The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1882-12-28

but will never grow rusty in the har-
ness. In promotions the secretary
must rely on his bureau officers for
knowledge of the efficiency of clerks.
Some heads of bureaus are not in
favor of promoting women. They
cannot separate the woman from the
clerk, and think she receives more
than she could earn outside. This
may be Just as true of the head as of
the subordinate. He may receive
more paw for his work than he could
earn outside, but / have yet to meet
the bureau officer who thinks his sala-
~ too great for the service
he renders. Women are rarely
ever permitted to attempt the adj
justment of accounts, and yet this is
sometimes offered as reason for not
promoting them. The real truth is
that they are not allowed to do
such work. 1t is no more trouble to
teach an intelligent woman to do such
work than to teach an intelligent man.
Custom has made accounts almost the
exclusive work of men, and because
at the beginning women were appoint
ed as copyists, and were not eligible to
clerkships. But an act of congress
made them eligible to clerkships, and
some of them possess the ability TO
adjust accounts if they were allowed
TO do so. Something's woman is am
bilious and would be glad to earn a
promotion by doing more difficult
work. She has demands upon her
as great as man, and would be
glad TO work harder to earn more
money to aid those dependent upon
her. She may be a single woman aid
ing in the support of parents or sisters,
perhaps both, or possibly a widow
with children to support. If she
is equally as efficient clerk
as a man, why should she not
get the same salary, if she can
do and is willing to do the same
work? 1 am not prejudiced, but L
think that stupidity is stupidity
whether masculine or feminine. The
only difference is that the government
paws more for a stupid mans poor
work than for stupid woman's work,
for there are those who have to be
helped out" on accounts, even after
several years experience and teaching,
and woman would not make great
er failure, if allowed to try the same
work. But so long as she is not per-
mitted to prove whether she can or
cannot do it, it should not be used as
an argument against her promotion,
because she does not adjust accounts.
A good deal of feminine indignation
was aroused by the appointment of so
many men to clerkships by the secre-
tary of the interior, who ignored the
applications of women. Whatever
reason he had for it, it is certain that
very few women were appointed. One
alleged reason was that the work was
of such a nature that women could
not perform it. Once upon a time a
predecessor of the present secre-
tary appointed a large number of
clerks-men, and not few Of
them sat at desks filling out blank
circulars for some time. Women
would have been glad to have done
such work for the pay of a copyiSt,
but the clerks appointed receive not
less than $1,000 and many S14OO per
annum. The old adage says, Turn
about is fair play" Secretary Teller
might have found circulars for women
to fill out and appointed some of the
many who had waited and hoped for
months to get places. L dare say II he
had offered 500 per year they would
have been glad of it and then the Cir
culars would have cost half as much
as they did under the predecessor who
paid some men Sl40O for such work.
Or the secretary could have promoted
few women who have been in the
interior department for dozen years
or more, and in this way made places
for new appointments. There are
some curious facts about women. So
many of them seem destined by fate
for the same vocation in life-that of
supporting themselves and frequently
others also. This number seems to
increase, as public opinion makes it
more and more honorable for women
\ to work for Il living.