North Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1867-current, 1869-04-07
Women as Clerks im NVashingtOn --se.
-'''' rtous Charges by a Woman

;, Wouaen as Clerks in Washing on-se
80. rious Charges by a Woman.
The Independents says: 1--WE pub
fish the following letter; bearing tn
! signature of a woman-a: clerk in tn,
Treasury department-thoueh we hav
no personal acquaintance with her. |
her statements are true, they should ar
rest the attention of the public; i
false, let them be exposed:
Treasury Department, }
Washington, ID. c., Mar. 10, 1869. {
Gin the last number of the Indepcnd
ent, noticed a paragraph stating tina
the compensation of the women employ
ed in the department at Washington
was about to be made the same as tina
paid to men and, as woman and al
employee of the Governments, trus
there can be no objection against my ex
pressing my views regarding the sub
ject. .','
"The masses Of women at the present
time employed in the departments, ar,
not possessed of very brilliant clerica
abilities On the contrary, very man,
of them have scarcely education
enough to tell the day of the week b,
a contingencies calendar; and they
owe their appointments and continuance
in Office to their personal advantages
When man receives an appointment,
to a clcrkship, he is obliged to appea,
before a board of departmental officers
and undergo examination and although
the examination is not so strict as tina,
imposed on the graduating class of New
England college, it is 50 difficult that nj
one woman in hundred. could pass i,
satisfactorily. 81, for one, claim tina,
womcn-educated women, of course
are as competent to perform brain labo,
as men; but | do most emphatically OBJ
ject to having girls in their teens, with
no other recommendation than a pretty
face or a pretty foot, place themselves
on an intellectual par with men and
women of education.
81 am sorry to make the confession
but the truth forces it, that the depart.
ments are filled with females crowded
l may say, with those who serve the
Government in no other way except to
.embarrass the public officials in the dis
charge of their duties. l could furnish
the names of scores of women, whom
the heads of departments have tried to
get rid of for months and years, as be-
ing utterly worthless, yet have been un-
able to do SO owing to outside influen-
ces. could furnish the names of
scores of women who do not perform an
hours work per diem for the govern
ment; not i'll every instance because
they are unwilling, but because they do
not have the work-there being too
many engaged in. the same labor. In
the office of the Comptroller of Currcn-
cy, for instance, onc-third Of the force
employed would be quite sufficient to
perform the labor. There is no spccu-
lation on my part. l know whereof
affirm ..t,
"In the Post-Off Department the
law provides for fifty female clerks, and
desks are arranged for that number yet
Ex-Postmastcr-General Randall appoint
cd one hundred and five! During the
two weeks immediately prior to his exit
he appointed thirty female clerks; and
for what reason Heaven only knows,
since nearly onc-fifth of those employed
had nothing to do-nay, not even seat
in the Office. l can conceive of no
earthly object Randall had in appointing
these women, unless it was to, embarrass
his. successor. ss-a
''In conclusion, I hold that women
who are competent to perform the same
labor as men should receive the same
for violating which they
should be dismissed.
every woman employed should be
subject to the same examination as men.
and personal beauty or laxity of morals
ought not to be recommendation. as is
too often the case. The examining
board should be women. In order to
prevent corruption in all bureaus where
women are employed, there should be &C.
male auditors. | have an instance iii
my mind where one malicious woman-
clerk caused the removal of some five
Of six faithful men, simply because they
refused to lend money to her husband
y, a worthless BLACKBOARD, who never
paid his debts. | am happy to state
hat the auditor who made these re-
noyals has just resigned and gone to
he west.
Congress or the President ought to
'fford us some protection, if they allow
is to occupy Offices. We ought not to
De insulted by having the paramours
md mistrcsscs Of members of Congress
orced upon us and be obliged to toler-
tie their society day by day. Let Mr..
Boutwell, clean out the riff-raff and pol
ution of his department. Let him APP
point moral and competent women; then
ct us be paid according to our merits.
Such is the honest prayer of every hon
.st woman clerk - HANNAH TyrEp