Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1896-10-22
THE LATE FRANK HATToN.

gresham told him to go to the secre-
tary of the treasury and tell him SO in
person. The fool did so, and the secre-
tary gave him a first-class clerkship.
When he found out the mistake he had
made, he was mad all over, but he
could blame nobody but himself. Con-
gressmen usually do the best they can
for their constituents, and whatever is
given, especially in these civil service
days, should be thankfully received.
The office seekers should remember that
beggars should not be choosers; and
Office seekers are practically beggars
for favors.
The civil service law is deluson and
a snare, and the sooner the people I'M
derstand that fact the better. 1t is
constantly violated and affords abso-
lutely no protection to clerks. Any
girl with a pretty face and figure can
pass the civil service examination.
There is a pretty woman in the interior
department to-day who draws salary
of $1,000 per annum who never passed
the examination and who has not edu-
cation enough to pass any sort of an
examination. She was a widow and
knew how to charm congressman and
take complete possession of him. She
then insisted upon having an Office, in
order to be independent and apparent
ly self-supporting. How the law was
circumvented it is difficult to tell. But
there she is.
The law does not protect the clerks.
There is no clause and no section and no
lin, or word in the civil service law or
in the regulations to prevent the dis
charge of clerk, and the clerks cannot
even ascertain or demand any reason
for their dismissal when it occurs. Noel
P. Aldrich was one Of the best clerks
and one of the finest penmen in the
post office department. He had been
there for Is years and was efficient. He
was discharged, and could never get
any reason for it. The head of de-
partment HIS autocratic power to dis
charge. The law only hampers him in
appointing. No matter how efficient
man may be, he cannot be appointed to
an Office in the departments without
passing a civil service examination. To
give plain practical illustration let
Inc tell you story from real life.
James N. Tyner was for years
post Office inspector. He served in the
railway mail service. He was first as
sistant postmaster general. He was
postmaster general. He was assistant
attorney general for the post Office de-
partment and construed all of the
postal. laws. He knows the postal
service in all its ramifcations probably
better than any other living man. Now,
suppose that the present postmaster
general should want to appoint James
n. Tyner to first-class clerkship he
could not do SO. No matter how much
he might need the services of James N.
Tyner, the law stands in the way to
prevent the appointment of Tyner, I'M
less he should go through the farce of
passing a schoolboy examination.
The Office seekers are like rats. a
ll-provisioned ship is always fairly
swarming with rats, but when leak is
sprung, the rats desert the ship. AS
long as man is prominent and holds
himself above the average in public
life, the Office seekers are after him
constantly. When it becomes known
that the local bosses intend to turn him
down, however, the office seekers de-
sert him. A former member of the
house of Representatives says: "I knew
long before the blow came that / was
not to be renominated. 7 knew that
word had gone forth to slaughter me.
! could tell it because the letters beg
ging for Office ceased to come in my
mail. That is always sure sign that
a statesman is sinking, when the Office
seeking rats begin to desert him"
Be-. SMITH d. FRY.