The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1876-04-28
WANT AT WASHINGTON.
A Disheartening Picture OF Clerical Life
at the Capital.

Washington Cor Cincinnati Commercially
Not long ago a Congressman from
Ohio, serving his first term, asked me
to assist him to get an appointment in
one OF the departments for lady living
in his district. She was the widow Vi a
man who was my comrade during the
late war, and in consequence the appli-
cation came to me with peculiar force.
Finding, however, that she was in re-
ceipt of an income which, by the closest
economy was adequate to support her
and her children, declined to take any
action, and asked my friend to write her
that she was a thousand times better off
out in Ohio with her limited income, and
compelled as she was to exercise the
most stringent economy to enable her to
feed and clothe her children, than she
would be if she should come to Wash
ington to accept a position in one of the
departments on q salary of 5000 or
1920 year, for the reasons that her
expenses here would be three or four
times as great as they are in Ohio /; her
common everyday wearing apparel here
would have to be better than anything
she wears at home she would be COM
PEELED to pay for her house or room-rent
five times as much as in the village in
which she lives her board here would
cost her twice rs much as she would pay
in Ohio.
If you know "a any person who is
longing to fill Government Office in
Washington, dissuade him by all means.
He will live a life of constant alarm
and uneasiness, and whatever salary he
may receive he will find it as much in
adequate to the requirements upon it as
his present income in Ohio may be.
am not in position to see much of the
distress prevailing in Washington, but
in my limited view have seen enough
to drive sleep from my pillow.
know OF widow woman, formerly
clerk in one of the departments, who
has number of children dependent on
her for support, who has besieged the
doors of the departments for weeks to
secure an Office which would enable hel
to earn her living. Three days
ago she had 81 in money, nothing else
available or that could be turned into
bread, with little or nothing in the cup
board or coal-bin, and months rent
nearly due. She will probably utterly
fail to get the position she seeks, as she
mas not great political influence and
there are no vacancies. What thenl
Within the last two weeks two young
girls, orphans, from the States, lately in
office, have been literally frightened to
death because they have lost their posi-
tions, and have no hope of securing them
again. Their scant earnings sufficed to
keep them for only few days, land
lords and boarding house mistresses
grew importunate for money due them;
the prospects presented only two solu-
tions of the difficulty. They could pros
titute themselves, and make then only
stinted living, for, commercially speak
ing, the competition in this line Is rs
great as in any other in Washington
or they could die. They died.
1 had the case brought to my atten-
ton, yesterday, of man who came here
from comfortable home in one of the
States, few days ago, to accept Office
under the Government. He is lawyer
by profession, and had fine law and
miscellaneous library. He lost his posi-
ton and went into the practice of the
law here, but that profession is, Of course,
crowded. For weary months he lived in
hope. Then he began to sell his library,
and few days ago parted with the last
remainder for five dollars. He has moth
ing in the world and family to support.
What will he dol
/ know that three or four days ago an
artist of worldwide celebrity was glad
to accept the loan of ninety cents from a
friend who was willing to part with one
half his available assets to relieve rs far
as might be the Immediately pressing
wants of hungry man.
A few months ago young man, with
nothing in the world but the consump-
ton and family, holding clerkship in
one of the departments, was unable to
pay debt when it fell due, and, although
he was an efficient clerk, his unrelenting
creditor had such influence with his i'm
mediate superior that he secured his dis
missal The man was a stranger, in a
strange land, with no resource whatever,
except friend or two, who were fortu-
nate enough to secure through the head
of the department his reinstatement.
But he lives in daily fear. He is dying
by inches, but is menaced with the prob
ability that before he dies he will be
thrown upon charity Tor his maintenance
and that of his family.
1t would be a waste of time to go
further on this line. / could fill the
columns of your paper with similar il
lustrations of this one phase of Wash
ington life. The recent cessation OF
work in the treasury bureau of printing
and engraving (Which was occasioned by
lack of funds, the appropriation to
carry on the work having been exhaust
ed), threw several hundreds, possibly a
thousand, of women on If employment.
Columns of the Republican of this city
have been filed with statements from
these people, recitals of sudden want
and hardship, forced upon them in this
way, 80 pitiful that in very self-defense
one is compelled to pass them over with
out reading.
A few facts of different character by
way of filling up this necessarily crude
and hastily sketched picture
A lawyer, who has lived comfortably
and decently for ten or fifteen years on
an average yearly income of probably
1000 to 1000, well and fairly earned,