Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-02-09
"THE UNKNOWN DEAD"
Who Are Not Buried in POtter's Field,
However.

Whenever 1 read in The Star of the I'M
known dead of this city l think Of the I'M
known dead in the executive departments"
said chief clerk.
AT first blush IL may appear paradoxical
that man or woman may be alive in the
departments. reporting for duty when not
sick. drawing pay and breathing and eat
ing, and at the same time be corpse. But
Of the type of clerks of which speak, they
are to all intents. and purposes, from an
official standpoint, dead.
These clerks are forgotten. They are
buried. They are like two or three cards in
deck, when the pack is shuffied. they
shuttle along with the rest. They are to be
found by the dozens in the different depart
ments, men and women alike. How they
got in, no one but themselves know. Most
of them old clerks. They stay because
they constitute one of the compOnents of a
system. Once in the service, they have re-
NAMED IN the maintenance OF the system.
But for the beneficent protection Of the
civil service they would be hunted out,
named and numbered and tagged like vic
tins selected for the block and summariiy
decapitated.
THE influences which secured their ap-
pointment have long since passed to the
other side or been snuffed out of political
favor Oh power. They were put at desks
and they remain obscure and overlooked.
Even their chiefs may not know how they
got there. He found them in his division
when he took up the reins, and he retains
them as fixtures, not unlike the desks and
chandeliers.
'"They constitute a curious set, these
dead-alive clerks. Some may still have
what they consider Influence, or back
ing OF some sort upon (which to rely In case
of need and troubtes but most of them have
nothing tangible upon, which to base this
assumption. TheF ar41 drifters. They float
because others float Ssith them and carry
them along on the surface OF the official
stream. .- scas. al. ss
They work, of course. Everybody nova
be good workers. EveIy clerk thinks he or
she works harder than his or her fellow
work is not the REASON for their official
existence, as inoithe base in outside en-
Payments Anybody 'ieise could do their
work just as well,f land In all probability
better. esae Of
Some have BEEN inAhe service for twen-
ty and thirty ysars, mothers not so long.
They constitute class distinct to them
selves. They woyldn' admit this, however,
official had the bowel to go through his
department and collect them In group,
their cIassificati6h would be easy. They
have outlived theif~ influence. and in many
cases their usefulness But they hang on.
Only death itself WIN remove them, for they
never resign. There Is no special reason
why they should resign, under the existing
rules. The world owes them living as
well as their more favored neighbors
Most of them are unobtrusive. Some
are cranks. Old age and long tenure in
office tends to the making Of cranks of some
Of US. In their, ynobt usiveness lies their
main hold. II they were to become too
assertive. the Inquiry might be raised as to
why they are there at ALL or the question
If their salary would not be earnedato bet
ter advantage by clerks in the lower grades
who want premBtions and havesthe ability
to secures such if the necessary reduction
can be made. So they saw wood, or rather
scribble, and say nothing"