The Portland daily press., 1874-07-03
A Plea for the Clerks.


To the Editor of the Press:
In your issue of the 9th inst, appeared the
following editorial paragraph, which seems to
demand few words of comment:
The places that know four hundred patriots
in the department at Washington will soon
know them no more, for a Congress that
couldn't see straight on currency, could see that
there are too many clerks. The Appropriation
Committee of the House made the number six
hundred, but the average Congressman could
not stand the piteous appeals.
Now it is charitable to suppose that the per-
Son who penned this uncaled for fling at few
unfortunates, was actuated in doing SO by no
feeling of malice-that his only object was 10
tickle the ear of the groundngs," who know
nothing whatever of the duties incident to a
government clerkship here, and have no means
at command to properly judge (even if they
cared to take the trouble) of the ability of the
occupants of positions, and the sufficiency or
insufficiency of the compensation they receive,
which was fixed by law more than twenty years
ago. But while making this charitable conces-
sion it must be said that the spirit which would
applaud the throwing out of employment,
whether of the government or of an individu-
al, of some four hun lred people, more than
half of them lpless women, and majority
of the residue, it is safe to say, having others
dependent on their abors, is not an enviabe
one.
Portland, in common with other Cities has
had seasons when, through depression of bust
ness, Uerchants have found it necessary, in Or
der to curtal expenses to discharge portion
of their clerks, and what would you think of
tha adj MI at oh al
print words of rejoicing over the event? IL
Washington has also its seasons of depres-
sion, and they occur invariably, shortly after
those sessions of Congress which immediately
precede a general election Congress then feels
that it is called upon to make show of econo-
my, and it well knows that there is no way of
retrenching expenses which is SO readily under
stood by the great people, as reducing the num-
Der of officers and curtailng the salaries of the
remainder Unfortunately, however, it does
not feel called upon to reduce the number of
those whose salaries run into the thousands,
but confines itself to smaller game, and thus
much injury is inflicted
The "piteous appeals of which you speak
did not come from those fearful of dismissal so
much as from the heads of bureaus, who may
be. presumed to know the condition of the work
in their respective Offices and the force required
to keep it up better than any outsider, no mat
ter how well informed
have written this as matter of pure jus
tce, and not from interested motives. Clerks
are as indispensablesto the transaction of gov
eminent business as of private bus mess, and
should be employed and dismissed as the needs
of the service require. But neither their en-
ployment nor dismissal, if done in conformity
to law, and with due regard to fitness for the
duties required and efficiency in their perform
ance,s demands, it seems to me, from the news
paper press any special comments. nor in Ell
ther,caselthat it should in mockery style them
patriots BT.H.