Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1900-04-19

to hire a stenographer, finally, and
take him about the departments,
where the letters would be dictated
until noon, or one o'clock. Then [
would send the stenogFapher off to
transcribe the letters on a type
writer, while I would continue in the
departments until every letter had re-
ceived attention. Finally, I would
write lot of letters myself, and die
tate others, until the work of the day
had been completed.
For example, on the 1st of June,
would write the letters, dating them
F'Emporia, Kan, June f." They were
mailed to Flenniken, reached him in
three days, and, on June 4, at Emporia,
he would sign Senator Plumb's name
and mail the letters to the constitu-
ents. Each man thus presumably re-
ceived a letter from the senator; al
though the senator was more than
1900 miles distant from Washington,
and about LOCO miles distant from
Emporia. But the business was going
on, although he was absent. Good
business men having large interests to
look after cannot do everything with
their own hands. They can select their
assistants, and supervise; and that was
what Senator Plumb did, and his con-
stituents all believed in him and loved
him, because all of their business re-
ceived his attention promptly. 1t was
not necessary to explain to them what
methods he employed to accomplish
the result, nor how much it cost him.
This brief story would not be COM
plete without saying that the dear old
senator did by me as he did by all
others. He paid me literally; much
more than I had expected or desired.
Now, to illustrate what Congress
man Brundidge has found out.
never went to the postmaster general.
nor to the first assistant postmaster
general, nor to any chief clerk, for in
formation concerning Plumb's post
office business. knew that DR.. Brum-
baugh was the clerk in charge of Kan
sas postal affairs, and I went directly
to his desk every day and secured the
information without delay.
By the way, George Fenton was the
clerk in charge of the Ohio post offices.
Often have [ seen Congressman Will
liam Mckinley sitting by the desk of
that subordinate and obscure clerk,
getting information concerning the
post office appointments in his district.
Congressman did not have private sec
retaries paid forNby the government in
those days, and William Mckinley did
his own department work. Poor Fen
ton is dead now. If he had lived Nc
KinIey would have done we'll by him,
for he was splendid clerk and did lots
of things for Mckinley, because he
liked him; things which were not
necessary for him to do, and which the
Ohio congressman highly appreciated.
Now you see how the departments
are arranged. The members of the
cabinet know very little about the de-
tails of their departments, and when
they are called upon for information,
they send for the quiet plodders in the
civil service. In the navy they call the
men who do the actual work, 1.-The men
behind the guns These clerks who
carry on the real work might well be
called the men behind the scenes; for
they are they who handle all official
papers, while the higher officials di-
rect the general policies of their de-
partments. Not one letter out of TO-
600 addressed to the postmaster gen.
eraI is ever seen by him. The same
may be said substantially of all other
cabinet officials.
The suggestion of Congressman
Brundidge that there should be a pro-
fessional private secretary in Washing
ton is a very good one; but it viii be
many day before it is carried out, be-
cause the politicians at the homes of
the statesmen will it otherwise; and
few congressman realize what an adj
vantage a professional private secre-
tary would be to them and to their
constituents SMITH D. FRY.
Sound.
'sWas the minister's sermon zauzd2''