The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1879-07-10
Igomsn,s hIsRt 10 WORK for her
Efrs4d


ing tie mmisss9Ber Of the General
Isri 0ffiee, the STATE Treasurer anu
eomR,toIlertn employ females when
qas3fisf, 10 al nall the positions In
AAsir respective departments, Senator
ltf+.l spoke as foilnwss o., f..ss
br Pleeiasqfs-rI am glad this ,reso-
iVn Was 0rupga to1our attention by
Senator DQm Btxar (Senstor
HDustor). DNea al has been LOO long |
deprived bY social custom OF the priv |
iiege of earning heIsewp bread in en-
Payments for which, she is qualified.
zee no reason, why an educaUed, lady |
Of good character should be refused |
peTmIssiOn Co labor 1t a clerks desk IN |
this State. i see no reason why beard |
ed, robust men should enjoy s monop- |
oily OF these employments afforded by |
the goYerameLt,, which are CLERICAL |
merely in their nature, aud go well |
suited to the, MORE delicate frame of
the the weakeEs sex, There Is vast
difference Sir, ?. between Offering
honorable smPloymgntr to the I'M
fortunate widows snd orphan girls Of
our dead endsgiFing them the ballet
sud Official place. What contend for
Is the right of = woman and her equal
right to earn her bread BIT any honora-
bic employment suited TO modest and
retiring nature which the government
can bestow. gu. a...l...t .-,.' .....
Now the Senator from Lavaca has
offered an amendmsnt-whic says THAT
the heads Of departments may" en-
ploy female clerks, etc. / will not
vote for that amendment. They may
g. L. -. -. - 81.
OF any law, for we know no law to pre-
vent them from doing so now, and yet
none are employed. Why is this2 Be-
cause no officer OF the government feels
willing TO break the iron bands of
former custom and tender clerkship
20 lady, nor will he do it until the
law compels him. What we need here
is law u require the appointment of
a fair proportion of female clerks,
when they can be found qualified for
the postIon-this is all the resolution
requires. SIR, all over this fair State
csn be found rs noble women as the
sun ever shone up1n-wOmen with
cultivated minds and noble virtues.
who are in poverty. They are tie
widows and Orpan gIrls of our heroic
dead. Had their protectors fallen in
the Northern ranks, they would now
be receiving pensions. Since we have
no money To bestow pensions, let US
give them sympathy and furnish them
work when we can. They are to-day
battling with poverty; temptation IS
vt their door, and count 1t but Just
and noble act for the State to stretch
forth her hand and help them so far as
the Constitution will allow. While
this resolution was being read my
memory turned to II happy refuge on
which 1t was nay privilege to look two
years ago in WashintoD City. 1t was the
home Of the noble widow of a dead
Confederate, congressman from Texas.
Q refer TO Gen. Jack Wilcox.) Her
father. was the adopted son of Gen.
jackson. Born in the White House,
Ter childhood, was passed amid the
aplepdor of foreign courts to which
that father was munster. The ,pttted
grand-cbild of the great President,
---her mind-gas stored with all that edu-
cation could bestow., The German,
French and Italian languages were to
her as her native tongue. That wo-
man in her dessolation found refuge
and it was bestowed even In the flush
OF victory, when every Southern State
was dlsfranchised, and bestowed by
the victorious North. When l last saw
her she was educating her gifted
daughter and sustaining herself on q
clerks salary of twelve hundred dol
lars, paid.b the Washington govern
ment
Senator Ford-She now has six.
teen hundred dollar clerkship.
Senator Terrell am glad Of it.
AAnd yet, Sir, while thus clerking for
her bread, she was surrounded in her
hum0ie BONE by cherished objects, for
which the new rich, who affect tastes
they cannot understand, would have
paid the price of a princes ransom.
On her center table was the marble
bust of ''old hlcklry;;" his walking
cane and sabre, his pistols and rich
presents made to the great man,
adorned her parior.. There she found
a refuge ami with cheerful dignity
labored for her bread as q government
clerk. The resolution reminds me of
= annther incideIt nearer home.
Mr. President, during the late SEES
sion, the Senator from Cameron and
myself received Communication from
NAib EA0OW Va -OnC vi 4au lOilCN hu0
suffered as much for Texas as any one
OF his age, living or dead. When alive
Ibis name was on every tongue, and
now his widow desired to know If
Texas could aid her to raise the
children of her martyred husband.
We ere compelled to answer that the
Constitution prohibited direct aid, and
we then suggested that the Legislature
might adopt the very expedient to af-
ford relief contemplated by the reso-
lult0n. Sir, the Senator from Gamer
on WY Join me in the assertion tn,
there is not. IN this Stats more accom-
phshei or WoSthy lady than she of
whom | speak and she would gladly
receive such aid as the resolution pro-
poses for she web knows that Texas
would surround her with no associates
except those who are pure and worthy.
Now we very well. know that there
are in each department clerkships
which in their very nature should be
filed by men. The chief clerkship,
The tax clerkshIp in the Comp teollef's
Office, and the chief craftsman in the
Land Office are of this character.
Chief clerks become chiefs of their de-
partments in the absence or sickness of
either department chief. These from
their very nature should be filed by
men. But can any Senator tell me
why lady may not as we'll ill the po-
sitlOn OF copying clerk as q man, or
do as we'll two-thirds of the routine
work Of each department Why, .
few months ago the chief Of one de-
p1F;ment informed me that eight hun
dred men were applicants for clerk
ships under aim. Think Of it. Eight
hundred mea who could struggle
=, 1hcoueh the sun and storm hunting the
shady rest OF government employ
mlpt, IRON which custom excludes
Ike number OF educated but .unfortu-
nate widows and orphan girls just rs
Nell qualified TO do the work.
In al our departments We have cour-
locus, honest AMI competent clerks
but II has not alwas been 50, aud
Il hezzaTd nothing in asserting
hist II women had been employed In
one department during the last ten
years there would have been less pur-
l0ining Of die papers. There ls no en-
ployment 10 watch women can resort
suited 10 the delecSts frame, in which
she does not dad msn rs competition;
in as here be Just to her ard open one
more aveane o. honorable toll for the
weak ard helpless. Ia this and they
will not clamor for high salaries. for