Evening star., 1897-04-03

| So. Mnrshau, Mich IulI3 lNar8
enormous ledger THAT is a neat-lookiug
| book" says he to the accountant.
When the weather permitted. Mr. Gage
| always walked from his Chicago residence
| to his Chicago bank in the morning and he
| fas already formed the habit OF walking
| briskly from his Washington residence TO
| the Treasury Department. He smokes a
cigar On his way down lie would rather
| smoke pipe. but this is one OF the few
| matters in which he is wiAng to conform
TO conventionality. So he smokes his pipe
/ at home. He arrives at the treasury build
Ing at O'Clock. He used to have to get
10 his bank at $50. and he says that he
| rather appreciates the extra half hour he
has here In the morning.
Prompt as the Secretary is. he il no more
so than the Office seekers. Even at -
| O'Clock the ante-roorn to the Secretary
Office is more than comfortably filled with
| ITEM The Secretarys oyercodt and hat
are no sooner hung on their pegs than the
| tide begins to percolate into his Office Pri-
| Nate Secretary Nanderlip undertakes the
| management OF the percolation. He makes
the introductions. handles the papers. Sits
| our the crowd in general. and does his part
| OF the work admirably. Hut neither the
| Secretary nor the Secretary's private secre-
| tary makes any attempt to conceal the lmi-
| tations that have been placed upon the aP-
| pointing power through the operation of the
| civil service law. To men who. disregard
| ing the law, ask for appointments in the
| department Secretary Gage commonly
| says:
When I assumed the secretaryship of
! the treasury 1 found two Washington ap-
| pointments at my command-my secretary
| and nay stenographer. Both places have
| been filed.
Dealing with once Seekers.
The applicant. however for a position
els where under the Treasury Department
| is given careful hearing. despite the fact
| that the applicants papers and recommen-
| dations to be the final measure of his
| eligibility. Courteously he receives them.
| 1t is a fact that the men who seek personal
! interviews with Mr.. Gage in their own in-
| terest practically waste their time. H.
| himself says that their chances would be
| quite good. If not better IL they a.
1 crossed him through the mails. IL is an
\ other waste of time TO set this down. how
4 ever. for no office seeker could ever be con-
| WINGED that he is not hugely benefited by
| his appearance in the Secre;arys Office
| backed up by a representative or sen
| ator. 1t is Of no benefit whatever FOL
| an applicant for a treasury appoin tment 20
| hama in his papers in person 10 the Secre-
| tary. for the papers go through precisely
| the same mill as ii they had been forward
| ed 10y mail; that is to say, they go to the
| appointment division within three minutes
| after the applicant leaves the Secretary
presence, there to be hlel until TREY ar
called for In the appointment division the
| names. with the accompanying recon-
| mendations. of all the applicants, Tor in
|
| ternal revenue for the first district OF New
| York, are inscribed in a right clerkly hama
| in separate paper-bound volume set aside
solely for that one position. When Mr.
| Gage decides to appoint collector OF .n-
| ternal revenue for the first district Of New
York. he will call for this book. look II over.
and pick out his man. 1t is a system which
| completely neutralizes the oiliest efforts O.
| the personal interview applicants.
| Yet they come-siDgly. in pairs and trios-
in delegations. each man ninibused with
4 ha 1x.... L..
| back in his revolving chair. gives them
ear and permits them TO do most OF the
| talking. The interview is concluded when
| Mr.. Vanderlip brings UP another applicant.
| or pair, trio. quartet or delegation OF ap-
| plicants. Short has been his period of
service. Mr.. Vanderlip has become a nice
gauger Of time In this respect.
seems to Enjoy II.
Through Il all Secretary Gage sits, com
| posed. judicial. the embodiment OF patience.
| He appears 10 rather enjoy ii. and certainly
finds certain philosophical pleasure in
the study of the constantly shifting kalei-
doscopic crowd. For instance. Gen. Long
street. the famous confederate leader. ap-
peared in Sc retary Cages office the other
| day at tn. head of a delegation of coiored
| men. As the confederate general departed,
followed by the delegation, Mr.. Gage re-
| marked:
There's reconstruction for you"
| During the noon hour. when man born OF
| woman Is supposed to eat, there Is no in
dication of the slightest abatement In the
| tide OF visitors. But Mr.. Cages office is
| closed for a matter of about fifteen min
| utes. while the Secretary OF the Treasury
| and his private secretary partake OF crack
| ers and milk for luncheon. Mr.. Gage is an
| enthusiast On the subject of crackers and
| milk for luncheon and so is his secretary
| Thus there Is quarter of an hour breath
| ing spell. Then the door is again thrown
| open. and again the broken chain OF appii-
cants flows in. But. by the Secretary's
| order. IT is all over promptly at o'clock
| He will receive no one after that hour
| for at that time of day his signing time
| begins.
Letters for the mails that reach the
| desk of the Secretary OF the Treasury for
| signature are generally sufficiently Uttered
| with the initials of the various officials
| through whose hands they have passed
| to make II fairly certain that they are all
| right, and most of Mr.. Cages predecessors
| have signed Them with as great a degree
| OF rapidity as they could run their pens
over the paper Not so the new Secretary.
1 He exhibits mere fassiness in carefully
| reading, as he does, every letter land there
| are hundreds of them every day) to which
| he appends his signature. 1t is simply one
| of his methods of mastering the routine OF
| the department. Nor does he sign all of
the letters. Many of them he puts to one
side he goes along. and. when he is
| through with the main stack of letters be
| sends separately for the chiefs of the d.
! visions whence emanated the letters which
have stuck il passing his desk. and
4
| result in the letters being written over
| again.
| At about o'clock a messenger enters
| the Secretary's Office and announces that
| his carriage is awaiting him at the main
| door of the treasury building 18th
| street. Then. after nine hours of pretty
| solid work, Mr.. Gage goes home, an hour
| after the practically complete desertion OF
| the building except for the watch force.
II you want anything. try ad. in The
1 Star. II anybody has what you wish, you
4 will get an answer.
To Make Sure.
\ From the Cincinnati Enquirer.
! Young man, said the statesman. 81 de-
| cline to be interviewed"
| The hopeful reporter looked sad.
81 always interview myself" the states
man explained. 'It Is a great plan for
missing mistakes. Just sit down, and /
/ will have your copy ready in about TWEEN
1 ty minutes"