Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-03-08
CLERKS IN CITIES.
Their Responsible Work and Their Die.
proportfonate Pay.

Clerks constitute one Of the most numerous
classes Of a great city's population. and their
types, manner Of life. duties and temptations
make an ever interesting subject for study.
Thousands OF men and women are to-day
penned behind the counters Of innumersble e.
tablishmentssin Chicago weighing. measuring.
answering sensible and senseless questions. and
cultivating habits of courteous address for
Their own and their employers interest. and
the majority Of them for pittance wholly dis
proportionate, il Is said, 90 the duties required
and the services rendered The connection be-
tween clerk hire and crime and immortality,
the responsibility OF employers for the hard
ships and slips OF their employees. the physical,
mental and moral consequences of what clerks,
as class, nave TO undergo, gre thus matters OF
vital importance TO the students Of social
science. Said a gentleman yesterday in refer
ence TO this phase of city life:
Most of what people term the abnormal
features OF social development find their ex-
PLANTATION in private motives. in the innate de-
sire OF individual citizens: and / hold that
clerks themselves are primarily responsible for
what are commonly set forth as wrongs and
hardships The wages for services are not es-
sentially different from the price Of commodi-
ties. Supply and demand regulate both. An
abundant supply or an unusually strong de-
mand means, invariably, a rise in wages, and
the reverse means Tall.
Now, let me give Won q few facts From
all appearances there is little or no difference
between the present decade of our history in
respect 20 popular sentiment and the decade
preceding. Hence, the facts Of one period are
approximately true for another. From 1870 10
1850 the gross increase of the population of the
United States was 30.05 per cent During the
same period agriculturists increased in almost
exactly the same ratio as the general increase
Manufacturers and miners increased in num-
Der AZ per cent, while professional men and
those engaged in personal service show an in
crease OF 81 per cent. Our farmers manufac-
turers and miners are practically our only
wealth producers, and we find their average
percentage Of increase TO be &C. Thus we
have 81 per cent increase of wealth-distribu-
tors merely handling the products Of a 50 per
cent increase of wealth-producers for 30 per
cent general increase of population.
These figures think, are very significant
What is more, they only tell half the story.
During the last decade-and the present viii
yield equally surprising results when the census
OF 1880 Is taken-farm laborers increased only
10 per cent in the face of a 80 per cent general
increase. and domestic servants only 10 Der
cent, while general clerks and copyists show
Sl5 per cent increase; clerks in hotels and res
taurants, l01 per cent increase; walters and
4 porters. a go per cent increase, and labsrers
about stores and warehouses an sl3 per cent
| increase. Now. from the very nature OF things.
what must be the inevitable result of such a
state of affairs upon vast number of the popu-
lation of cities? Simply. small wages irregular
emplovmentando often privation and consequent
wrong-doing"