The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1913-09-23

Washington. d. c.. Sept. 20.-Since
the classifying of the positions Of dep
uty collectors Of internal revenue and
deputy u. 8. marshals by placing them
under civil service regulations, the
popular conception Of the duties OF
these officers Of the government is
due to get a jolt That is to say, If
correspond to the character Of h
examinations which mast bee passed
Tn order to make applicants eligible,
our OLE -~fashioned conceptions must
be snak root and branch, in fact
even To the trunk and knothole.
For example, the ill-discerning lay
man who has frequently come into
contact with deputy collectors Of rev.
enue has always imagined, vain1y 1t
seems. that the duties Of said collec+
tors consist in rounding up the money
due the government in exchange for
the privilege of manufacturing fire
water, tobacco n other luxurieS on
which the United States levies an in
ternal revenue. Perhaps b collec-
tor may sell stamps to the manufac-
turer who is making these products
He is a sort of postmaster and high
class bill collector combined, accord
ing to the popular notion.
Moreover, the ordinary conception
Of a deputy marshal is that OF a de-
termined looking individual with a Ii
cense and a preference for wearing a
s~ix-shoOter in his clothes We pic
lure him descending with stealthy
tread into In apparently peaceful val
ley where at certain hours may be
family discerned against a sky-blue
sky a thin wisp of smoke which be-
trays to his trained eagle eye the pres
ence of a copper worm and a whole
lot OF grain mash somewhere below
Clasping his trusty s~ix-shooter, our
marshal descends to the ravine and
captures the desperate moonshineI
caught red-handed at his nefarious
pursuit (see country weeklies) after a
regular dime novel hand-to-hand
struggle. No matter if the governor
pardons the culprit later, we still have
our conception Of the brave and in.
trepid marshal.
This marshal. if you please, know!
every foot OF the ground on which HI
treads. He has hunted squirrel!
throughout the length and breadth
OF it, from boyhood. He knows ever,
trail on the mountain side, the lOca
ton OF every house that sends up
wisp OF smoke in an innocent III
He is our local hero, our pussy-footet
man of mystery.
A simple stroke of the pen Of form
er President Taft has changed all this
The marshal Of the future is a differ
ent man. likewise the collector Of in
ternal revenue Hereafter he shall b
the man who has passed a first grad,
examination. Heretofore we have ha,
but one class of people who could pas
first grade examinations, namel
school teachers. These have not bee
able to draw the princely salary O
$1,000 a year-which our hero mar
shals have been allowed for susten
ance.
Cross-road wiseacres are invited (
take a look at some of the question
a man must answer before becOmin
a deputy marshal or a deputy colleC
tor of internal revenue. These VI
tons are the mes actually PROFOUND
I'D in the Southern States August l
last when scores Of temporary az
pointees under newly appointed mai
shais and collectors sought to Qaalif
Tor permanent jobs The average
those standing the examine tions woul
probab bly, come to 200.
The following questions are take
from the examination posted for til
PeruSal OF candidates for the positiO
at deputy collector of internal revenu
1t consisted Of spelling, arithmeti
report writing, copying and ~correctir