The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1893-05-05
CLERKS FOR UNCLE SAM.
TWENTY THREE THOUSAND OF
THEM IN WASHINGTON.


n Advertiser says that there are
NJ $4,000 Government employees
in Washington. Clerkships in
the Department of State are considered
tho most desirable. To begin with, the
iucumbents arc never discharged with
out being provided with a consulship or
some other place. Tneir employment
carries certain amount Of social posi-
ton with it. The most couspicuou, OF
the young swells in Washington are en-
ployes Of the "Foreigu O'fco," as they
like TO call it. Bcaux being greatly in
demand here, they have more invitations
than they can accept. With snIll sala.
ries aud no prospects, they world bo re.
gardc,: as "detrimeuts" in other cities,
but here they are at the top Of the
swim. Cool manners and the fact OF
wearing pantaloons constitute satisfac.
tory claims to recognition In local
society. They got their dinners at other
peoples houses, see all the plays that arc
going without paying cent, and enjoy
excellent opportunities for marrying the
rich girls who fairly swarm at the CI?i-
tai. Thoy are not even cxpocte to
send bouquet in aciuoS vie X nout OF
W tuc ouICrldluulcuC Jley TcOclVS
The work of a CLERK in the Dspltt.
mcnt of State implies no little re-. .,,1'i.
bility. A wrong worl in his ira tscrip;
of n diplomitic paper mi yat p.a;. tii,
Government in false position. TIC
business inc trausacts Is mostly OF socret
nature. He may know loay in lytrcc
whom the President ha5 choSci for Il
Cabinet Office, or what war ships ar
about to be scut to thrcatea the ci.ic, Of
foreign Nation. II he tells any5o ly,
and his intormttiou gets out, his irdls.
crction may upset policy AL distr-
raugcd a complete series of )ves whc'l
Uncle Sam is trying to carry ont. Htl.
PLY, bstrava(s Of secrets by Goysrn II N
clerks have been very rare.
Though ouc-hllf of the applicants for
places in the Department arc women,
only ono person Of the gontler sex is a..
pointed for every seven men. TLcre il
pre)uoicu ,atnst rcm,,o clerks on sew.
cral accounts. Nevertheless somc oil.
cials have discovcrc that thoy can often
get wo lau for S9Jo u year who is IN )rc
capable thin Sl2J) man. Before the
war the employ OF womcI as clerks
by the Dvcrnmcnt was almost unIuown,
though they sometimes got copying to
do ut home. Tie first womin regularly
employc was pat on the rolls of tn,
Navy Department thirtY.i years a,o.
She WAS youl widow. 1t wa'a gray.
question wnlt should bo doac vita her,
and it wh' th)lsht bsst to Isolate her, a.
Ii she were c)ltagiou'. Al attic room
was gwen he, n Sle reC,iv1 All re-
turncl her copying by messenger. To-
day there arc i}0J wSm.a ic the Tccls.
ury alone. Tacy al others in other
Dcplrt nclts are efficient as acc ,untants,
corrcspon lcrts, lin slists, drau5itsmsl,
tyc'cttcrs, c.:.
In 1851 tho coincl money belonging
to the Gpvorn nent CAV, out Al C)l.
gress authorized tho issu, of lc al ten l;r
notes p,yab'c in gDId. Tlcso were til,
ori ginal "src .lDtcts.' rltj can, Ia
sheets from tbs blrinoto c)nD inio;,
with blank spaces for the siyaituros Of
the Treas lrcr an Re gistcr. It was nee.
cSSary tocI,tlc aolyt with scissors an
trim tlc IL ,2', IL, ml:iinc h,yins as
yet been lnvcntc for thIt parp>se. On.
cral SDinTtr sl!st3tcl thu wonil
should bc enD!oyol tcnp)rarily to CT;
AMI count the notes. A number Of tAe n
were hired, AL after they In CIT So.
900, OOO worth OF paper Congress author.
izcl another issue, at the san, time *.
Ing the employment Of tho w,n,n PER.
mlncut. S)mo Of these women are still
at WORK in tho Treasury, where their
sex is intrustc up to the present tim.
with the counting Of the money. Fc,u
this starting p)int w5nen grl lnlly
made thcir way into the other D.p.rt.
mcntS.
great mlny young men secure places
IN the DEPARTMENT merely for til, plt.
pose Of supporting the nsclvcs while ;hoy
are stniYlng IN the Yrcas sohooi, of law
ani me licine hero. M,tters arc so ar.
ranGeI az these institutions that CLERK
who stops work at 4 p. M. can get din.
ncr ani BE- on hanl for the evening lc:.
lures, whcl begin at 6. After boin !,
graduate |, the young physician mlg
practice anl yet stay in ofi;,, bee )min :
what II kn)Tn as n "Sul 10 Yn doctor. ="
The me liCtl schools Of the Geor tcto yn
College AMI Columbia U diversity are Of
the hl5heitrIrE. II the Army Ne lie II
Museum the finest mclich library in :hc
world IS accessible. Justices Of the
Ihitci SCueS Suprcm: CDirt ani great
me il"al Oil ;crS Of the Government are
IN p:"i % Il; fl:i,',,i OF ti,ur Al |
other !ctrIc csta Jlish ncnts iu Washiu =.
ton.
II a c'crk is absent on acc)Int of i'll .
nc's over Sky days In any year, he or
she must pay u substitute. Tnc Civil
Service Commission provides all the
substitutes that are wAntcl. It i; pro.
vide that the CLERKS shall giva TO the
substitute certain proportion of tn,
pay, nIullly ampuntinsto abDIt fifty six
per cent. by thus hiring a I'D ,titute a
clerk might retain his plac, in tie se:.
vice of the Government for tea years,
thou ;h himself blind, paralyz,i and con
fine t. his bil. In al cticsos sicincss
phy'iciAns certificate is required.
The clerks are perpetually haunted by
dread lest they are watchcl by dctcc.
tectlves of the Secret Service. That sort
OF thing is somctimn' done, bat only
rarely and on re elu;s, o. superior cili ,cr
who SuSDcctS that On nnthipr 10 ,ur,,