Waterbury evening Democrat., 1905-10-25
CIVIL SERVICE RULES
And the Hen That Have Been Pro
 tected in Washington.

Washington, Oct 25.-The recent or der of President Roosevelt quashins the civil service rules is the talk or the hour in Washington just now. The department clerks have up to this had a pretty good thing.
 The government clerk does not have hard time. He is asked to work seven and half hours six days in the week. He has thirty days annuaN sick leave and thirty days annual va cation. He has as many holidays as a patriotic people can devise reasons for or find dead heroes to honor, in- cluding Labor day. During three months of the summer he is dismissed every Saturday at noon. And for all of this he gets salary higher than would be paid by any private corpora ton and paid with regularity that nothing can interrupt And does he In exchange always give efficient and honest service? Not by any means. The majority actually steal from the government in time. service and sup plies more than they are worth to It., and the manner and diversity of their evasions and speculations would take book to describe. In the small incl dent of receiving visitors during office hours 1t is impossible to compute how much of their time the government loses. Some clerks are permitted to receive visitors until 2 o'clock of each day, and it is no uncommon sight to find the toilet room for the women IL a nd guests until that hour. Every bureau has a messenger who is there for the better communication of the different bureaus. It is no uncommon thing for him to act on occasions as the janito., butler or coachman of the bureau chief, whom he is afraid to offend for fear of losing his place. Hundreds Of clerks are engaged in literary wo7k which they do in office hours. with tho aid of government paid amanuenses, employing data collected by the gov ernment. using department stationery and typewrfters. The number who take department stationery. ink, pen knives as private property to theft homes is so great as to be the rule rather than the exception In the matter of vacations their subterfuges for obtaining more than they are en- titled to would ave lessons to diplo- mats. If a clerk divides his thirty days and takes one at a time he may br careful management get sixty in the year. that is ny looping a half day from the day he leaves and a half day from the day he returns he gets an extra day wiTh full pay. For sick leave he can always obtain physl- cfan,s certificate that he has been ill enough to need a picnic. Thesa are inc smallest of the offenses of the clerks and so common as to he eonsidr cred outside altogether the question of a clerks honesty or eiii- eIepcv. The greater ones that may possibly come up for recu- feation under the new laws are too numerous and Of too widely a varying character to make description possi- bIe Suffice an example or TWO. < chief of a bureau Is an babitual drunkard. He has a trusted clerk who feels his own position more se- c1rp or his chances for promotion bet fer if he humorS his chief. The chias leaves with him his signature attach cd to blank document papers of all va rsetv when he goes for spree. The clprk fills them in and fiser % to the sperrfarr and occasionally evea the presidert is honored with one which