Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1896-10-24
THE LATE FRANK HATToN.

tary of the treasury and tell him so in
person. The fool did SO, and the secre-
tary gave him first-class clerksh,p.
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 a delusion 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 pretty woman in the interior
depnrtmen to-day who draws salary
| of ST 200 per annum who never passed
/ the examination and who has not edu-
! cation enough to pass any sort of an
| eNamina ton. She was widow and
| knew how to charm a congressman and
| take complete possession of him. She
! then insisted upons having office. in
order to be independent and apparent
| ly self-supporting. How the law was
! circunvented 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
tsharge of Il clerk, and the clerks cannot
even ascertain demand any reason
for their dismissal when it occurs. Noel
| p Aidrich 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 a de-
partment his nutocratic power to dis
charge. The law only hampers him in
appointing. No matter how efficient Il
man may be. he cannot be appointed to
an Office in the departments without
passing a civil service examination. To
give a plain practical illustration let
me tell you story from real lie.
james N Tyner was for years n
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 ramifications probably
4 oetter tfan 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 standssin the way to
prevent the appointment of Tyner, I'M
less he should go through the farce of
passing n schooIboy examination.
The office seekerR are like rats. a
well-proyisioned 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: II knew
long before the blow came that / was
not to be renominated. 1 knew that
word had gone forth to slaughter me.
l could tell It because the letters beg
ging for Office ceased to come in INV
mail That is always sure sign that
statesman is sinking. when the Office
seeking rats begin to desert him."
SMITH d. FRY.