Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-03-19


that the fair authorities cannot see
their way clear to meet this expecta--
ton and Governor Taft has been Or
dered from Washington to stop gather
ing features for the display until the
St Louis people reconsider their ac-
ton.
Washington, d. c., March 16-The
chief examiner of the civil service, COM
mission makes the statement that R.
w. Clayton of Oskaloosa. who last
week was appointed special agent in
the customs bureau of the treasury,
passed one of the most creditable ex-
aminations on record in the bureau Of
the civil service.
For a year Mr.. Clayton has been a
clerk in the office of the auditor for the
war department, under the secretary
OF the treasury at salary of $l,600
per annum. Mr.. Clayton has for years
been very warm supporter Of Secre-
tary Shaw and when vacancy oc.
Cured in the corps OF special agents,
the secretary notified Mr. Clayton to
report at the Offices of the civil service
| commission and take the examination
preparatory to installation as special
agent of the treasury
The customs branch OF the depart
| ment is one of the most complex in
the entire service. The men who be-
come special agents, as a general rule
graduate into that department through
service in the customs bureau in the
treasury building.
Mr.. Clayton was advised of the sit
II 20 fin oft
dered to report for the examination
the next Tuesday morning. He at
once procured copy of the treasury
regulations and text book relating to
the customs bureau and proceeded to
read up. Tuesday morning he was on
hand at the civil service commission
er's Office and announced his readiness
to be sacrificed.
| AS a general thing when clerks in
the treasury are to be appointed to
such position, they have an intima-
| ton of the fact months in advance,
and take systematic course of prep
aration. One of the questions, or
| rather queries. was, how much study
| have you had preparatory to taking
this examination When the examin-
alton had been completed and the pa
| pers marked, this question was found
to be answered thus: From Saturday
night until Tuesday morning." the ex-
aminers were at first inclined to take
| the reply as a jest.
| Mr.. Clayton stood nearly 81 per cent,
average in the entire examination,
which would be regarded as a very
high mark for man who had had
years of experience in the bureau of
| customs. Mr.. Clayton. was personally
complimented by the chief examiner
and informed that he would do"
Accompanying his examination papers
and filed with them, were letters from
the auditor of the war department, the
chief OF the quartermaster division, di-
rectly over Mr.. Clayton, and the chief
of his particular section in which these
officials made the statement that they
considered Mr.. Clayton one of the best
men upon accounts they had ever
known. In the examination in arith.
metic MI. Clayton stood 100 per cent
and his total percentage would have
been higher but for the fact that much
importance is attached to his expert
ence, and as Mr.. Clayton had been il
/ the service but one year, his experience
measured by the yard stick of time
| was not large
There are twenty-eight special agents
/ of the treasury scattered all over, in
all parts OF the country, wherever there
! may be port of entry. These special
4 agents are exactly what their name i'm
| plies. They are assigned here and
/ there for special duties ii the secre
tary OF the treasury conceives the i'm
| preston that there is collision be
1 tween shipmasters and shippers ant
/ the collector of the port; or fancies
that everything is not just as it should
i be, or that collectors books need ov
i erhauling, he dispatches a general ag
ent to that point. The special agent
i it will therefore be seen, is a sort o.
sleuth, except that he does not seek tt
hide his identity. When he reaches q
i port he introduces himself to the col
l lector and announces the purpose Of
4 his visit
i A special agent is clothed with prac
i tically unlimited power, so far as the
i interests of the government are con
i cerned. Naturally he takes precedence
4 over the collector of the port for the
4 time being, If occasion seems to war
! rant, and goes in and takes charge OF
| books, papers and funds. He also goes
upon ships and makes such investi
i cations as he may desire if he has reas
on to believe efforts at smuggling OF
4 tactics OF deception are being prac
| ticed.
The duty in one sense is not particu
larly desirable one and yet man Of
tact and experience will experience but
little difficulty. Mr. Clayton will like
/ ly remain in Chicago for some weeks
then he may be sent to San Francisco
or New Orleans or Boston; anywhere
at the will Of the secretary. whose spe
cial agent he is, and in whose specia
interest he labors
The appointment of Mr.. Clayton OF
special agent, of course, means there
will be no re-alignment politically, SC
/ far as he is concerned. 1t will be re
called that couple of months ago the
statement was made that Mr. Clayton
had received and had at that time I'M
der consideration proposition from q
/ corporation or combination of bust
/ ness men to act as their agent at sal
airy nearly double what he was receiv