New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1870-12-24
LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE.
TAXING THE GOVERNMENT CLERKS
THEIR SALARIES, ETC.
To ne Editor OF The Tribune,

To ths EDITOR OF The Tribune.
SIR: As one having experience in the matter,
want to say word to Senator brakes b TOT plNhg
tho clerks 10 raise relief fund. aud tho increase vi mi
aries With all due respect for the Senator "hon
esteem highly think the measure is -adyiscd ana en-
tIrey uncaled for In the first place. such thing rs
clerk diving and having to be buried at public expense OF
by the charity OF his felowccrks IA extremely rare anu
need never occur il 1t ever does 1t comes from inc o
reckless and exravagant habits of NE Inc resu'' Vi
such measure would be TO encourage the iaS' So"nR
fellows TO spend all their salary In rotous lvingt the
drinking and billiard saloons on fast horses anu "olSo
women aud In fashionable drcss-inaking no pro'iSo"
fr the future either for themselves or Others De'hg
proyjded for In the end by those VINO nave IAN
nies 10 support, and therefore live ecohoW""' III"
within their There Is neither feaso" WI
iustlce in this. The only instance wi'mm my
knowledge where clerk died IN Scr''e anu
had to be buried by his friends that OF single man.
who was appointed TO clerkslp at salary OF e'hct
a. 400 or A. GOO and who In two years drank and sprecd
himself TO death!
Resides with all my experience In the departments
and acquaintance with the clerks know OF no one VINO
has either asked for wants any such bill the CLERKS
want to establish relief fund for their mutual dement,
they can OF their own accord, the same as o'n
workmcn and tradespcopc now do II u n prop'n bv
tax them without their consent for such PURPOSE WI!
is il not equally TO all other classes III tne coi
pityl Besides il is disgraceu To tht ~ uuu9 i,
s his hjll necessarily dOcsthat their hapitS
of life are 30 much worse than those 3f inc reg, o, t9
nulJr that while receiving much higher pay IMAM nont
others stlI they will not save enough 10 our! 'neu
| selves dccentlyl 49, ,, ,a,o man
who are TO be Pennsylyaiaave Of an Afternoon
ii of the great body OF those VINO nave 1--WE
decently ON salary OF from $1,000 10 sGO) ana ay UP
something each year Is simply aSsG very t sr6 s fact
the persistent cry for an Increase 81 Hr IN cG bss
! salaries how can those who have iamilcsi
| A ncighbor of mine who Is employed in the Treasury
Department on say ., Sy on tbot snm1and She
does it, and docs 1t docCnty too. One such example a.
mi. ought forever close the mouths Of these smart
yonng men, aud also OF those who arc opposed To giving
woman equal pay for the same work WIN neH; In ,nU
does the same grade OF work. and does more o IMAM
the men clerks do Why then shouldn't she nave tho
same payi Close by her room sits coored messenger
| who simply opens the door and goes 0l eilahd-,
but who receives pay than she docs surely here
is field for reform in the ciy service Inc iaet ~
these young men have no business III the departments
| economically performed by women, while these young
prses from when women arc utpa ,i ,I,ot can
great majority Of cases, IL the worst thhG thal can
mcnts. BY going there, he loses his personal anu poi
cal acquaintance and standing at home ana lhe liDls
OF life and thought acquired by him III the department
unfit him for the business pursuits OF tc outside Not
| only this hut he becomes reckless ana cAtraNaghhl
ana often disspatcd that it is seldom oonlru!ed
rierk ever laws M ANYTHING accunulaes capital TO
start upOn when turned out In my experience, nave
som" INV own friends and relatives aud OF the helpless
! ptable objects ever saw, they excel All Ana the
|
matter of course. | know scores Of such now IN The
departments, who, verify believe, would be utterly I'M
able o feed and rOthe themselves N turned ont to-day
In what have here said must not he UNDERSTOOD a.
insnuating that the clerks worse than the majority
Of men, they are not. They Ike the mass 0l their
felOwCtzens, aud hence are Influenced ana a'cd upon
lust az the OF mankind would be under me same
circumstances. Taken as a whole, dO not believe Tue
! same number Of men can be found ia any community
who their superior2 in intellect or abny aI hence
the greater the pity that they should be thus dWarie
and spoiled. The material for many OF the 0est reports
of heads of departments, and also ol many o tt pest
speeches In Congress- l. furnished by THESE same cerN
that Is by here and there of them and there are
many of them without whom their ruperiors would ln
ID very difficult, If not impossible 10 run the machine
not wthstanding that the chief clerk OF department.
once said To friend of mine that they didn't want men
OF brains in the departments-that they were always
making suggestions, and therefore, were Troublesome
fellows to have aroundl' AS general rule, heads OF
departments. like most others exercising arbitrary pow
ers, want not men 0f brains, nut rather autQlata on
which they play aud whoever expects To become
clerk in any department Of the Government and hopes
to retain the position for great length OF tne IN
his mind Ia be- Just that thing, dnd nothing else
| but a fawning sycophant, ready at all times 10
| . Crook The pregnant hinges Of Tie Knee
or stated by one OF Buclnnnns old clerks always
be the same opinion those In power" Indeed, |
think il would lie good definition to say that depart
Iuen Is splendid place To spoil material for hrSthte
IL is perfectly astonishing however, To see now
there who want To DC spoiled thus A lafg'
the time Of Members and Senators II employed
securing appointments. and the number Of applications
on file amounts to thousands while notices are stuck III
the public buildings announcing thht no vacancies rA-
is If supply and demand to be the rule In establish
ing the price here, in other matters instead OF increas-
ing salaries should be lowered but then this rule
would apply with equal force to all other positions under
the Governments from President down to Postmaster.
However. il was not my intention to write essay on
life in the departments. but simply To protest against
senator brakes hill. aud say few words about salaries
| HGShiogtOH D. e., Dec. II, 1870. OBSERVER