The midland journal., 1905-11-17
WASHINGTON LETTER.

are buildings rented at expensive rates
in Washington which contain nothing
but reports and files,-millions of them.
and the greater number of which have
not been touched since the day they were
first filed, except occasionally to transfer
them to some more conmodious place.
The twenty-five thousand Government
clerks must have report of their effic-
iency made twice annually. These fifty
thousand reports are filed away and prob
ably if promoted or reduced or transfer
red he must take new oath of Office
telling all he knows about his parents,
whether he is white or black. where he
lives, where he votes, when he was born
and how old he is. (This latter with the
hope of catching him and especially her
in lie.) Whether he is married, single
or divorced, how much he weighs, what
chronic diseases he has and many other
questions in which the Government
shows its interest by filing away the ans
wers in cases that are never opened. The
Office of the appointment clerk in every
department is filed and running over
with these files. To keep them in order
special clerk is necessary since obvious
1y a janitor or scrub woman cannot be
entrusted with the secrets which the
Government has wrnng from its clerks
and by which it must decide promotions,
etc. A call for report by chief is the
signal for any number of well paid clerks
to roll up their sleeves and burrow into
the mass for the little grain that may be
is transferred there have to be in addition
to the filing Of his record reports Eve
copies of them made,-one for the ap-
pointmeut clerk, one for the Treasury
Department, one for each Bureau chief
concerned, and one for the man who is
being transferred. 1t is obvious that
these copies cannot be made except by
clerks employed for the purpose, that
they cannot be received except by re-
ceiving clerks, that they cannot be en-
dorsed except by Chiefs of the bureaus,
that they cannot be filed except by filing
clerks, that they cannot be exchanged
except by messengers, and that in case
they should ever be wanted they must be
searched for in well-paid government
time. There is story of Bureau Chief
who wanted clock for his Office. He
made the requistion in the proper form,
using Government blank and debating
his wish to a Government stenographer.
By slip of the typewriter the word
cloak was substituted for clock and the
paper sent by Messenger to the Chief
Clerk of the Department. He endorsed
the paper and after passing through sew
eral baskets it reached the Secretary's
Office and was endorsed once more
From there it went to the Treasury De-
partment and finally to the disbursing
officer who was prepared to fill the bill
for the office does not furnish funds for
buying wearing apparel. For the first
time in its wanderings the requisition
halted. The discussing clerk queried
the requisition and it was sent to a clerk
to be reported. A type written report on
the error was submitted to the Disbursing
Clerk who signed it. 1t was then sent to
the Chief Clerk for endorsement. The
Secretary found it in his desk for sigma
tnre and he wrote his name on it. Then
it was returned to the original depart
ment and decending through the same
series it finally reached the Bureau Chief
who had sent it out. He called stenog-
rapher, had the word changed and start
ed out on its travels again. Before the
Bureau got the clock the man had re-
signed.
~
In another department an Assistant
Secretary's horse fell sick and the hostler
sent for a veterinary physician who
prescribed six ounces of turpentine. He
sent to the department for the turpentine
and requisition was made to the Prop.
erty Clerk. After getting five endorse.
!. meuts it drew up on the Secretary's desk
but the Secretary was leaving town and
hadn't time to sign the requisition. The
horse meanwhile was kicking out the
sides of his stall for need of the turpen-
tine. Finally in the course of business
the order reached the Assistant Secretary
who wanted to know whose horse was
being prescribed for and was told that it
was his. 'Not mine, guess" he said.
my horse brought me to office all right
this morning" An investigation proved
that the horse had recovered from the
collie in the meantime and that the tur-
pentiue was no longer needed. To recall
an order In the department is if anything
more serious than giving it. and the red
tape unfurled before Government could
be prevented from buying that six ounces
of turpentine would have been enough to