The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-11-14
A RUSE TO GET PLACES
POLICE AND FIRE FORCE APPLI-
CiNTs WHO CHANGE POLITICS.
discoveries Made When Duplicate Pa
pcrS Are Observation-Disclosures
Letters That Are Received.


Men Of normal dispositions and healthy
desire to work for their own living proba-
blv find it impossible to comprehend the
desire of some of their fellows for snap
iobs in the public service. Strong, vigorous
men of fair intellectual capacities become
,nbued with the impression that they would
he perfectly contented and happy with the
lot Of the ordinary patrolman or fireman.
and after the desire has been once kindled,
nothing less than its accomplishment will
Give them rest from the burning ambition.
AIen who are capable of earning far more
N walks of life where they would be indie
nendent OF political upheavals and changes
are not satisfied once the public job phan-
+asna has possessed their minds until it is
eratified They see patrolmen stalking
about the streets, apparently doing moth
ing or fremen lOunging about headquarters
gossiping smoking pipes, telling stories and
apparently passing the time solely in self
endowment and they become DESTROYS to
emulate them. No idea of the hardships
and dangers these men may possibly
encounter occurs to him. If their first
efforts are unsuccessful, If influential men
10 whom they apply for assistance dis
suade them, they grow sullen and perhaps
impudent If some men with political am
bitions consent to concern themselves in
their behalf and visit the mayor or Police
BOARD to intercede for them they regard it
as simply a matter of course. If the au-
tborities are slow in making the appoint
ments the ambitious applicants grow
abusive and make threats of what they will
do when another election day comes around.
In the archives of the Board of Public
Safety in this city are some curious docu-
ments that throw some light on the mania
some men have for places on the police and
fire forces Richard c. Herrick, clerk of
the board, has in his custody a pile of APP
plications that have been made by men for
places on the different departments as high
as ones hat. A not uncommon thing for
applicants to do is to change their politics
when administrations change, providing the
retiring administrations have not given
them appointments.
Just last week there was man who came
into the boards office and announced that
he wanted to withdraw an application he
had made for a place in the fire depart
ment.
What do you want to withdraw it for?"
Intercepted Mr.. Herrick.
We'll you see," responded the tall, red
faced, robust fellow, "since L filed the APP
pication / have got another place and I
have concluded that it would be too con-
fning for me in the fire department"
whats your politics?" inquired the clerk.
a am a Republican"
I'm, huh" commented Mr.. Herrick. THE
rules of the department prohibit applica-
tons from being withdrawn after they have
been entered on the records. What is your
name?"
The man gave his name and the date
when he filed his application. 1t was back
under the Denny administration. Looking
over the record of applicants Mr.. Herrick
found the mans name. Il am sorry to tell
YOU that l cannot give you back the APP
plication What do you want to withdraw
It for. any way? If you don't want to
serve you can refuse when the board APP
points you"
DIDN'T WANT TO DECLINE.
ooh. / don't want to refuse place." said
the man frightening at the suggestion
"You see some of my friends have exerted
themselves for me. and ] would not like
to have them know 1 had refused an APP
pointment."
The chances of his being appointed were
about as remote as if he had been a rabbit
or a crayfish. He was one of the thou
sand or more whose names will never be
considered
Finding that arguments were useless, he
went away without getting back the blue
paper with his NAME age, politics, national
fly, educational qualifications etc., re-
corded.
DO you know what that man wanted to
withdraw his application for?" said Mr..
Herrck to a reporter. You heard him say
that he is a Republican. He wants to file
new application giving his politics as be-
ing a Democrat"
The reporter expressed some incredulity
and then Mr.. Herrick got out his list of
duplicated applications, that is, those or
men who had made applications for places
on the police and fire forces under different
administrations. in which they gave their
politics as both Republican and Democrat
&c, according to the policy of the admins
tration in power when the applications
were made
Here is one of the most peculiar cases
that has come under my observation, said
Mr.. Herrick, picking up two applications.
One Of them was stamped Republican and
the other Democratic The applicant had
a peculiar name. The older of the two APP
phcauons was made when Denny was
mayor and the other a couple of years ago,
shortly after Mayor Taggart was elected.
Il was in the office when this man first
made his application" said Mr.. Herrick
you viii observe that he here gives HIM
self a Republican. The application was
placed on the record as all others are When
it came time for him TO submit to medl-
cal examination he was away from town
doing some detective work for one of the
private agencies. and he was not passed on
by the police surgeon. After Mayor Tag
CART was elected he came in one day with
another application. showing he was
Democrat. I remembered his name and
looked on the books to see If he did not
have an old application on file. 1 found one
Med under the Denny administration show
Ing him to be a Republican. What struck
NE in looking at tho line where he had
written the word Republican was the fact
mat he had evidently first written Demo-
cratic. l examined it closely with hand