If a man forgot his duty to the organization that made him, Dan would call on the man, smile as sweet as you please and say: "You haven't been round at the Hall lately, have you ?" If the man tried to slide around the question, Dan would say: "It's gettin' awful cold." Then he would have a fit of shiverin' and walk away.

What could be more polite and, at the same time, more to the point?
No force, no threats--only a little shiverin' which any man is liable to even in summer.
Just here, I want to charge one more crime to the infamous civil service law.

It has made men turn ungrateful.

A dozen years ago, when there wasn't much civil service business in the city government, and when the administration could turn out almost any man holdin' office, Dan's shiver took effect every time and there was no ingratitude in the city departments.

But when the civil service law came in and all the clerks got lead-pipe cinches on their jobs, ingratitude spread right away.
Dan shivered and shook till his bones rattled, but many of the city employees only laughed at him.