The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1893-03-14
THERE ARE 74,4sO OFFICES,
Not Counting Postofiices-2.4S7 of Them Be-
long to Georgia.

!
| Editor Constitutional there is democrat III
| Georgia who does not heartily approve OIL Tue
| fight The Constitution is making In bchaiI OIL
just administration of the federal patrah-
age. he does not deserve to be democrat.
Further than that, if there is n man III
Georgia, of whatever political inclination, VINO
does not endorse what The Constitution mas
said, he does not deserve to be Georgian
Inc issue is simply one Of right or wrong
Georgia is one Of the states of the union. and
as such Is entitled to the same privileges ana
favors that extended to the other states.
In the distribution of the federal patronage
Georgia should be recognized i'll exactly the
same proportion that the population OF the
state bears to the population of the country.
with population of nearly two millions,
which is about onethirtieth of the population
OF the United States, Georgia should have III
all fairness at least one-thirteh of the pat
ronage given out from Washington.
AS write, have before me the government
blue Book" This is the official record of
federal offices, and is prepared and published
annually by the government 1t is magnifi-
cent volume, containing Ito large-siZe
pages This book contains list Of every
federal appointment, except the postmaSters,
ana gives the compensation attached to each
office.
have gone carefully over it today and find
i'll black and white that the official records
show that there are, not counting postoffices,
I44S0 offices responsible to the national adj
ministratlon.
The names Of every one Of these offices APP
pear in the "Blue Book which also contains
the state from which the officers APP
pointed, the date of their appointment, and
the offices they fill. 1t is a most interesting
volume, and is full of valuable statistical in
formation particularly to those who desire
office.
There being 74.4SO offices at the disposal
of the government, Georgia's part, if all
honest distribution is made, would be 2,4S7
Offices, and not 1000, has been wrongly
estimated in The Constitution
In looking the Blue Book / find that
one Or two hundred appointments cover the
proportion from Georgia. Most of these places
are unimporant jobs, many of them being
merely mental positions.
| find that in the department Of state there
100 home offices with salaries ranging
from $3.50 to $500.
There are thirty or more ENJOYS plenip0ten-
tiary to foreign countries. with salaries rang
ing from $500 to $1,000. These are to the
courts OF the larger nations and each minister
has his retinue of assistants and clerks, inter-
prefers, etc.
In addition to these larger offices, there arc
over three thousand minor Offices consus,
agents, and so on, paying from $1,000 to So
600 a year. Among these officers are those
Of marshals, ministers, interpreters clerks, etc.
Plenty of Piums.
In the treasury department there are about
twenty Thousand Offices, with salaries ranging
from fees to that of the sccretary--$ S., 900 Il
year. Clerks, employees in the public build
ings, marine hospitals at large, life saving
stations, lighthouse service. internal revenue
and customs service. In this department the
custom house officials probably the best
paid. Collectors Of ports, appraisers and
forth draw handsome salaries, many of them
getting almost AZ much the secretary. III
the port of New York alone there are nine
appraisers in the custom department that
draw salaries of 81. 600 a year Under these
heads Of departments are vast armies of
clerks who draw salaries ranging from up in
the thousands down to two and three hundred
dollars q year. This holds good, to smaller
extent, in all the coast towns and cities in the
country. The places are there, the work has
to be done, and in the ordinary course OF
events they will have to be filled by those who
are applicants for office under the new admin.
istration.
Twenty Thousand More.
In the war and navy departments, accord
ing to official statistics, there are also about
twenty thousand Positions consisting of
offices Al naval stations, in the record and
pension offices, ordinance department, Missis
sippi river commissioners and other places.
The salaries range, in the other depart
ments, from that Of the secretary SIS 900
offices. These two departments prob
ably more stationary and less subject to
change by a change of administration, than
any of the other departments. But there
are many positions which iii the ordinary
course of events will fall vacant in them AMI
which will have to be filled 10y the democratic
just Thousands Going begging Here.
In the interior department the Offices are
legion. One striking feature about this de-
partment is that its work deals entirely with
the United States. There are thousands and
thousands of positions TO be filed in this de-
partment. In the Immediate office of the
secretary, according to the official Blue Book,
there are go employees, with salaries rang,
among the pick of the government ccrkships
in Washington and pny from s.. 100 down.
These in the immediate department. of |
the secretary of the interior and are of course
very desirable, they bring the clerks il
close contact with the head of the department. |
and us the secretary has the full control OF |
their appointment.
But this is only drop in the bucket com |
pared with the whole number. X is in the !
pei SIGN department, the patent department. |
and the Indian department Of the interior q : /
rarrment. that the offices fairly swarm. |
Take, for instance, the patent office. There |
are thirty examiners at salaries of 81, 800 each |
and about two hundred assistant examiners |
with salaries ranging from $500 to $500 |
4 year. Then under these, come an army |
Of nearly five hundred clerks, draughtsmen |
ropyiSts, messengers etc, ut salaries ranging |
fri IN 81 200 TO $3.50 As d sample of the |
salaries in this department it may be stated |
hat there fifteen messenger boys who !
get $500 year apiece.
In the pension Office OF the interior depart
mrnt the commissioner of course gets the
biggest regular salary 5000. After him cone }
he deputies and assistants at salaries rang
ing from $500 down to $1,000. After these
come literally thousands of clerkshipS Mt
salaries ranging FROM $4,000 down. Among
these are of coulSc included the heads of de-
ng from $3.50 to 81. 500 In this number are
included n great many clerkshipS which are
nent are scattered all over the country aud |
ire heretofore, rule, considered very
>aItments. The offices in the pension depart
desirable, as they can be filled by residents
They all come under the appointment of the
secretary of the interior.
Another branch Of the interior department
$ the land Office department This employs
Il dredS of clerks at salaries ranging from
Il 800 down, under the supervision of til,
:, Itnissioner and chief clerks at salaries from
s. 900 to $1,000. Under this head are found
positions as receivers of public moneys whose
salaries are required not to exceed So 600
u i hundreds of Indian agencies ranging from
g 2OU down, and thousands of offices con
lected with the Indian department, all paying
EXCELLENT salaries for clerk work.