The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-10-09
OFFICIAL JOBS '
( WILL BE SCARCE
The Next President Will Have Few of
Them to Give Away.
AN EMPTY POLITICAL PIE PLATE
The Civil Service Blanket Covers
Nearly All Of the Positions in the
Government Scrvice..SOme Fat
Jobs Still Remain, However, Al.
though Most Of Them Are in tho
Consular Service.

to distribute, in the shape OF offices,
among his friends and supporters. The
civil service law has spread its blanket
over nearly all the positions In the gov
ernment service, and under 1t the pres
ent place. e-holders rest in security. They
cannot be removed to make room for
new appointees. The misfortune-if
such 1t shall be called-was made COM
plete a year ago by Mr.. Cleveland's Or
der extending the law in question to the
government printing office and to con-
suls drawing salaries between $1,000 and
s.. 500 per annum. In short, to put the
case crudely, but truthfully-the politi-
cal pie-plate is empty.
What a change in twenty years! Only
SO short a time ago an incoming preSi-
dent had at his disposal $4,000 offices.
without counting postmaStershtps-
enough to satisfy a great army of politt-
cal adherents. Now he has only about
1000. outside of the pOstOffice depart
ment-scarcely a sufficient number to
whet the appetite of the greedy place
hunter. Twelve thousand clerks are
employed in the executive departments
at Washington. All Of them draw fat
salaries and chuckle over the fact that
their situations are secure, no matter
who wins the election.
Hitherto chiefs of divisions in the de-
partment have been changed with each
new administration. These Jobs are ex-
ceptionally well-paid and easy. Many
of them are almost sinecures. There
are hundreds Of them, and they have
been bestowed customarily upon spe-
cially favored political and personal ac-
quaintances Of the president and men,
bers Of the cabinet. Mr.. Cleveland's re-
cent order made them situations for life.
practically. The same order gave an
equal protection to all messengers and
laborers in the departments. The for
mer gets from $50 to $40 a month, and
the latter $40 to $50. Uncle Sam gives
nearly twice as much for clerical and
manual work as Is paid by business
firms. Where else than in government
employ do women get $1,000 to $1,000 a
year for typewriting and other tasks
requiring no greater skill, with a months
vacation and another month allowed for
sick-leave?
The next president will have no place
to give In the departments except few
assistant secretaryships, auditorships.
and such important posts, filled by and
with the consent of the senate. The
most important feature of Mr.. Cleve-
lands recent order was the paragraph
the government printing office. This
establishment, which is the largest
printing office In the world, has 5000
employees. No places there are left open
save those of the public printer and a
few confidential men. The same execu-
tive proclamation included the $50 en-
ployes of the Interstate commerce COM
mission. The bureau of engraving and
printing. with its 1,500 employees, nearly
half of them women, has been covered
by the civil service law for many years.
The same remark applies to the Indian
service, except for the agents. who are
appointed by the president and confirm
ed by the senate.
Some very profitable jobs will remain
In the presidents gift, though they are
not many. The.best of these are in the
consular service. Most desirable of all
from the financial point of view is the
consulship at Liverpool. which. thanks
to remunerative fees, is worth about
$4,000 a year. Next comes the place
of consul general at London, which
yields $4,000. The post of consul gen.
eral at Paris Is nearly as good, having
an income Of about $4,000 attached to
1t. Then there are a few very juicy
consulates. at Bradford and Manchest-
er in England at Lyons and Bordeaux
in France. and at Hamburg and Chem
nitZ, In Germany. There Is quite a. list
of diplomatic posts abroad, to be filled
by ambassadors and ministers, at ST.
500 per annum, but II can hardly be
said that they are desirable for the
sake of the salaries. The persons who
hold them are obliged to maintain such
a style of living that 1t is hard foi
them to get along at all unless they
have private fortunes. More in this
way is required of an ambassador than
of a minister; yet congress did not see
fit to raise the pay when ministers al
certain posts were lifted to the rank
Of ambassadors Of the United States.
There is no longer such big money in
consulships as was formerly the case
All the fees obtained by United States
consuls used to go into their own pock-
cts; now the bulk of them must be
handed over to the treasury. That is
why the consular service costs this
government less than nothing. being
actually source of revenue. The Of
fetal fees of the consul general at Lon
don run beyond $4,000 per annum. Con-
suls have a first-rate opportunity for
speculation, but the wrongful with
punishable as u felony. Even nova
days consulships are among the most
eagerly sought of government places.
Incidentally, it is worth mentioning
that q consul ranks with q captain in
the navy or a colonel in the army. When
he visits the flagship of an American
squadron in foreign port, he is enti-
tied to salute of seven guns.
The president Is still at liberty to ap-
point collectors of ports. These places
used to be exceedingly profitable, those
who held them getting such a rake-off
in the shape of fees that four years OF
incumbency was equivalent to q for
tune. But now the fees are so cut
down that the profit is no great matter.
United States marshals formerly were
able to gather in the dollars at sur
prising rate. 1t was no extraordinary
thing for such an official to earn $50, ,000
a year. Fees for arresting people. for
transportation of witnesses, for mile
age, etc, ran up to high figures. But
the new law has reduced the fees great
ly. OF course. all post Office clerks, rail-
way mail clerks and carriers are under
the civil service law, and their places
nation. Leaving aside the postmast-
ers. nearly all Of the vast army of Fed
eral office holders outside of Washing
ton is under the blanket of the so-called
Chinese system.
Now, it would be entirely within the
power of the new President to upset
the whole of this business by with
drawing the operation of the civil SER
vice. He could even annul 1t to all in.
tents and PURPOSES for a time. Then
he might discharge as many Of the
government employees as he chose, re.
placing them with other clerks and Off.
Gals of his own selection. The law In
question does not control the Chief Ex.
ecutive. but merely permits him to ex.
tend the system over such parts Of thf
civil service as he sees fit. But 1t may
safely be said that no President would
dare. without obtaining the approva
Of Congress. to abrogate the civil ser.