Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1904-12-16

then plunged into work again at a ho-
tel. AT night lie started for Washing
ton and ON arriving returned to his
desk as IL he had never been away,
although the whole office had been In
a blue funk over his temporary disap-
pearance. But he had his case mas
tered and settled TO his satisfaction.
Mr.. Ware has been much annoyed at
the personal conduct and habits Of the
clerks under him. He found himself
Obliged TO adopt cast iron rule on
the subject OF intemperance, declaring
that wherever a case of immoderate
drinking was proved against an en-
ployee il should be treated as ground
for dismissal and that man dismiss
ed for that cause should never come
back. no matter whose ''inflooence' he
might be able TO muster in his behalf.
Next he undertook TO straighten out
failure Of clerks to pay their debts.
Duns and attorneys had made them
selves a nuisance about the building,
where at first they would visit employ
ees TO collect money from them. and
then. when forbidden TO penetrate the
working rooms. would lie In wait at
the doors and catch delinquents COM
ing in or going out. The commissioner
prepared a rule making II cause for
dismissal for a clerk TO leave his debts
To tho intarruptian Of his in.
gress and egress and the scandal of the
service How far he was ever able
to put this into operation is not def
nitely known.
A few months later he adopted rule
against gambling This was primarily
directed at the waste of government
. time by clerks who ran out during Of
/ flee hours and took filters in stocks" in
[ the bucket shops. The nuisance had
/ acquired such dimensions as to be a
source OF great damage TO the work Of
/ the bureau incidentally the new rule
came to be applied to gambling at the
/ race tracks near Washington. whittier
/ large number of clerks We're wont to
/ repair daily during the spring and fall
meetings and bet away their salaries
| for months in advance. to say nothing
( of having their minds distracted from
| their regular duties for all the period
while this was going on. Bergman,
the cartoonist Of the Washington Post,
made this order the subject OF clever
! pictorial skit which so delighted Mr..
Ware that he had it framed and hung
( on the wall behind his desk. 1t repre-
scented the sporting clerks of the pen
sion Office gathered at the race track,
each having his face covered with a
mask so that the commissioner and his
spies should not discover any ones
identity.
The commissioners greatest "sensa
ton" however, was the Virgins Incl
was promoted one day, not becaus.
be had pushed himself forward fol
preferment, but bee suse he hau net
The published order announcing the
increase in rank AMI pay was as fol
lows:
oSl To- lSo--
Record of J. s. Virgins (Ga) is as fol
lows
/. Annual leave in four years. fourteen
days
2. Not day sick leave In eight years
3. On merit excellent
4. His chief recommends him.
s. He has steered no statesmen vi
against the commissioner.
4. He has not told the commissions
about his DedIgrea and distinguished rala
tives.
I. He has not told the commissioner how
capable he (Wiggins) Is and how deserv
ing of promotion.
Mr.. Virgins will be promoted toda!
from si.0o9 to 81 30, and chiefs are re
quested to furnish the commissioner witt
the names Of all others in the burea,
with a similar record.
Ny deputies. Mr.. Davenport and Mr.
Kelly, heartily concur.
E. F. WARE, Commissioner
OF course this announcement mad,
Virgins target for everything dis
agreeable at the hands of his fellow
employees aud the press. There wa
scarcely another man of Mr.. Ware
rank in the service who would hav
: cared to make such publication
There is not another who would hav
r dared to make it. 1t was a practica
! declaration of war against certain ba,
. habits into which many Of the old lin
clerks had drifted and which had give
the head Of the bureau infinite annoy
ance. But, uncomfortable as it ha
made life for Virgins. it has alread
had Its effect in other directions. |
has made the self praisers, the states
man steercrs and the pedigree reciter
. ridiculous, so that no one is likely t
: take them seriously again till the Wig
gins incident has been forgotten.
i, Mr. Ware has In him the elements o
which reformers are made. He vii
leave his Office with the respect an
good will Of great many person
who have laughed over his PECULIAR
= ties, for underneath most things tina
0 he has done, however marked their dc
G parture from the common place, ther
a was q stratum Of sound sense. II
, had merely taken quaint way of sci
. ting 1t forth.
. METAL PNEUMONIA CURE.