The Washington times., 1894-04-11
IN AND OUT OF OFFICE.

IIt 7.tD Wi vi Ol 4 lNLs
Between you and me, there's a new civil
service reform gentleman Of the name Of
Roosevelt in the world. He's only two days
old this morning, but he's energetic and
lively, like the other Mr.. Roosevelt, and, let
me say this one again, is making already
quite volume of music In the world. And.
by the way. am told that the older Mr..
Roosevelt has been commanded by his physi-
elan to stay away from the Office on account
OF bad cold, and that the way he obeys this
Injunction is to receive his hosts of friends at
his home, and then. when they are leaving.
stand with them on the doorstep bareheaded,
which is certainly ruinous thing for civil
service reform. But the question of course
is, will the new young civil service reformer
have something in his name suggesting his
fathers line OF business, like Diogenes, for
instance?
And speaking Of this matter OF searching
for honesty and the other thing, have you,
being started in the department which GER
tain persons allege should be looked into.
am told (sub rosa, of course. and sub rosa
things can seldom be proven) that certain
gentlemen. being in the ranks of certain
political party. are proselyting in the depart
ment here. 1t is the intention of these
founders OF this club that every gentleman OF
their political faith shall be requested (of
course nothing stronger than request to join
them. The beauties OF such an organization
needn't be pointed out with much care. l am
told that the dues of this club will be large.
sufficiently large in fact to do away with the
need of political assessments in the depart
ments which are against the law you know.
bat k. IL, w.NN
member OF their party-but then he might
not want to do SO.
] talked this scheme over with q civil
service reform gentleman. He tells me that
our friends, the originators, and the new
joining members of this club cannot shield
themselves behind it; that IL it is proven that
most of the members of the club are depart
ment officials even joining es individuals no
matter what the ostensible object may be.
they will be amenable to the law against
political assessments.
The tendency in the departments is against
further employment of women. For some
time people have noticed this in as far as
there not being any new positions opened to
them, bu. there are further advances In the
same line. In several instances recently
women have been dropped from positions
always heretofore occupied by women and
men have been substituted in their places.
A day or two ago noticed case Of the kind
in the Patent Office. The question of the
relative value of women will doubtless be
agitated again.
The sprightly Capital tells snappy story
about Mr.. Smiths detective force which am
going to quote in order to knock it into
cooked hat
When those twenty-odd clerks were discharged
last month in the Pension once on the charge
that they were incompeten, and addicted TO bad
habits, talked TO one officer of the bureau, who
alluded 10 the TACT that one man was in the habit
OF spending his evenings in questionable resorts
in chronic state of intoxication. / remem bered
the charge that has been made against the pres
ent administration of the Interior Department
and its bureaus, that detectives are employed TO
spy upon people outside the Office. / alluded to
II at the time. This charge again comes up. /
hear II rumored that a certain clerk the other
night became possessed of the idea that a GER
ta.n other clerk was watching him, and that in
n little while went so far as 10 knock the detec-
tive down, which is very pleasant thing to con-
template. Somehow / should have liked to be
the man who used his muscle in such a good
cause Mr.. Smith, there can't be any doubt you
are doing this thing II I were you I'd stop it
Suppose this story of this pugilistic endeavor
Oh lut ptrU OI LlllS cielk WIKI outraged leel-
ing is true What is the sole foundation for
it? Simply that Mr.. Smith. like Mr.. Carlisle,
employees u few OF his medical gentlemen Gn
his case they are medical examiners in the
Pension Offlce) 10 look into the cases of sick
ness reported to the Interior Department.
man sends in word that he will not be able to
come down to-day on account of an acute
nervous u, ,ack. Mr.. Smith doubts the entire
collapse of the gentleman and sends Pension
Office physician quietly to look him up. On
his return the medical man facetiously re-
ports that Mr.. Jones was absent at the drug
store when he called. 1t is not stated in his
report, of course, whether he called at the
front door, or the basement. or the back door.
We are to infer that he presented his
card in proper form-if he had one.
He states it as his opinion that
the nervous attack was caused by
the drug store and not the drug store the
result of the attack; which is the witty way
OF saying that to his virtuous mind NJ.
Jones has been intoxicated. Probably he is
right. In fact another man reports later that
he has seen Mr.. Jones once before under the
influence of book beer. After which Mr..
Jones is discharged as one of the ''incompe-
tents and drunkards"
This little supposedly hypothetical case of
mine is a real one. have quoted the medical
mans report almost word for word. and Mr..
Jones (his name is not Jones) was really
fired.