The Washington herald., 1907-02-10

White House. ana every war VIC nave
I had
/ If an agent Of Burke were looking for a
pure strain of fine American families
whose pedigree. in both descent and
I achievement, would adorn an American
+ book Of heraldry, lie might well begin
with the departments. and indeed. il he
went no farther he could produce a very
/ respectable work of reference for stu
/ dents interested IN the men who made
+ this country what it is.
/ The enormous mass Of public business
/ transacted with ability and energy
/ transactions involving billions Of money
and reaching every part of our huge
country and its OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES that
+ iu education and disciplined effort we
! have a large body Of as able public ser
wants as exists in the world. in fact. It
+ Is very questionable If any other coun-
/ try can show as fine a record in system
dispatch. intelligence, and energy IS our
/ departments can be trusted 10 display.
both in times Of peace and rumors Of
war.
In War Times.
The energy and efficiency shown by
our departments during the Spanish
I
surprise TO our leading officials and 10
/ the country at large but it was com
mented on. with much favorable men
zion Of our system and the class Of ser
vice our government was able TO COM
mand. the incredible results it was able
20 attain, by foreign papers and govern
ments England. during the BCer war,
was actually hampered by the sioWness.
The red tape the search for precedent.
. the uuwillingness to assume extT8ordi-
nary powers. and make extraordinary de
m8nds and rules 10 meet the eEigencieS of
her great crisis in South Africa. And
Russia was simply In the state painted in
the Hunting of the Shark when the
Russian bear Rugged that nest OF yellow
jackets, the japanese. Her war Office
was an agony IN five fts'-fYe hundred
OF a thousand would be nearer the mark
But see how We armed. put in the field
transported our aTmies-thanks. largely To
the departments.
What a stupid and shameful thing it IS
then, as Mr. Treat points out, that such
/ services should be 50 little priced and
that our government should be So lack
ing in common honesty q e common kind
ness a. to allow the clerks of his De
partmeut TO work overtime and COun
. SllGa0l0 without a cent OF extra pas
or SO much as a sandwich" The in
gratitude Of republics has long been
pr0vcrb. bat We are not so poor in self
respect as 90 get our work done for moth
. ing hy q public servant. whose only cap
ital IS his health and for whose old ag,
o. iH-heaith we make no provision what
. ever. Patriotism is severely taxed whel
overtime work is properly paid. for Jh'
r regular duties of these Offices are enough
% occupy fully the daily working time o.
each employe But that sort of cheap
Jack petty theft of a clerks time an,
/, health by "a great. rich. generous cOuntrl
/ Ike ours is simply as disgraceful as 1t Il
: dishonest.
j The very fact that these men and wo
men are not in a position % refuse q
! do such things makes it all the NOR
/ shameful that they should be asked o
required 10 DO So Most clerks Eqv
other people dependent upon them-ol
parents, young children. invaliGs or
Iphaned wards-and they cannot risk bein
: criticised, even rebuzed. perhaps dis
charged. Their hands are tied And. oh
the meanuess and the shabbiness Of it
The Real History.
p IF the true history of many clerk
life were written without the slight
est exsggeration or UntruthfuIness- jus
the plain. simple facts of the case-fo
twenty years. it would scarcely be be
= lieved. The anxiety about getting O
keeping a position; the struggle for pro
motion. the undeserved suubs. the IN
just rebu1es from the next highest OF
fetal. the favoritism that allows on
clerk TO come late, to loaf. and read IN
/ newspaper, to leave the room wheneve
s he chooses. and violate a whole lot q
s rules and traditions. because he does
3 on the blind or soft side of his chief
e. while another viii not be allowed E
o. sneeZe. scarcely without being heI
strictly responsible for such a terribl
breach OF discipline, are things to b
. neekly swallowed. Buj mum is IN
e word in office, and discretion indnitel
e necessary. unless a clerk is ambition
d 10 retire 10 private life The way
which length OF service and devotion {
G duty are rewarded would make any ord
T. nary man quit any ordinary business jus
I sick with disappointment and DISCUS
:, The effect of political influence on til
situation Is deeply depressing. too. 10 th
5 man or woman who has only his ow
n good honest work and record 10 rely OF
O This repressiye. mOnotouOus, hedged-iI
}, curbed, and clipped and confined III
which kills all originality. stamps O
b initiative and talent. and rather disCOul
ages zeal and energy than rewards then
wears people down TO the quick, make
j. them feel as Holmes says. like ii fir,
? cracker on the morning Of the 9TH
o July, every day in the year. and graz
It ually saps all the vitality and destroy
e all the spontaneity of any man or woma
+ in the long run.
Machines.
= The one thing that it does produce
s the perfect bureaucrat-the governmeI
machine. a creature having nothing niue
20 either hope or fear. not using any
his powers except a little set OF facu
n ties which he almost mechanically exc
g cises until they become so dulled by il
= human exercise of them that nature
e bells angrily some day. and "Finis
e comes. All his other gifts and talen
3 and tastes have become atrophied I
d that time. And what have we give
II him-or her-in exchange?
e Salaries.
i It is all very well for the member
/ Congress who has never tried # min
self and who is bent on making a rep,
tation for himself as the watchdog
the Treasury" Cwhen the salaries
= Congressman are not under discussion
to growl about the salaries Of clerks an
p the efficiency of clerks and ali that So
y of talk But have never yet heard
a government clerk getting rich by an
! method whatever. IN fact for the Sc
10 vices they render they are very p0Orl
% paid. indeed ON the face Of Il this doasn