The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-11-19
hlEI MOUTH
Seventh aPd Robert.

SSNSHlu d1tu INOpeIl
do not know what may be his particular
rank or title, but he sits at a desk be-
hind a railing with a lot Of other clerks
and stenographers. To my surprise
found him no better than the colored
man. The negro, in presenting my card
to Ward, had announced:
Here's man who will not tell me his
business"
What do you want?" demanded
Ward.
I explained that I wished to see Admiral
Crowninshield personally for about three
minutes.
What about?'' demanded Ward
AS it was not a matter for his ears or
those of the dozen clerks within earshot,
l repeated that it was matter which
l could get only from the admiral in per-
son.
Mr.. Ward persisted In his demands that
l explain my business to him, and when
L refused to do so, said the admiral was
too busy to be seen, and declined to let
my card go to him. Asked when the ad-
miral would be at leisure, he mentioned
a time several hours distant, and coupled
1t with statement that might not
be able to see him then"
ADMIRAL HARD TO SEE.
BY subsequent inquiry I have learned
mat my experience was not an uncommon
one. Admiral Crowninshield, more than
any one else in the government employ.
has the reputation of being discourteous
ana oVerbearing. In this instance II
seems, his subordinates were simply re-
Meeting and carrying out orders. This
may be a serious thing to say, but II
rests on ample testimony. If there ia a
martinez in the service, Crowninshield is
q hIIll Hoo, l,
bully the public.
1t was Admiral Crowninshield who.
When asked recently for a list of officers
III command at certain places, the total
NUMBER not exceeding twenty. renlied
that the clerks In the department were
100 BUSY to supply such information dir
ing office hours, but the information could
pe mao py paying certain employee for
ms trouble in furnishing the informa-
ton out of office hours. This nronoei+io,,
was made in writing to Otto Carmichael,
correspondent of the Minneapolis Times
Inls' however, is merely sideught ON
the character Of this particular buraaII
autocrat and is valuable as explaining In
part the reason for the impertiDence of
his suhordinates.
Ihere are some petty officials in the de-
partments who have been in their places
SO long that they have apparently eyrr.0,ro
INTO the habit of thinking that tho do
partment was made for their sole nerso,-
al qualification. They recognize no nnhIto
claims upon them, and althoush sl1nnort1
ed py public moneys raised by taxes will
not even submit to the Inconvenience of
an interview. Prof. S. P langley 1,eanar
of the Smithsonian institute is an ~
ample of this kind. Time and again 7
nave sent my card to this gentleman, and
as many times have been. refused adj
lnlttance. In this case l have even gone
so far as to write to him, asking an an
polntment at any time when it might ha
convenient to him; but the reply from
his secretary alleged great pressure Of
business, and refused to make an an
pOintment
No article on the subject of insolence
would be complete without some mention
Of John Addison Porter, secretary TO the
president. In speaking of this case, I can
do so without fear of personal prejudice.
as nave received more courteous treat
ment than the majority of people who
haVe been thrown in contact with him.
AT the same time I do not know whera
there can be found a single person to
deny that Mr.. Porter is the most tneffabIa
snob that ever walked in shoe leather
AT times he is grotesquely insolent He
Goes not seem to know even the rudi-
ments Of human nature, and In his mad
scramble to PROSTATE himself before DOW
er, he IS forever humping up against the
wrong thing. A man who is supposed to
be poor turns out to be rich, or vice
versa, and it becomes necessary to do a
quick and undignified side step. The re-
suit Is that he has trod on more toes than
any other man connected with the ad-
pllnistration; and the president has final
ly had to intervene and make the office
OF secretary an honorary one, transfer
ring the duties 70 another man.
q
fail to belittle 4 subject which is too
large for a bill of particulars If space
and time permitted it would be pertinent
to allude to that great class of agents, or
go-betweens who infest all the great de-
partments Of tn. government, and whose
function 1T is 20 act as buffer between
commercial enterprise and official in
science. 1t is the business of these in
Gividuals to dance attendance upon mar
tinets to relieve the itching palm, to re-
turn smiles for insults, and by all means
to get business. And they do It, And
they are paid the highest prices In the
market. And the consequence is embalm-
ed beef, Eagans, and an ever present
odor Of unventilated corruption.
But there Is an unpaid public which
IS unfortunately compelled at times to
go against the great departments Of
government" These common citizens"
have heard somewhere the tradition that
the people who worked in these places
and held these offices were their servants.
They may even have taken a pride in
the fact that a portion Of the taxes which
they have paid went to the erection of
these magnificent buildings and the fur
nishing Of these sumptuous Offices; not
to mention the payment Of sumptuous
salaries. 1t is pretty certain, therefore,
to come to them as something of shock
to discover that the supposed servant has
usurped the airs and authority of mas
ter. Left for a brief time In charge of
the house, "Jeemes" Crowninshield has
left the kitchen and the pantry, where
he belongs, and is lolling about in the
drawing-room, bursting his small clothes
with the inflated conception of his dig
nifty, the travesty of gentleman.
1t is shock to be insulted by your
butler, but the shock is nothing to the
smothered rage which all gentlemen must
feel, and which thousands of citizens are
daily made to feel, that in their Individual
capacity they are powerless to administer
violent kick to the one place in Jeemes'
anatomy through which he can be
reached.