The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-08-18
DEPARTMENT WORKERS.
The Record of Women in the Various
Capital Bureaus.
Uniform Testimony to Their Efficiency and
FIdelIty-The Evidence of Men Who
Know Their Worth and Ways.
of the Indianapolis Journal

with the melancholy Dane left out,
if the department ladies were omitted;
and in view of some of the reports spread
broadcast all over the land, by certain en-
vious masculine reporters, it is high time for
some one who will tell the truth, to show
them as they are. The statement that the
women all owe their positions to favoritism,
to their good looks, that they are idle, bick-
ering, jealous etc., is just about as wild
statement as ever publisher gave to an IN
suspecting public. Such stories, repeated
again and again, get to be believed after a
while too, and are therefore misehievous.
Following my avocation as q news-gatherer,
have had ample opportunities of behold
ing those angelic creatures who grow rich
by their beauty; and think never saw as
many homely women under one roof as at
the Treasury Department of the United
States. While most of them possess pleasing,
intelligent faces and many of them are
even good-looking in the best sense
of the word, 1 have never seen
dozen in all the public service here,
(save when the census bureau was employing
numbers of the school girls in that tempo
rary work. who would be considered passa-
bly, pretty from a masculine standpoint.
This is the solemn truth, and, moreover,
these ladies are discreet and modest in their
behavior; they would soon be discharged if
they were not In all my Investigations
discovered but three women in the Treasury
who are charged with neglect of duty, and
yet these serve as samples of the whole for
these unjust correspondents, while the
building is full of men who are there, as
fixed as the laws of the Modes and Persians,
by their political influence alone. The
women are most of them over thirty, wild
owed mothers of familes-the majority of
them soldiers widows or orphans-working
hard for the last twenty years to support and
educate the children made orphans that our
country might be preserved. These are the
people whom such items affect and now 1
will present to the readers of the Journal
their defenders
Colonel D. S. Alexander Fifth Auditor of
the Treasury, says there are nine lady clerks
in his bureau, every one of them faithful,
hard working, modest ladies, who earn every
cent paid them by unremitting attention to
business. Most OF them are middle-aged or
elderly ladies' and all of them have others
dependent on them. The gallant Colonel
declined to say what he thought of their
beauty, as he has a fine suit of rather
sanguine colored hair, which, being in the
height of the fashion just now he regards
with the greatest affection. OF his nine lady
clerk, five have been promoted, solely on
their clerical merits three of these to first
class clerkships, which places them in the
line of promotion on par with any man in
the same grade. Mr.. Alexander said also
hot hn u-nx
should not be promoted, paid and treated as
well in every other way as men, all things
outside of sex being equal; this, he
declared, was his practice, and
told the following, as illustrative of
the way he disposed of one case, involy-
ing this principle. There were two clerks in
his bureau, lady and a gentleman, who
came by the influence of a certain member
of Congress. 1t became necessary to remove
one of them; the member was consulted,
and decided to retain the man; but here the
Fifth Auditor had word to say and he said
this: THE lady is one of the best clerks in
the office, the gentleman does not earn his
salt, and l will not dismiss her in his favor"
The lady still holds her place, and is one of
those since promoted. My Hoosier sisters,
remember this act of your brother Indian
ian, if he ever wants another office-you can
work if you cannot vote-and there is no
better man in this city in other respects, as
well as his love of justice. Mr.. Alexander
said, also, there might be women who were
not above reproach in the Treasury Depart
ment he presumed there were. He knew
you could not find the same number
black sheep or two; but he did not
know certainly of one, while he knew
scores of ladies of the highest culture, intel
ligence ana purity. He knows a senator's
widowed daughter among them, who works
there because she is too independent to live
q III tn bar ole
can women earn so fair a salary. He knows
the wife of an Ex-Governor, also, and many
Others of like ilk. He said, moreover that
the mere presence of ladies in the depart
ments was beneficial for he had noticed that
in rooms where only men were employed
the standard of gentlemaniness and good be-
havior was very perceptibly lowered.
Judge William Lawrence, First Comptrol-
Ter of the Treasury, says the ladies in his bu-
reau are industrious, reliable honest and
capable, as much SO as any of the male clerks
of similar grades. One lady who keeps the
books, Miss Hartman a Wisconsin lady, ne
declares to be the best book-keeper he ever saw
he could not replace her with man compe-
tent TO take her place for less than ST. 400, and
yet the lady is only 5000 clerk. He con-
siders it rank injustice that women are not
paid as much as men for the same work; and
is ready to lift up his voice in their cause on
this subject. The Judge has a most elo-
quent voice, too.
Mr.. Truitt. who occupies the desk of APP
pointment clerk in the absence of Mr.. But
Ter, an old employee, who has also been in
another department where few, if any, wo-
men were employed, gives the same evidence
in favor of the departments that employ la
dies; finds them attentive to duty, we'll
behaved and industrious. Mr.. Beardsley,
Fourth Auditor, adds his voice to the general
chorus of commentator for these
Woodworking women. who are honestly
trying to make living by their labor
Mr.. Judson, of the Treasury examining
board, who has held that position twelve
years, says that lady clerks are not only as
good workers as men, but better. 20, yes
know what am saying; have brought
them all up from pups, as you might say,