be deferred until Genera
,sAams successor In the Pension Ofilc'
mas had an opportunity to famlliaris
himself with the duties and needs OF th
once. The daily issue Of pension cert
sca,es has fallen on very little, II any
aaiing the present month, and NO ma
"rial reduction IL anticipated at present
10 stated here that ex-f'resident Hal
,,son u to be rendered tho presidency o
,ne Indiana State University at Bloom
,ngton by the trustees Of that Institution
.ne immediate management OF the 10
nltation, IL Il said, VIII be placed In th
nsans OF one Of the professors, an
shoaid General Harrison scsept b
souid have to give The university OIL
united amount Of hs psrsonal attsn