The National tribune., 1903-05-07

and women, it is declared, can not pass
examinations for even the lowest posi-
tions. The only way to get them on the
rolls is to put them down as ''laborers.
and then '.detaiI' them to clerical WORK
| This is done, and there are men and wohi-
en- in the Departments of the Government
who figure as clerks but never passed
any sort of n Civil Service examination,
| and who appear on the rolls as laborerS.
A laborer is supposed to scrub floors,
clean spittOons, dust furniture, wash WIN
dows, empty waste baskets, and perform
any other kind of mental labor that comes
along.
Very naturally the young woman who
wears white kid gloves to Office and who
carries a white silk parasol in Summer,
or who sports sables and broadcloth IN
Winter. isn't going to soil her dainty hands
with this sort of work, even if she is down
as "laborer." Nor does the laborer put
up with the $500 wages" There is al
ways contingent fund in all these De
partments. and out of this the wages are
easily raised to a "salary" commensurate
with the station of the person employ
ed.
| The Civil Service Commission will
solemnly declare that such thing can not
possibly be done. that it is against the
law" but it does happen, and is happen
ing right straight along. Members of
Congress are very largely responsible for
it, too. They are not entirely frank about
their attitude on Civil Service, for while
they do not believe that it is conducted
properly, they are afraid to vote against
it, but salve their consciences by saying
| that they can get around it some way,
and this is one of the ways. They force
their needy constituents upon the Depart
ment Chiefs, under this alias of 'laborers. y
and then when time of trial like the
present comes along, they leave the De-
partment official to face the storm.
1t is said now that the New York Post
office and those in Baltimore, Chicago, and
Washington are to be investigated. A
man by the name of Tulloch, who was
once employed in the Washington Post
office, is talking a good deal. and has i'm
pressed the Postmaster-General with the
| belief that maybe some Of the charges
that he is making are true. These charges
are now being investigated. Former Post
MASTER General Charles Emory Smith is
mixed up in these charges, but he denies
| them in toto.
On the other hand. Comptroller of the
| Currency Tracewell casts a shadow on Mr..
Smiths denial. He says that in 1898 he
ington Post-office. which We're smoothed
over. had brought it out some $4,000 be-
hind Postmaster General Smith explained
these irregularities to Mr.. Tracewell, and
they were passed, but Comptroller Trace
we'll says that he put his foot down right
there and there has been no trouble OF
| that particular question since then. no ''Ir-
regularities" and no deficiency" Mr..
Tulloch. who was Cashier of the Washing
| ton Post-office for a number of years,
makes the charges and declares that he
can prove them. And there you are!
Michael W. Louis, Superintendent of
Post-office Supplies in the Post-office De-
partment. has sued another man for S2O.-
600 for defamation of character. This
man, Frank o. Mittag, so Louis says, de-
clared that but for the silence of Mittag
he, Louis, would be in the penitentiary.
| Mr.. Christiancy, who permitted Mrs.
Tyner to "crack" the safe in her husband S
office in the Post-office Department, has
been given "furlOugh" and told that he
/ may proceed to clear himself of suspicion
in any way he can.
On the whole it may be stated with a
fair adherence to the truth, that the Post
office business is warming up. but it is
very slow about it. The country would
be pleased if the Postmaster General
would have a regular May housekeeping.
and get rid of the bad odors that now fill
the air in the big building known as the
Post-ofIice Department, the very construc-
ton of which has even been referred to
| mal-odorously.