The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1882-03-02

high political positionl Think Of it,
mo: hcrsl
Gam discharged she sobbcd.
Where shallI do?"
Now, I'm Il married man, and I'll
tell YOU what l did. / looked around
rather nervoNsly, for fear some pass
ing friend would observe and oyerhear
the applications Of this unhappy
creature. You see, l am just as big
a fool as the rest ofthe world. Then
l asked her if sic had any friends of
influence
"Only one," she said, and I could
see her vince as she said it But
he" she stopped and buried her face
in her handker Chief.
"Well-and he?"
Then she told me how that same
"friend" had followed her. There
was no question in her mind as to his
motives. She knew he could provide
for her, but she dared not go to him.
She had asked him to ha> e her retain
ed and received his ultimatum. From
her story Of ais relations with her
chief Of bureau, l made up my mind
that this congressional scOundrel
had purposeIy permitted her discharge
believing she must inevitably fall in
to his hands. Now, | am no saint,
but it made blood boil to see this
scheme against a helpless young girl.
l would that 1 could print his name
in glazing head lines in every news
paper in the country; but nobody
would believe it. You would not
dare suggest such an infamy Of such
man. The sequel of this story IS to
come.
Few women will appreciate the
situation Of these departmental women
suddenly deprived of place. In ether
walks of life one drops out here and
there and is rot noticed. A shop-girl
discharged GOES to another shop.
Here are several hundred women
thrown out at once without warning.
Most Of them are from distant States,
are widows and orphans and heads OF
families. Some Of them have been
long in office, one place and another,
and have lived frugal lives and are
well-to-do. The great majority OF
them are living from hand to mouth,
either from necessity or choice. As
rule they are honest, intelligent and
virtuous. 1t is terrible thing to
one of these unfortunate dependents
to lose her place. There are nearly
400 of them marked for dismissal Mon
day in the Census Bureau alone.
While the reader is taking in this
article there will be some 800 of these
400 clustering around the doors of
the Census Bureau, crying about the
halls, and sobbing over their empty
desks theirs no longer-and beseig-
ing and beseeching congressman all
aver the city for their influence.
There will be many poor girls in
straitened circumstances, who will,
probably for the first time, calmly
contemplate the contingency OF
shame-who will even make voluntary
overtures to those whom they believe
all-powerfll to aid them. There Will
be many who will boldly face the
world in the renewed fight for bread
who would die before they would
ever think of such a thing. And
there will be a flock of male harpies
crowding about the more desperate
women Of the throng, TO catch them
in their hour of desperation, and
bear them away to a life of gilded sim
1t is almost too sicKening to contem-
plate. But it is a sight which Wash
ington often witnesses; so often that
we have grown callOus and hard of
heart. While n clerk in the Treasury
several years ago, saw many of
these wholesale discharges. At one
time there were 800 women driven
out of the Treasury in one day. IL
was a frantic mob. Women tainted
i'm the halls and tore their hair. and
conrsed their superiors and wept in
the streets about the building as if
the gigantic columns would pity them
to their places. From all l have seen
it is clear to me that the employment
Of women in the governments offices is
great mistake. 1t is not only pre-
judicial to the service, but harmful to
the women themselves. 1t encourages
all sorts Of licentionsness. It prov ides
the means to members of Congress Of
keeping their mistresses at go vern
ment expense. 1t demorGlizcs both
male and female employees. 1t is n
standing disgrace to manhood and
womanhood. 1t is a satire on our age
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