The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-01-16

he received a $1,000 appointment
After few days, and before his face
became at all familiar, he fell i'll
again, and again put in substitute.
In short time his name appeared
upon the rolls of the war department
at the excellent salary of $1,400 a
year. All this was possible simply
because the mans name happened to
be John Smith.
John Smith occupied his. $1,4O0 desk
in the war department for two years,
meantime drawing his $500 year
from one perquisite and $500 from
the other; but at the end of that time
the treasury authorities thought it
time for John Smith to return to his
desk. AS John did not think it good
business to give up his $1,400 desk
for his $1,000 one, he was forced to
resign his treasury position, and no
doubt considered 1t great hardship.
But III fate was pushing John Smith,
and soon the patent office authorities
called upon John to appear in propria
persona, or show just cause why he
should not do so. So poor John was
obliged to give up this snap also.
Whether the scheme was discovered,
do not know; but at any rate the
decree went forth that there should
be no more substituting. A man must
now hold down his own desk or yield
it to somebody who can.
Petty Pilfering Cut Off.
:, Twenty years ago the government,
like the amiable fat boy, allowed it
self to be stolen blind by the en-
ployes. At any rate. the government
seemed blind, for the most shameless
offering went on unchecked under it's
very nose. Men and women who
every Sunday religiously prayed,
Thou shalt not steal" every week
day carried home paper, pens, pen
ellis, rulers, rubber bands, tumblers
with u. S. Patent Office Or some
similar device, blown in the glass, to
remind them constantly that they
were using stolen property. The gov
eminent stamp woven into the CEN
ter Of the handsome towels did not
sufficiently disigure their beauty as
to render them undesirable. The
stamp was no safeguard, for did not
these things belong to Uncle Sam ?
1t was a pity II Uncle Sam could not
furnish these small Items to his hard
worked minionS.
1t is not to be supposed that there
were no honest clerks in the departs
ments twenty years ago; but the num-
Der who thought 1t no harm to draw
such supplies from the government
that stingy retrenchment commit
tee was appointed and means en-
ployed to put a quietus upon the pill
fering business, The employees were
ground down" again. Supply-rooms
were established for each bureau, and
thereafter, if clerk wanted 80 much
as q pencil, the article was charged
to him, together with the date Of the
issue. So it was that those who were
discreet enough to pilfer In modera-
ton were deprived Of the chance to
p1lfer at all. Thus do the innocent
suffer for the guilty!
The Turn-the-Rascals-Ou EVIL.
Once upon a time, all that was
necessary to get into public office was
the demand Of the senator or con-
gresham of ones district In Wash
ington these happy individuals were
then looked upon as gods. There
their will was law. Their commands
were not to be disregarded; and so,
William Jones, his man being out OF
the race for senator or representa-
tive, however good a clerk he might
be, was ousted to give place to John
Smith, whose star was in the ascend