The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-04-27
ENORMOUS CIVIL PAY ROLL
PERMANENCY OF THE POSITIONS A
GREAT ATTRACTION.
Thirty-Threc Department Clerks in
Their ighties-Percentage of
Successful Applicants.

StsoOo nOpeIul INDIVIDUALS VINO nave TAKEN
the governments examinations this spring
and last fall about $4,000 have passed and
that of the latter no more than 1900 will be
appointed. Only from to per cent. of
those appointed will be women In these
fgurs you read the horoscope of your
chances Of reaching a government desk
The public little appreciates the tremen-
dousness OF this struggle for Uncle Sans
minor offices, waged spring and fall each
year. Within the past decade a vast army
OF 2i2,0OO men and 1900 women have sue
cessfully run the gauntlet of the civil-serv-
ice examiners as far as the mere honor OF
becoming ''eligibles' is concerned. But of
those who have seen the word passed"
noted opposite their names. only one in
four of the men and one in seven of the
women have actually realized the exquisite
pleasure Of drawing a government salary.
There need be no wOnderment at this
greed for government berth from him
who realizes what colossal employer
Uncle Sam is. He is now paying 255OOO
Office employees. all included in what is
commonly called the civil service. If all of
these should mass they would form vast
city very nearly as populous as Washing
ton itself. One hundred and nine thousand
only through the semi-annual examina-
tions.
Uncle Sans civil pay roll amounts now
TO Sl31. 100000 a year If he would shut
down his big mill Cor twelve months and
invest this vast sum at 5 per cent. the in
terest would thereafter suffice to create
six miIIonaires per annum. But Uncle
Sans great mill never shuts down. He is
l.
the middle and end of each month in brand
new greenbacks. fresh from the Bureau OF
Printing and Engraving; sometimes in gold
pieces.
sThose who will be appointed to clerical
positions as a result of this springs exami-
nation Will begin work probably at sal
airy Of 500 year or SO a month. This is
the usual entrance salary. although $50,
$50 or even $500 is sometimes given at the
outset
Washington employees fare better as to
pay than those outside. The average sal
airy which Uncle Sam pays here at the Cap
itaI Is about SLED year But the average
salary paid in his entire civil establishment
is but S55I24 per annum. No wonder then,
that Washington is The particular goal for
which every civil-service contestant is striv-
One out of every fourteen of its popuIa-
ton holds civil office under the federal
government. In fact. its government clerks
could establish for themselves a city as
populol,s as Austin, Tex And yet for every
civil employee situated here Uncle Sam
pays eleven outside
The President now has the privilege OF
personally appointing but 1.5O2 officials un-
Ter Only of he's cit fg1
here at the capital
LARGEST DEPARTMENT
Postmaster General Payne can brag of
having under him the largest civil force
working in a single department His en-
ployes. numbering $4,000. would form
body greater than the army as now or
ganized. and might form for themselves
city more populous than Denver. Over half
OF these foerth-cIass postmasters. Sec
rotary of the Treasury Shaw comes next,
with 5000 civil assistants. while Secretary
OF War Root ranks third. with 1900. But
even adding the standing army of 100000
Secretary Roots entire force. civil and
military, is stir less than the postmaster
generals. The Navy Department ranks
fourth as to number of employees having
over 1900. and following it comes the In
terror Department. with nearly $4,000 At
the foot of the numerical list are the Agri-
cultural Department. with 800; Depart
ment of Justice. with 9O1. and the Depart
ment of State. with few less than this
last number. In the White House Offices
there are bet twenty-eight employees.
Men and women who enlist in the civil
service now are practically as sure of re-
tanning their positions as those who enter
any other establishment in tho coupfrN
While Uncle Sam is giving office work
through examination-to $50 new persons
each year. he is discharging men and wom-
en- of the classified service at the rate of
only sixty-three per annum In other
words. the chances of staying i'm are nine
to one. Although there were but $500 civil
employees of the government at the time.
Andrew Jackson during his first year in
the White House removed 2,OO0. That year
was a reign Of terror for department. clerks
John Quincy Adams in his dairy observed
thai one Henshaw. War Department
clerk. cut his throat from ear to ear from
the mere terror of being dismissed" and
that Iinneus Smith. State Department
clerk. went "raving distracted" while
many others were Threatened with the
same calamity.
L nGle sam Il dlHtiuAliS btNS Dis young
as fourteen TO such positions as page. mes
senger boy. apprentice and student in vari-
Gus departments. But he employs no clerks.
stenographers or typewriters under twenty.
In the departments here there are 40 en-
ployes still IN their teens 254 in their
seventies thirty-three in their eighties. One
empIoye OF the treasury has remained there
sixty-four years. Another in the Navy De
partment has seen ffty-two years Of serv-
fee He entered when twenty-One years old
and IS now getting 500 year. The Mes
tor OF the Interior Department has kept his
place forty-nine years. that OF ,he Depart
ment OF Agriculture forty-one years, that
OF the Department Of Justice th!rty-slx
years, that or the state Department thirty
five years A great majority OF the entire
departmental service have seen at least ten
years OF constant service.
II costs Uncle sam about $3.50 for each