Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1897-06-10
THEY ARE MERE SERFS.
The Life Of a Government Clerk
Is Not a Happy One.
Young Men Should Seek Any other
Avenue OF Bread-WInninE Rath-
Than Work in the De-
Darfmenfx
Ispeciai Wash,ngton Latter,

Many pens, welded by descriptive
artists of superior ability have been
devoted to meritorious etchings of the
great postal machinery of the United
States. They have painted with
winged words the gilded pages and de-
picted the exterior portions of the
white sepuicners. Yet they have never
seen the inner life. and hence have
never presented to popular gaze the
serf of the republic And the voice of
the serf has never been raised concern
ing himself, or the labors imposed
upon him. by a government which has
for him less consideration than was
shown to the slaves of an effete re-
gime.
: The serI knows that he can little
grace his cause by speaking of it. He
can only crouch and cover beneath the
masters lash, thankful and prayerful
and, willing to let we'll enough alone.
He is unwilling to exhibit the proud
flesh that comes of his bruises. lie
can benefit neither the public nor him
self by exhibiting the decorations of his
feelings or the maceration of his man
hood. Day by day he is mulcted of
the robustness of independence which
is characteristic of his fellow men; yet
he is silent. There is around him an es-
pionage that makes him shudder lest
the modern VidocQ discern his feelings,
wrest from him his self-consciousness
and lay bare his secret thoughts of the
surroundings which make life sheol.
Yet he has within his hearts hot cells
shut up. wrongs, bitter, burning
wrongs, withered hopes, crushed ambi-
tions, annihilated manhood" Over the
arched doorways of the departments
at Washington it might well be written
in letters of rugged iron: Manhood
quickly killed for all who enter here"
This only to the serfs. No matter
whether the legalized disregard for the
constitution, yclept 1.-The civil service
commission or the executive mandate
of the wielder of the spoils system.
shall send him thither, he who enters a
government department at Washington
dies the death.
This is no more true of the post
Office department than of the others.
That branch of the executive division
of the government is selected for de-
scription because the writer is an eX-
serf emancipated from that prison.
These are to you strange sayings You
have never considered anything, con-
nected with the civil service of the gov
eminent in any but its most roseate col
ors. Yet, to the actual public servant.
life spent in the government en-
ploy has not spirituelle attractiyeness.
1t is n whited sepulcher. There is es-
pionage upon every individual. and it
is so inquisitorial and shrewd that its
depth, breadth and thickness are abyss
NAL. boundless. Hope and am bition are
chol1ed. and their roots extracted and
killed.
An elderly gentleman recently dared
to tell his experience to one whom he
knew to be trusty friend. He said:
81 am wondering now whether it is
better to be u pauper or puppy. 1
came into this place II years ago, with
high aspirations. L knew that i was
active and energetic, and believed that
! could attain almost any enhance in
government life. / believed that could
reach the position of postmaster
general. But in less than a
year l concluded that if L could
only become chief of my di-
vision I would be happy. l did more