Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1891-04-23
In WOMAN'S BEHALF.
A SHAMEFUL INJUSTICE.


Women in the Departments who DO Bet
ter Work But Receive Less Pay Than the
Men.
Women are never as well paid as men,
even when they do an equivalent
amount of work; this rule holds true
even in the departments of public JUS
tico where women are employed.
The fact is that the injustice done to
women in paying them women's wages
for mems work has prevailed ever since
Salmon p Chase first put women tdesis
in the treasury. For example, there are
no clerks entered on the rolls at 5000.
Up to that grade they are merely copy
ists yet fully one-half the women set
down in the blue book and official regis
ter as copyists are really clerks, and sit
side by side doing exactly the same
work done by men clerks at 81, 900 and
81, 200 Custom has established an I'M
Just law by which woman going into
a public Office in Washington is assign
ed to grade below that which man
doing the same work would command.
Thus man on $1,000 salary does the
same work that is given the woman
who sits next him for 5000 When
the woman is promoted to $1,000 the
man is promoted to 81, 800.
Indeed, one of the greatest drawbacks
to putting young men in these govern
ment offices is, that the work being so
simple they learn nothing, and as the
human mind either advances or retro
grades these young men generally go
down hill from the start. EXtravagant
pay for infantile work, with abundance
of leisure and every temptation to
toadyism, is generally enough to ruin
the best material. The men hold the
executive positions, such as chiefs of di-
visions, chief clerks, etc, and it is en-
inently proper that they should; but
apart from that, the women share
equally in tho difficulty of the labor
performed-which is simple, however,
to the last degree.
In the counting and handling of paper
currency women have almost super
seeded men. They count better and
faster, and in the detection of counter
feits are unequaled Notes which cir
culate freely through every bank in the
country are readily detected the instant
they come into the hands of the women
operators in the treasury. A counter
felt of the last issue of So bills was
known to be in circulation some time
ago; the treasury sent out the alarm
but the official judging from expert
ence, knew that it would probably not
be detected until one reached the treas
ury in package of money from one of
the banks. At last it came in a bundle
from a big New York bank. The young
woman counting the bills in the treas
ury bureau picked it out instantly. The
note was traced and found to have pass
ed through half the banks in New York
without suspicion, to be detected at the
first glance by this young woman, who,
it is said, has never yet passed a coun-
terfeit. Not one single cent has ever
been stolen by women since their en-
ployment in the treasury. When the
work was done solely by men, dis
charges for small thefts were frequent.
Superficial observers mention, as an
instance of the inferiority of women's
work, that only one woman in Wash
ington receives so high salary as ST.
800, and not more than dozen receive
| $1,000. Go into the dead-letter Office of
the post Office department and there
will be seen a woman who has sat for
eleven years at al 81, 800 desk, drawing
5000 year in all that time. In the old
days she had no influence to have her
self promoted Now she would have to
stand civil-service examination, and
she is too timid to attempt it. The wis
est among the women employees up to
the Inauguration of the civil-seryice
rule were extremely careful not to get
too high a salary, as the minute a WON
an steps over the 81, 200 limit her place
was demanded for some political-place
hunter who wanted it. Thus many
women, who might have urged with
good effect the fact that they did the
work of high-salaried clerks, were
afraid to ask for proportionate compen'
sation, as it jcopardiZed them instantly
and fatally. A case in point is that OF
very accomplished woman employed
in the state department She did fol
years the work of a $1,000 clerk on g
81, 900 salary. An injudicious friend il
Congress got her pay raised somewhat
in proportion to her work. In less thar
a month her head rolled into the has
ket-she had been guillotined in favor
of man. Next she was appointed
librarian to certain department, anC
the same friend offered to use his eff
forts to get her salary raised there. Sh,
begged him to do no such indiscree
thing; consequently she still retains he
place. -Demorests' Monthly.