The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1879-06-19
The Women CLERKS a. washington.

Among the clerkships az Washington /
the poorly paid, drudgiDg places are /
filled by women, the lighter, better-paid I
offices by men. That is because the
women cannot vote Copying and fig
uring is the work mostly done by the
women. In the Department of the In
terror 500 girls and women are employed.
Their wages range from $50 a month 10
81, 400 a year. Few get the latter price.
one young lady, Miss Cook, a stem
ographer, in the Indian Office, gets ST.
GOO a year, the highest price paid 10
woman in Washington. But, lest all
the bright young lady shorthand writ
ers who read this should at once start
oil in a body to get 81 600 year at the
capital, it may be well 10 state that
there are only places for about SIX stem
ographers iu the whole Interior Depart
ment. These six places are iiiledi ana
/ the occupants are healthy. They DO
not intend TO marry. They are AFRAID
] that every man wouldn't be worth Sii-
600 a year 10 them. Women clerks are
more Troublesome TO manage than men.
/ This is the verdict in most oi TIE de-
| partments. They are more regular anu
/ faithful than the men, al the same tune
I they are more quarrelsome among one
another. 4 standing cause Of war
among them, ridiculous enough, Is the
opening and shutting Of windows. This
one wants ventilation, while the one
next to her is dead sure Of a draft. This
one slaps the window up, and that one
runs after her and slams 10 down, and
so the game goes on slap, slam, while
the ladies' eyes dart fire, aud their little
,lr0ats choke up too full for speech.
This catfish quarreling went so far IN
the Post Office Department that at last
the United States authorities had TO in-
terfere, and make the rule that the win
dows should not be raised until a certain
time Of day, so that the windows Of the
United States General Post Office are
now opened and shut according to Gov
Iernment orders. a more contemplate
thing among womankiud it has uevel
been my painful duty 10 record. Many
unjust stories have been circulated in
the newspapers about the women clerk,
at Washington, by correspondents who
were not half or quarter as good as they
The simple fact is that the great maj jOr
ity Of them are modest, faithful, hard
J working women. They are quite a
J good and intelligent as the same numbe
: Of women anyw here else in the world
Most of them have families or relative
= 70 support. Aue stories Nulcu nav
E been told about them are not OnlN
wicked lies, but under the circumstance
! they are extremely cruel. At the SAM
! time the conduct Of a few incOmpeten
women, who get their places through
e political favoritism, really has beel
> such as to give color 10 the newspape
e stories. They do their work inditfer
] emily, or not al all, come together AM
. gossip by the hour in the dressing rooms
e squabble and raise petty rows in th
r departments, until it is even wishe
that they were dead. Such women ar
kept in their places because they hav
]: masculine relations at home that ca
q vote, and the men who keep them ther
are honorable Senators aud Representa
; tives who declare that eivil-service re
g form Is a humbug. - pOHdenc
e Cincinnati Commercial.