Evening star., 1905-10-01
MILO FORM OF GRAFT
Practice Indulgedin by Some
Officials.
ONE OF LONG STANDING
EMPLOYMENT OF MESSENGERS
AFTER OFFICE HOURS.
While Some Of the Service is Volun-
tary, Much Of It is Given From
Fear Of Dismissal.
ONE OF LONG STANDING
AFTER OFFICE HOURS.

A practice is said to be quite general
among the higher officials OF the govern
ment who would be shocked II 1t were
suggested that they are pursuing any form
of graft. This abuse. 1t Is said. consists in
officials employing their government mes.
sengers to do personal service In their
homes after office hours without compensa-
ton. Many men In the government service
declare that there Is no possible excuse for
a government official to force his messcn-
ger to come to his home after 4:30 o'clock
and work there in one way or another IN
til 10 or IL o'clock at night merely in ex-
change for his favor in continuing him In
his position under the government Yet
this practice is said to be very general
throughout the departments
One Question Omitted.
When the Keep commission sent list
OF questions to the heads of departments
1t was expected that they would contain
some reference to this form OF official
abuse Of power. and had there been auery
as to the performance of duty by men on
the government payroll out OF office nours
at the homes of the officials under whom
they serve during the day 1t Is said that
there would have been gathered an inter-
esting lot Of information. But there was
dering whether 1t will be possible to have
the facts in these cases brought out by the
Keep commission or whether 1t will be
necessary to have congressional resolu-
tion of inquiry sent to the heads of &C.
partments In order that the practice shall
be stopped.
Messenger and Wife Kept Busy.
In one case 1t is declared that not onty
does the messenger of a certain head of a
bureau go to his home after Office hours
to walt upon his table and answer his door
bell and do sundry chores about the
house, but the messengers wife goes to
the officials home to perform labor for
which she would ordinarily receive $40 10
SIS month, while, in fact, she does not
receive any compensation at all. The mes
senger does not get paid for the work he
does at his chiefs house, but both he and
his wife do not dare refuse to work for the
official for fear that the messenger Will be
found to be incompetent for his govern
ment job and lose his place.
1t has long been remarked by men who
visit government officials at their homes
In the evening, as well as in their offices
in the daytime, that the same employees
show them in at both places. and they
recognize the same faces among the men
who serve in the official home that they
recognized in the official office.
On the occasion of a reception at the
home of one Of the high departmental Of
ficials it is said that there were three or
ent doing service in one way or another
1t is declared to be not infrequent for SUCH
officials to have not only their messengers,
but their wives and sometimes their little
children. do their Chores for which no
question of compensation is raised Somc-
times the messenger Is compensated with
tips and Christmas gifts, but those who
claim to be familiar with many cases OF
such official exercise Of power declare that
only fear on the part of the messenger
causes him to go to his chiefs house at
night for work.
Messengers Often Quite Willing.
The salaries paid government messengers
Is known to be much in excess Of what the
average man doing that class of work could
earn in private employment and for that
reason those who occupy such desirable
positions are very ready to render additional
private service for the chief to whom they
owe their retention in Office. 1t Is said that
in many instances these messengers offer
their services to the new chiefs as they
come into Office SO that in the view of many
of the officials the practice has the sane
tion of custom. and they find 1t convenient
to drop into the general practice of having
men servants about their houses without
expense to them.
Graft Undoubtedly.
II the Keep commission should undertake
to discover the cases of this kind that exist
in the departments 1t Is said they would
have a very long list of cases to be inquired
into. 1t Is declared that while this class
OF graft is of a mild nature, yet 1t Is dis
tinctly graft which bears un1ustly on
class OF government employees who cannot
protect themselves. and who fear the conse-
quences Of the least complaint. But there
is no reason, 1t Is said, why a government
official should receive the benefit of pri-
vate service from men who are on the gov
ernment pay roll.
There are other cases in which II is said
that on days when the wives of certain E5StA
ernment officials hold receptions the hfesR
sengers are kept at home and excused froit
departmental work. 1t is also asserted that
In some cases their absence from their Of
fees has made 1t necessary to have other
messengers designated for the work they
should be there to perform, and in other
instances clerks have been obliged to do
the work that the messenger would ordi-
narily be called on to perform.
If the Keep commission does not take this
matter up for investigation it is said there
are men in the departments who propose to
see that this condition is made known to
senators representatives who can have
Congress adopt simple resolution calling
on heads of departments for information as
to the practice of officials using the serv-
homes Such resolution, 1t is believed by
them would have the effect of bringing to
light some cases and of frightening other
offenders from a continuance of this prac-
tice, at least for time.
PROTECTING STAR PATRONS.