The daily morning journal and courier., 1894-07-31
NOT A PUBLIC SNAP, SURELY.
DEPIETNESr CLEEks 1T THE CAP EF0E OBLIGED TO NORA HARD.

The clAas~s ef Clerks and the Methods 0
 ssssi1g APFstEtmsnrs-krtnsd womei
 tE Ih~ Depar,msrts-How fonsre-snei
 AEe fsss-red sy APpiisaAts-ossrerowi
 ke-ssas and Bad AiE-Fear of Dismissal
 sr-ne sad Gases.
 sro= Oar special Corre-ponfent.l
 Washington. July 7n-whIte up undei 'he hsg dome the senators and repre- ssa'auyss sEtns 70 and fro big palm lea: fans slowly sip ice water or some thing stronger and talk tariff. some six tAo2s1ad government clerks bend earn ts;ly over books and typswriters In the tis 4epArIEg asaI buildings where the tAs --sou-%,%F fools among the nIneties and strain zvegy muscle to carry out tAs detail E9gk Of the government
 ~why Es everyone so anxious to get a government !osIrlou?' asked of one Of the os4e- clerks in one of the depart neats the other day.
 His reply =4s q sIckly smile as he lisped out Because they think 1t is a sctt snap I suppose. coupled with good pay
 Oh how mistaken they are. as a gov r1sen' cae-ssAGp here means salary of from S:Ss 'D S,01a year. as the case may he- a coastaHt fear of losing the position seven hours hard work every day and probably months of disagree able irapo-TulIns of senators. represent aiiVss and other influential men for en- ooT'senerts. to. after months of likeness, he landed in a S191 to a Sl, GOO position. the sum which the average clerks are paid only the heads of departments and small part of the clerks getting from that sum up to ss,e90
 All of the clerks who land in the de- partments and are appointed on con- gTessaon2l influence are in the unclassi- ned service, which constitutes but a small part of the number employed. and s7se year
 The other clerks come under what is Eno~n as the classified service, and while as general rule their salaries are better. they are skilled clerks in their line Of work whether it be stenography. typeUrtting or some special scientific or other branch of learning. The average salary of these clerks is about s1.200, whiae some get sl.s96. All of this latter class have T0 first take the civil service examination. and if put on the eligible list and their quota from their particu- lar stale Is not full why, they stand a chance after wait Of certainly weeks and in mos1 cases months, of being cer- ttf5+d over to some department, and at last getting ClsEkship Of perhaps sI20 10 start with
 At present however, and for some time to come one in order to stand any chance whatever under the civil ser vice must take some special examina- tioo in snune particular line, as the eli gib'e list of clerks. including typewriters and s1enOgTaPhers. numbers among the hundreds with very little call from the departments fur such clerks, they now having all the places filled
 While i'm the unctassitied service the danger of dismissal is greater, still the classified clerks must attend strictly to business and good record for efficien- cy is the only safeguard against dis uaissal- even that not always being a safeguard
 lt is of the first class of appointments that the public hears most, those in the unc1sssi1e1 service and who are ap- pointed by the head of the department For the most part these appointments are as lsto-ers and messengers, al- though a1l of the heads of rooms and divisions are in the unclassiffei service and are also some few occupying other places mt importance.
 II IS hT rhssa applicants that the con- gressruan's life is made burden. His mEsAvhGes are often aroused by the pa1eo1ls appeals of the applicants and 1he heaEtrending tales of suffering and distress In mime cases out of ten these s1osae,s are true and in many instances the applicants especially the women, are ladies of refinement and culture, who have losr their fortunes and are forced by fear of starvation to impor- tune their influential friends of former days 1@ endorse them for position
 One class i'm particular was called to my attention the other day while in one nf the big buildings.
 NJ ilt0rmant- man holding a high position saI5- Look at that woman WveT 1her4"
 Turning my eyes in the dirction indi- ea1stsr ssl@ seated on one of the chairs in the @mterwom a small woman of re- fimemelt and beautiful features, whose atge wsas mOt past forty. but whose snow white hair and sad eyes indicated years Of suffering and prIvation- She was dressed i'm a well-woFn black silk and locked svsTy inch the lady that she @aS
 'That @0man," continued my inform amt was at one time quite wealthy and owned considerable estates in the south, whHch are to-day not worth a penny, and she is almost destitute, having lost alQ of her money through a rascally agent nm the west, where it was invest ed To-day she is practically a pauper an& with three children lives in a small