Delaware State journal and statesman. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1855-1870, 1867-02-15
rProm the New York Tribune
THE CLERKS PAMPHLET.

The clerks in Washington have published
n namnhlet to prove. by formidable and |
bristling array Of the nine digits, that you |
cannot buy as much pork for shilling III
1867 as you could in 1850; and that mouse
rents In Washington are abominapiy hign.
We beg leave TO assure these gentlemen that
tho same phenomena have been noticed IN
other parts of the country, and that they are
by no means alone in their serious doubts
and anxieties. 1t is the peculiar misfortune,
however, of other martyrs, dwelling iar
from the seat of legislative wisdom, that
they are not able to bore and button-hoie
Congress with that convenience, alacritY,
and persistence which these clerks are, by
the circumstance of locality, enabled
to exhibit. We know great many persons
of fixed incomes who would be delighted 10
receive EXCHANGED stipends; but they cannot
petition Congress, and would get no atten-
ton If they should spend their small surplus
in publishing pamphlets for gratuitous as
tribution. Some time ago, we good-natureu-
| ly called the attention of the clerks to TINS
plain fact thinking that they would like TO
have company in their misery; upon when
I they denounce US as Glow, mean, and"scurs
| rillousr--spelling the latter word with one
more "I'' than a rigid economist would De
| likely to use, We are afraid that they ex-
hibit similar prodigality in burying their
pork. Atany rate If they must have hams
and sausages, thoae edibles are cheaper al
the West, and able.bodied laborers IN ue'
mand there.
We know very we'll that Washington re-
tailers and landlords are not specially rea'
sonable In their charges but II salaries arc
TO be raised to meet their ideas oil prices
we shall have an increase Of 20 per cent. an
nually. This will not make the clerks them
selves penny-worth better of, they may
rest assured. The more they have 10 pay
with, the more they will be Obliged to pay
while tina poor Treasury will keep working
night and day manufacturing paper money,
until nobody will take its essignats, and the
explosion comes How much the W pei
: cent which our friends are praying for wlll
buy them--in the form OF paper--we leave
their ready reckoners to compute.
In view of the impending crisis, every,
body else is practising rigid economy, ane
: all wise commercial men are taking In sail
} The way by which the Government IS ad
yised TO weather the storm Is sufficiently
curious. II ia to crowd on more and NOR
u canvas-spread every rag of sail, l. e., con
0 vert every rag In the country into apape
q dollar; grind out money by the cord iro1
a Its prolific mill; raise everybody's salary
then fresh issues of lrredeemable currency
l. then fresh elevations Of the salaries; and 3
l. on, in delicious abandonment, with pient
:, of pork for the crew, until the leyanter oVel
If takes US, and we sink gracefully. on our bean
| ends. with all the comforts and excitemen
10 of what IS called "a 'revulsion." Ii u
is salaries should be raised now, 1t Is possib
Of that the poor clerks might be sorry for
"a when forced to pay $50 for jobblng wal
on In which to cart home weeks wage
30 With'most of our gold and of the best ella
TO- of securities gone abroad to pay for thin
lie which we do not need or might produce
or home, 1t is barely possible that some thin
" which we do not need may be uncommon
hard for the mass of our men and women
To-, get, when the weather has become I'LL
N. tempestuous.
y Two things are suggested in the pamph
before us. One Is that Government clei
M .'should be allowed to purchase articles
provision of the commissariat on the sal
ID, terms as do army officers" The other
of that Government should Immediately pn
three hundred cottages for the clerks to !
U.s. in. We cannot say that we like the loof
the scheme; for we have observed that WI
i've Government goes into business 1t genera
,bo gets cheated; and it has had such monstr'
i'll luck in other matters, that we shrink IT
aS seeing it setting up in the grocery 4
building line. Eech OF the three hund
cottages would probably cost as mucn
small palace, and be likely to fall down
bury some unfortunate clerk in the RUM
the end OF couple of years. AS betw
avs the building business, with public groct
aty. and a reasonable advance in the salaries,
NV should prefer the latter. But we hope
- these poor Babes in the Wood will in
'uor upon neither.
the We expect to see brighter times,
eral pork cheaper and rents lower even In WI
u NJ lngton; but we DO not expect ever to see
time when any man drawing salary I
oD- the public will be willing to have it redu
boys If this 90 per cent should now be adde.
the clerical stipends, it is vastly more III
to be increased in the future than
'ney taken off because the cost of living has
con- come lower. You will hear no propose
unity of that kind, no matter how the marke
.ols Washington may rule; and If you begil
oa.e put up salaries there for one class of the
nter, ployed, you will have no peace until
teen put all, not merely in the District Of 90
ieles bia, hut throughout the country, upoi
equal footing. It may be Glow, m
rabid, and scurrIllous" (with two ps) t
NeW sire to avoid this, but we venture, in
Nleet- Of all the consequences, to express al
gulAr wish