Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-07-01
Commissioners Have No Time to
Even Think.
BRING APPLICATIONS AND COMPLAINTS
The Crowd Waits Patiently for
Hours and Hours.
CON RES S MEN

Never in the history of the District gov
eminent has the scramble for Office been
so great, and never has the pressure from
politicians for Office for their constituents
been SO strong and persistent as 1t is at
present The result is the Commissioners
are having hard time, and the interests
of the District are suffering because of it.
BY actual investigation, based upon the
averages of a week, over two-thirds of the
Commissioners time is taken up listening
to applicants for office Add to this the
numerous complaints. and the regular rou-
tine business of the day, and one can get a
faint idea of the strain the Commissioner
are under.
By actual count, 1O4 men and women ap-
Piled personally to the Commissioners yes
terday for employment. One Commissions
er heard fortyfour complaints, another lis
tened to the woes of thirty-nine, and a
third heard the lament of twenty-siX. And
all this takes up the time of the Commits
sioneis. time which they can i'll afford to
spare at this time, when the opening OF the
new fiscal year entails important duties
upon them School sites must be selected,
engine houses located, streets in need of
Improvement visited. All this takes time,
tco. but II is time well spent. The trouble
Eow is they have no time to spend This
is not new condition. For two months
the assault has been going on, with the
consequent result of practically stopping
all regular routine work and putting tho
business of the office away behind The
citizens are directly responsible for it,
They ciamor to the city fathers with every
complaint. when they well know subordl-
mates can attend to them.
Yesterday was a sample. When the Com
m'SsionerS arrived (and this is a most
l'unctuai board their respective offices
We're hiled with citizens. The majority of
them wanted work; the others had com.
In
hnd, as they have for some time, that the
Office seekers are nearer the dream of per
out.
We're Waiting.
Az the south end of the hall Commission
ers Ross and Black hold forth. They had
as hard time as Commissioner Wight in
getting to their desks. From the mome,if
they LETT their homes on the way to the
office they We're besieged. Everybody want
ed work. Commissioner Ross opened his
desk Tor business at 10 minutes past o and
eleFeh citizens were waiting their turn to
Whisper few words in his ear He COM
IileIceu with a former employe, who had
Deeh dismissed from the service of the
District under former administration for
lhtoNlcation. and wanted to return 10 the
ioid- ms story was a sad one, and he told
II with dramatic effect. He said over ana
over again that he had reformed and
wanted another chance COMMISSION.
Ross was moved with the appeal. but held
- - ~ nope II come again soon," said
tile h'th, and Commissioner Ross. glad to
get out OF II so easily, acquiesced Then
came another, and another and the fourth
''!e was Z woman. she had known Cam
missioner Ross when he was nrac,icing
Nv an" was now in need of something to
40. He was the very man to hell, her tio
toii her he had nothing to give ber .nd
iien she abused him. But that is all tn
COMMISSIONERS ever expect and abu.e is
~ VI tie every day proceedings In the
meantime, messenger appeareJ with H.
commissioners personal mail He glanced
at IL anu selected two letters from his oIJ
nome AT last there was to he n ra,, e
I: Siiihe IN the busy day. But the office
seekers had something to saw abort ~,
id the next man came forward inst as
the envelope had been opened and 60,
,iiehfed MS little speech. 1t is astonisbin,
NV 'hty an learn the stereotyped exnres
si men nave been handed down ever
i mere We're applicants for office Now,
s ,r thth they frame their applications in
itAereht phrases. but it is merely NAV
VI WORDS and means the same Al ~
nI tleH out Tour Of the original eleven APP
piCaitS remained They had been aug
iilehted' however by twelve more and -
Use an expression about the office "aIl ,bo
We're playing to full houses
ii 7iIsiS the commissioner turned to bic
him. ppiicahts turned to
win the knowledge that he is nuh1io
servant and was appointed to snrve ~
iR;ople' ne iorgets his personal wishes and
astehs- ana SO 1t keeps up until the office
cIcscs- And what of the regular ro,,1;e
work or the day? What of .ha lettors 49,
rate citizens have writ:eno What Of in :
specllons that should &c made? They have
SIMPLY been put OF until another time
some OF them have been put off On lon
lnat the complainant has forgotten ali
ABOUT it, But there are other citizens who
40 not forget. and after their patience has
,.,I
mas been received. they go on the war nath
ana WIND up at the District building. They
90 a ghCSt dance in the hall becaTIse tbaro
are NUMBER before them, and when thew
get chance at the Commissioners they a re
ready for anything. There is no use IN ey
| plain. The Commissioners have tried that
Inc most expert exponent of Baron Mum
ohaustn could not invent excuses for ira te
cltlzens They are opposed to them on first
principles, and really enjoy reminding the
commissioners that they ARE taxpayers
ana nave right to be heard" The Com
missioners appreciate this, and let them
talk on their superfiuous steam
The ConEressmen.
But the irate citizen with his complaint
Is not the only one that spreads terror to
the hearts of the District triumvirate
There are others more dangerous Who
else could it be but the Congressman who
wants place for his constituent from Po-
uuHh' ne STARTS OH Dy requesting 1t as a
favor, and winds UP by threat ening to
withhold his influence If the man is not APP
pointed This is not an exaggeration of the
facts. And there between the surging mass
of the people of Washington crying for
home rule and home appointments on one
hand, and Congressman threatening If their
constituents are not provided for to do dire
things to the District on the other the
Commissioners. to use a stage expression,
do thinking part" They know well that
each day of their official term their popu-
larity decreases, and live in hopes that
there is a land that is fairer than this,
where the weary cease from troubling and
the office seeker is at rest.
The reporter of The Star who investigated
the condition of affairs today looked in on
Commissioners Wight and Black. Both
Were following Commissioner Ross ex-
ample per force of circumstances. They,
| too, heard many sad stories. and listened
| to the wall of the Office seeker. They, too,
| had no opportunity to do any work to
| speak of for the District. They, too, saw
| the work pile up on their desks with no re-
| lief in sight, and they all three sighed
| and subscribed to the expression "A Com
missioner's life Is not a happy one"
Failed To Pay Duty ON Diamonds.
The case of Mr.. r. M. Scruggs of ST.
Louis charged with bringing diamonds