Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1893-02-27
they ALL WANT OFFICE.
The Great Annoyancs Suffered by Mem
beers OF COngEess-UnreasOnab Appii-


beers OF Unreasonable Appii-
cations.
spseia! Telscram to tbs RtOIsssr.
WASHINGTON, February 20. See
that bundle of letters?" said member
OF Congress TO the REGISTER cores
pondent, as he stood at the main door
OF the House yesterday morning.
dThere are at least fifty in it, and that's
only about one-third of the mail have
received to-day. What are they about?
Nine-tenths of them are applications Tor
Offices OF all sorts and descriptions. 1t
takes all the time can spare from my
duties here to dictate answers 10 tnem'
and a good share Of my salary 10 pay
my stenographer aDd typewriter. am
simply overwhelmed with applications
for misunderstanding, consulshlps, clerk
ships in postoffices in my district, posi-
tions as letter. carriers, and In the rail-
way mail service, clerkships in the de-
partments here in Washington, and
every other conceivable sort OF office.
The worst Of it is that most OF the peo-
pie who apply for places OF this KIND
seem TO think they ought to succeed
and that l can get them the places they
seek. The fact is that / am utterly
powerless TO get any one place In the
departments here, except as spittoon-
cleaner, nor ia the railway mall service
nor as clerk or letter-carrier in the
larger postofices. All these places are
now under the civil service law and no
one can get appointed TO them unless
he has successfully passed a civil SER
vice examination. A Congressman has
no more power to get man appointed
to one of these places than any other
man. There is but one way
to do II, and that is to pass the examin-
alton and then await your turn for ap-
pointment. believe most OF the appli-
cants for Office are stirred up by fellow
here in Washington who has issued
pamphlet asserting that there are $780,
600 government places to be tlled under
Cleveland, and pretending to tell how
these places may be obtained. He has
advertised his pamphlet throughout the
country, aud is reaping rich harvest
from the quarters and half dollars OF
foolish people who buy II in the
hope that they may learn how
TO get an office. This fellow
does not tell his readers that 10000 OF
the places are fourth-class postmaster
ships that pay less than 500 a year, land
that fully GO, 900 more are clerkships in
the classified service, in postoffices, po-
sitions as letter CARR rs In cities and as
employees of the railway mail service,
none Of which can be obtained except
by passing an examination. 1t is an
outrage to fill the heads Of thous-
ands OF people with the idea
that they can get Offices in this way,
and the man who does it ought to be
prosecuted for obtaining money under
false pretenses. Think of the thous-
ands who will be disappointed in every
State in the Union, and who under all
circumstances must be disappointed,
for there was never a change Of admin
I istratiOn yet when there were not at
least fifty applicants for every small OF
| fee that had to be filed"
And the member grabbed tightly his
bundle OF unanswered applications for
Office, glowered savagely at the cores
Dondent as If he were to blame for the
whole business, and disappeared within
| the sacred precincts of the House,
where neither office-Seekers nor news
paper men could follow him, at least as
| long as the session lasted.
And the statements OF the member
were not all exaggerated, as everyone
! familiar with the facts OF the matter
| knows. The man who starts out TO get
Ian Office, large or small, has almost as
much chance OF winning as the man
who buys ticket in lottery. Aud
/ the investment In lottery is altogether
the more advisable thing TO do, because
| it will cost less. Even if you buy
whole ticket, and until the drawing
takes place, you can 60 quietly along at
tending to your ordinary business, II
/ you have any business TO attend to. II
/ YOU haven't, and no prospect or hope OF
! getting one, perhaps it will do no harm
] 10 start in as an oftice-seeker.
Take the consular service, for in
stance. All over this broad land to-day
! there are thousands OF Democrats OF all
! classes and conditions nursing an ambi-
tion to 60 abroad as q United States
consul to some foreign city. Most OF
these people, probably, have the vaguest
| sort of an idea what the consular service
/ Is, WNGL COuSuIo uuIito oAOi ohU "h"V
paw they get. But just the same they
/ want 10 be consuS. Now there are just
about 400 of these places and the aver
age pay is, perhaps, $1,000 year, out
of which the consuls must pay
all his travelling expenses and
all other expenses. Then be must be a
man of some education, he ought TO
speak at least one foreign language be-
sides his own, and he must have little
knowledge OF business affairs. The
pressure for these places is tremendous,
Notwithstanding all these drawbacks
and conditions, and to get one of them
REQUIRES almost as much influence as
to get place in the
Cabinet. When Cleveland was
elected ia 1884 there were piled at the
State Department no less than 10000
applications for the 400 consulships, so
that 90. GOO olfice-seekers were diSap-
pointed n this department Of the gov
! ernment alone.
This will give those good Democrats
who contemplate going in for an Office
under Cleveland some idea OF the
chances they stand Of succeeding.
ANTI-PINKERTON BILL