Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-07-14
DlSMISSALS FROM OFFICE

Whatever else may be uncertain about
our places" said a young and pretty census
office clerk as she emerged from the hot
house at the corner of LIST and B streets,
we all know that when the census Is COM
pleted our tenure of office comes to an end.
With clerks in the classified service Of the
government there is no fixed tenure
NO." answered her companion. an elder
ly clerk who had lived long enough in
Washington to be familiar with some OF the
ms and outs of departmental life, cit is to
large extent somewhat Of lottery. or
course, all Of you green employees know.
when the administration changes its rouge
and powder many dismissals are made for
political reasons. Also, an opportunity Is
accounts with some of their clerical neigh
bors. and 1t is usually embraced.
Where clerk is dismissed for some os-
tensible cause, but really for political rea-
sons at the close Of an administration. he
runs good chance Of getting back II the
old party comes in power again the next
four years. If he was on the unclassified
roll, or in the classified service and Is a
veteran Of the civil war. 1 know Of many
instances Of men who were dismissed under
| the Cleveland administration who are now
in Office. 1t must have been a long wait
between trains, however.
But sometimes a clerk Is dismissed for
serious cause. drunkenness, for example,
and during the past decade those in author
lowed the rule obtaining in the large rail-
| road offices, and will not reinstate a man
with this charge against him. no matter
how strong his influence may be. l will
cite a single Instance:
1.-TWO men held 81 400 desks in the same
division. Both were inclined to bend the
elbow during the day. AS result, their
papers were often misplaced, they were in
clined to be irritable. and their work was
not satisfactorily performed. The chief Of
their bureau called them separately before
him one day and told them that If they
desired to remain at work strict sobriety
was the condition precedent. The admoni-
ton had temporary effect, though both
were highly indignant. Not long afterward
the chief dropped into a resort near the de-
partment for little stmulant himself. The
two clerks were leaning against the bar
One asked the chief to join them. He knew
that his name was mud, and he chose to be
sociable to the last. The chief declined the
invitation, returned at once to the office
and sent for the two clerks. He was tod
that they were on leave for the afternoon
They were Summarily dismissed that day.
One man made no effort to be reinstated.
The other brought the strongest influence
to bear on the head of the department. and
his successor for five years. Some time
ago he was reinstated as messenger.
Il know of one lady who was dismissed
simply for talking. She was most per-
ststent chatterer, and admonitions to close
keep it closed until o'clock were breath
wasted. 1t is perhaps good thing for
some of my sex that the rule is not thus
always so strictly enforced.
"A young lady in one of the departments
received much attention because she was
pretty and was understood to be eligible
for matrimony, since she was very coy,
and was known as Miss -. She was
occasionally seen with little child, her
niece, she said. 1t was known that a young
man in another department paid her cons. d.
erabte attention: 1t was discovered, after
she had drawn 81 200 for five OF six years.
that the young man was her husband and
the niece her own child She resigned
have always thought that the men clerks
who used to hang around her desk, and
say nice things to her. under the impression
that they were talking to n young. I'M
married damsel must have suffered a
severe shock when they learned of the de-
cept!on, and realized how they had wasted
their attentions.
while there are married women in the
departments whose husbands are employ ed
or unemployed on the outside it is an I'M
derstood thing now that husband and wife
both cannot remain Uncle Sans pay
roll, and an order to this effect was recently
promulgated publicly in one of the down
town departments. There are, however
many secret marriages among government
clerks. and l know of several. Why? Be-
cause the husband is paying for home, is
one reason. Because the wife does not in
tend to surrender her salary until the last
moment, and because sometimes the wife S
salary is larger than the husbands
"A clerk in my room was dismissed be-
cause ne reported himself as sick when he
was In TACT participating in a tennis tour
nament. His name appeared in the local
papers as a contestant He denied it. then
admitted it, and pleaded for mercy on ac-
count of his young wife and baby. The
Secretary dismissed him because of the
falsehood.
"A dismissal for 'incompetency' does not
disbar reinstatement. That's the official
reason given when they want your place for
another. Any clerk is officially .incom-
petent If his chief so reports him. when. as
a matter of fact he may be able to give
the same chief cards and spades and beat
him In oific al business. This is understood
in official life"