The Washington times., 1894-05-26
THE DISTRICT REcoRDERSHIP.
Pointed Criticism of the Office BY . Mem.
her of the District Bar.

| Pointed Criticism Of the Office BY Q Mem
ber Of the District Bar.
The following communication comes from
an attorney whose practice is principally in
connection with real estate and conveyancing
The writer is lifelong Democrat and voter
holding residence in one Of the adjoining
counties of Maryland, but having an Office in
this city, and whose business has given him
an intimate knowledge Of the workings of the
Recorders Office, extending over period O,
more than twenty years:
To the Editor of THE TINES:
Recorder Of Deeds Taylor, formerly Of Kansas,
says in the Star: "f can keep 1t (the work of
the of1'ce) up TO the present high standard of
efficiency which now distinguishes 1t SO notice.
ably, shall be very happy" and this after
stating he knew noting about the ONCE Its work,
or personnel, and then eliminated, when In
formed, that he would do precisely as his prede-
cessor had done"
Why, then, was the "Republican rascaT'
Bruce turned out by the democratic reform
President and the Kansas negro Taylor put in,
II there was 10 be no change for the better? OF
course the plain English of the whole matter is
that the Democratic reformer Cleveland thought
by putting Taylor in he would thereby buy
negro votes for the Democratic party, and the
helplessness Of the people Of the District to have
political revenge would make the infamous act
safe
But in this the reformer has committed q Do
litical blunder. Fitness for the place was not
considered, and Taylor confesses his unftness
when he says he knows nothing about the work
OF the oflice and proposes TO follow suit Those
who work in the ofIice, not, however, as em-
ployes, do know of Its work and condition, and
they know 1t Is now, and always has been, a dis
grace and an outrage on the community. 1t has
always been place for plunder for its occu-
pant, and nothing more, and there has never
been in the office single Recorder except
Trot;er who knew or cared enything about the
work, or who did anything more than draw a
large income for doing nothing. The work of
the once is, and always has been, very imper-
feet and no attempt has ever been intelligently
and honestly made to have IL otherwise
The system Of copying by piece produces mac
curacy. rs the greater haste the greater pay to
the copyist, and the comparing is farce, as It is
required to be done in part by the faulty copyist
without paw and is therefore hurried through in
order that the paying part of the work may be
resumed. The condition of the work after being
compared proves this, and IL is almost OF daily
occurrence that the record is changed, in VIOLA
tion of law, TO make il correspond with the orig
inal deed. even years after the deed has been re-
corded and compared.
1t is dangerous in the extreme for one who has
paid TO have his deed recorded. and who has had
that deed returned TO him marked recorded"
10 lose the original, s he may find at some future
duy that he has no title TO his property.
We're II not for the examiners-i mean lawyers
who work in the onice-the community would
wake up some bright morning to find earth
quake had taken place ih its titles. bur even
their efforts, made I'm seli-protection cannot save
altogether the results Of bad work and worse
system.
No mans title is safe in an Office conducted as
our Recorders office is and always has been,
where the greatest amount OF plunder for the
Recorder is the only end in view
Tayior's appointment viii net improve this
condition. II VII cnly be another swarm of in
competent negroes who spend half their time in
cackiing Ike setting hens. TO the annoyance of
examiners anu o:her persons having legitimate
business in the oiice, and in making their bad
wosi; worsc, in place OF the old gang.
| accepted Irottcr only because he made some
Improvement under the pressure of his fears
and the demands of the examiners, and which
improvements would have been all cancelled by
Bruce, because taey reduced the Recorders
pluuder q little, 4 the examiners had not pre-
vented the backward movement The deputy.
Col schayer, gentleman of integrity and
standing. has been helpless under such syS-
improvement.
There is but one remedy for the evil, and that
Is TO put the appointing power in local hands,
out Of the reach OF rewarders o! political trea III
cry, and have the appointments local, where
local pride and standing would exercise some
influence and every employs sala-
ricd.
The want CT pride in the office, and the single
desire for GAIN have also doomed the Office to a
cellar, where the records rot, the workers in the
Office suffer in health. and there is no light and
no modern convenience. There is not record
Office in the country SO defective in every way as
political hack or hopeful ,rai.or from $4,000 to
$1,000 per annuin 10 do nothing good.
MI. Cleveland will find ihis outrage will cost
the Democratic party more honest white votes
than 1t will buy dishonest black votes
INDEPENDENT D3I0CkATIC VOTER