The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1869-04-14
A Defence of the Female Clerks.

A Defence Of the Female Clerks.
: don Piatt," the special Washingtt
correspondent of the Cincinnati CONNIE
y cial, in his letter Of the 3lst defends the [
male clerks employed inshe following 70
chile and gallant manner:
n ! see that you repsblished the inlamo,
letter signed Iannsh Tyler, and written
some one Of the male sex from q motive
DO not care to dwell upon. It appeare
hrst 10 the New York Independent, On
goes to chow that even moral journal, d,
voted to radical reform, is not capable {
resisting sensational article.
/ We have heard from that pious orca
no end Of lectures upon the necessity q
widening the field Of female employment
that thousands may DO saved from starva
lion or worse, ard now it hsstens to pub
nsh . letter 5iade Up of sweeping asser
tons Ofthe vilest sort, sustained bv n,
other evidence than . name, and That ,
forgery. 54
The fennle clerks Of Washington ar,
old women and young women-widows o
soldiers and daughters Of soldiers. ana
widows and orphans, because they had in
common one eqnality-their poverty. Tc
attack such class in this way is some,
thing more than cruel-it is indecent
There is no one Of us possessed of q sister
or daughter who may not apprehend ia
these unsettled times to have the Vowed
ones reduced to want, driven TO labor and
liable to such attacks as these.
i have bean at ocma M; -. :-.~.s:--A.
TINS SUBJECT, and without hesitation brand
the charge as false. And in support of
TINS ! appeal to every unprejudiced man
VINO mas mad an opportunity Of looking into
the affair. AS a class the female clerks are
more industrious and capable than their
companions OF the male sex, and so Gar as
morals are concerned, there is no compari.
son: hive no wish to attack the cierls
OF Washington. Heaven knows their lot
is hard one; but it does strike mo al
hard and that while the men are only asked
20 do their work, every woman who is
'orced to labor holds her hard-earned
wages on the idle gossip of vicious tonpue.
II any one is bad and bold enough to cues. |
ION her chastity, be it we'll or iii founded. |
me loses the right to labor.
And what makes the case the more pitia-
'ie,l that poorly as the male clerks ara
'aid. these women work for half the wages
ND md it impossible to make more than
nst enough to live on. They make their
!othes and board, and no more. Msuv
ave been thrown out Of employment with
the last two weeks, and are now without
cent 10 the world. And they are not
My to be beggared, but disgraced by such
lie slanders- and this shot out bv a mis-.
roont under an assumed name.
l passed through the Treasury Yesterday
nth q member of Congress, and while
liking on this subject, he said suddenly, In
Let Us look in and Judge for ourselves.n
'e entered the first room we happened to =
passing at tho time we spoke. We
'nnd four female clerks busy writing At I
lelr several desks. Accustomed to inter.
'Pnons from messengers and heads of
lfeans, they scarcely looked up, but con- I
nued their work. learned, after COM
g out, their names and history. In
One mlddle-aged and delicate-lookinp q
o y was the widow of an officer killed d
the late war. She has two children de.
ndent on the slender pay she receives
om the department.
Another was widow. relict OF a loyal
IN at the Youth, who lost all in the late q
.r. -. -'''o o.
q third appeared before us in the per- OF
OF an exceedingly lovely girl of only Il
enty, dressed with decided taste, and b,
., on her miserable pay. not only sup s
rts herself, but keeps a young sister at "a
The remaining inmate of the room was :. -
MAIDEN lady of unquestionable age, on -
ose Kind sensible, but plain features an ~
ct alone would cast a doubt. tr
Ma Vioifnd oAyn~u1 ,4H.... | IN
result That there are idle, worthless til
,aie clerks. do not pretend to dcny. er
they are fewer In proportion than the fe
ne class OF the other sex. On account Of ~
SO tow, to condemn the many, aud shut
, the means Of procuring bread to ali.
kes an infamous and senseless rcsult,-
en- OF this SANDER originated with the mt
detective Baker, who, while in the Ii
p!oy Of certain parties bent npon hreaL. in,
down the printer Clark, fabricated and no
'lishcd to the world fearful mess If in,
ndat and f;.lsehood. h..
Is to he regretted that all the Depart- ~,
1ts arc not in the hands of female s.,
ks. The work is filter for them than IT
know Of no process 80 etfectual to vi
ract the manhood from one as to he wo
led in the depths of these public build. w0
;, dependent upon the miserable nav Nc
uncertain tenure Of these places. One ser
see the health and strength 20 ont III. sor
by little, and the incum6ent crov ala .or
no PROVISION for his family or self, tE.
me nard, cruel fact pressing upon him ga,
ms lie 10 failure. discounted in nd. Ill
70 OF death-a wreck and Q shame. ~,