Year: 1869




hall fronting the Secretarys Office, if the Secreta
ry Is within. They say yes or no, as the case may
be, and continue scribbling on scraps Of paper
They give no further notice to you, and the stran
ger iset in ignorance of what proper for him te
do. IF you make further inquiry, you will proba'
bly, be snapped of with short word, or receive
no answer whatever. IF you produce card, and
probably take the card in but he will do it in such
way as to make you wish he had not done it.
You viii get along we'll enough with Boutwell,. if
you get to him but I pity you if he has not the
information you seek, and you are referred to some
clerk or subordinate. Then you will see where the
laugh comes iu. You will not ouly be required to
give your name, residence and the extent Of your
family, but you will be asked for what purpose you
desire the information, and the business you fol.
low. The humiliation you suffer, before these ad-
tecrats is something beyond conception. You ap-
proach them with hat in hand, and remain stand
ing in respectful attitude until they are ready to
talk to you They will then look up at you dis
dainfuy frowning an inquiry as to your reason for
troubling them. Ten chances to one you have not
the courage, in such presence, to tell your business
intelhgently, and you are only too glad to- leave
them when they. have given you anything like an
answer. AS for tfansacting business with some Of
these young popinjays, it is not to be thought of
They have only to cast their eyes on you and they
can tell the texture of your cravat, the cost Of
your coat, the material of your pantaloons, and
the maker of your hat The more broadcloth you
have on, and the larger the diamond in your shirt
front, the better will be your treatment. The
same is true Of every department here. 90,


AT THE INTERIOR DEPARTMENT.. '.... ST..


Before Che door of the Secretary stands man
who is at once my fear and admiration. His calm
and elegant manners, his accomplished articulation,
his graceful attitudes; his smoothness of tongue,
and the easy politeness Of one accustomed to the
world, astonish and mortify you. You feel at once
your own shortcomings, your poverty of manner,
your backward tongue, your shrinking courage
Beside this gentleman you feel yourself to be q
child in the noble qualities that make the man.
You are ready to tell your business to him instead
Of the Secretary. You wonder if the Secretary 8
colored messenger is such man, what must bethe
Secretary. But the Secretary, when you see him,
is much easier to talk to than the messenger. You
feel that he is not quite so far above you as he.
You must give your card to this messenger to take
to the Secretary, and yet you feel more ike chan.
ging places with him and taking in his card He
looks at the card very critically for he is connois
seur IN cards-a most admirable judge Of eugra:
wing. He gracefully waves you to seat and he
waits and waits, and waits. To rest yourself, you
take few turns about the haA; he still holds your
card ;but says he will takeitin presently. Again
you set down; read an old copy of newspaper,
including advertisements and Washington letters,
and again venture to take look at the messenger:
He still has your cardin his hand, butf be should
tear itup before your eyes you dare notremonsrate
with him, and 50 you wait and wait This is kept
up day after day, the result each time being that
he keeps your card an hour before takingit in, or
the Secretary keeps it an hour before sending fer
you. This is not peculiar to the Interior Depart
ment; these delays are perpetual, and perhaps are
unavoidable. 1t is just this state Of affairs that
makes the doing Of business in Washington such a
trouble and delay. This is one reason that our
friends, the ofea-seekers, were kept 50 long from
their families and their creditors-they couldn't
get interviews with the Secretaries.


APTHE ATTORNEY GENERALS 8 OFFICE.


The employees are unoGeedopable Judge Hoar
is 60 cross and irritable that he has few visitors
He is the exception, 1t is generally easier to do
business with the head Of the department than
with the suberdinatss; but the rule is reversed in
this case. You can't do business with the Attor-
ney General at all without quarrelling With bis
subordinates you can transact business, and you
can't quarrel. See the effectof wretched exam
pie. ~." ~~r 49,. 80 ''


AT THE NAVY DEPARTMENT.


Ifyou get into some Of the bureaus Of the Navy
Department -Dahlgren's for instance-you might
as wen be ina furnace. If your courage is not
awed into something like the fear Of child at the
sight of Dahgren, you are fit for a claim agent
The grandeur Of that man is appalling It's easy