The Washington times., 1913-01-06
FAT CUSTOM Jobs
NOT FOR LEADERS
OF THE DEMOCRATS
First Chance at Sinecures
Abolished by Own Party's
Bill to Retrenchh.

Half a million dollars of fat salaries
that Republican officials have drawn
for many years will be Topped OFF the
customs service of the country by an
executive order shortly to be issued.
BY reason of that order, a long list
of faithful Democrats, ardent patriots
and Original Wilson men" who have
been standing around waiting for those
jobs, will get no jobs. Consequently,
there's a fine kettle of fish simmering.
It's one of the saddest stories of re-
form and retrenchment chronicled since
Senator Aidrich made his famous decla-
ration that the Government could be
run $500 10000 cheaper per annum IL it
were run like an ordinary business. Pull
and pressure are being applied from all
directions TO save the jobs. Repub-
Hcans and Democrats alike are stirred
up; chambers of commerce. boards of
trade. commercial clubs galore are hop
ping into the breach; and the trouble
has not yet got fairly started.
Altogether, the situation is thorough
ly funny. Soon after the Democrats got
control of the House and started in
vestigating, the Committee on Expendi-
lures in the Treasury Department got
its eye on the Customs Service. Con-
gresham Cox of Indiana, chairman of
the committee, called the committee to-
gether and sent for James f. Curtis,
assistant secretary in charge of Gus
toms.
Retrenchment Plans.
Mr.. Curtis, like Cox, is something of
a reformer and retrencher himself. He
agreed with Cox, and he had a lot of
facts. They figured out, among many
others, these facts:
That the country contains a long list
OF ports of entry where nothing enters.
That snug salaries are paid to officials
who never do any officiating at these
various ports"
That this condition is an inheritance
from the early days of the Government,
when ports now forgotten were doing
real business.
That somewhere from a half a million
10 a million dollars year is being
wasted on salaries of officials for dead
or moribund ports.
reorganized, in such fashion as to save
this money.
That looked fine to Congressman Cox.
he would get out his snickersnee and
slice OF the unnecessary jobs, thus saw
ing at one stroke an amount equal to
MS salary for two or three Hfetimes.
Cost Ten To One.
He found that at Wiscasset. Me. in
1910. the customs receipts were $3.50. %.
The cost of collecting that amount was
Ss,0o4.5e
At Waldeboro, Ne, in the same year,
the customs officials collected S,SI7M in
revenues, while the expense of their sal
aries, ETC.. was s5,3eZ50. ~
At York, Ne, the 1910 collections ag-
gregated the muntficent sum of $50, but
IL cost S502 to collect that sum.
At 'Teche, La, collections were $50 70;
cost of collection. s2,9sS.65.
And so on, ad nauseam.
Never did an enthusiastic retrencher
hnd a neater job awaiting attention.
Mr.. Cox went right to IL.
Hearings were held. and finally the
matter was taken up with Secretary
Of the Treasury MacVeagh. He, like
Mr.. Curtis, was for reform.
But 1t wasn't humanly possible to
abolish all those jobs. Too many
states were interested; too many in
fluenial folks back home held the
many towns didn't want to have their
poNt-of-entry dfytinction abolished. |
No, IL would never be possible to |
abolish or reform these conditions by |
a
So the reformers set about to do it |
indirectly. In the sundry civil appro-
priattCn bill an innocent little pro-
vision was inserted. which authorized |
toms districts of the country. 1t was
inserted by Mr.. Fitzgerald in the hill |
as prepared in the House. and just /
now Senators and Congress rnen are
"Fitz" got it past them. 1t actually |
got into the law without being unuer- |
stood lis the law right now; and |
that's why there is trouble.
Would Head OFF Law.
Secretary Macveagh has had pre-
pared a general scheme Of reorgani-
zation by customs districts. II will |
become effective as soon as II is sign
ed and promulgated by President
Taft, which is expected to happen in |
side a fortnight unless it can be
headed off
Under this plan, important ports |
will be left as ports of entry. the |
places where real business is done.
The minor or decadent ports near +,
Q bout will be made SUPPORTS under
The responsible. officers at the main |
ports, and in charge Of low salaried |
clerks. The high-priced Jobs of col |
lectors who collect nothing are to be |
abolished.
So far. so good: and some easy, too |
But lately the story has got bruited |
abroad. that these jobs were to be wiped |
on the slate. And then the humor be- |
gan to develop.
Up at Wiscasset. Me, the place where |
Il cost S3,04.50 to collect $2s0.22 there is |
an ancient Democratic father I'm Israel, |
who has been voting his ticket straight |
since Andy Jackson ran the first time /
and was licked. This old boy has spent |
mis- money for the party, ran when there
wasn't chance, and all the time had |
his eye on the job of collector of the
port He'd get II il the Democrats ever
came into power. He was dead sure
" IT,
They're coming
And. just as that collectorship is in his
rrasp, he learns that. under a provision