Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1893-03-02
IN WOMAN'S BEHALF.
WOMEN IN OFFICE.

Women have got into the public serv-
ice at Washington so thoroughly that
they have conquered 25 per cent of the
government positions there in twenty
five years 1t is more than a quarter of
century since women were first taken
into the employ of the government, but
within twenty-five years after they were
first employed in the Washington de-
partments they were holding one-fourth
and to-day they hold little more than
that proportion of the appointive posi-
tions in the departments.
They have not risen to the highest
places yet, but that is probably due as
much to prejudice against their sex MS
TO lack of executive capacity They
drew the highest pay as clerks which
is sufficient evidence that their work is
equal to that of men in clerical posi-
tionS Doubtless when their sex is
further emancipated they will be found
among the chiefs of division and posi-
bly, the assistants to the members of
the presidents cabinet
There is a dispute about the question
of who first employed women in the
public service. The friends of the late
Gen. Spinner claim the credit for him,
while others dispute this point and as
sert that women were employed in the
mint at Philadelphia and in other gov
ernment institutions before they were
employed at Washington. However,
that may be, certainly the general en-
ployment of women in the government
service must be credited to Gen.
Spinner.
When the famous author of the Ay-
track signature was treasurer of the
United States he found during the late
civil war that the call to arms had so
depleted the available clerical force at
the capital that there threatened to be
famine of government employees
something never known before or since
in the history of office-holding. He
suggested to Secretary Chase in this
emergency the advisability of employ
ing women to count the currency in the
redemption division of the treasury de-
partment and TO do the work of copy
lists The suggestion was accepted ana
with the most gratifying results
There is greater proportion of wom-
en- employed in the government print
ing Office than in any other department
of the government The printing oflice
is an independent bureau which is not
only free from the authority of any of
the heads of the eight great depart
ments, but not within the jurisdiction
of the civil service commission. OF
course the positions of the greatest re-
sponsibility in the government printing
Office are held by men. The business
of the office is technical and is much
more easily comprehended and much
more naturally sought by men than by
women. The principal positions in the
| government printing Office held by
women are feeders, folders and clean
ers. The women who feed the press
earn twcnty-one cents an hour.
In the interior department more than
one-third of the employees are women,
and here their duties are varied inter-
esting and important. Among the
clerks in the pension office, Miss Sallie
f. Chandler, of Virginia, draws Sl,SO0
year, and Miss Ada Tanner drew n
like amount when her father "Ccrpo-
raP' Tanner was commissioner of pen
sions After the removal of Commits
sioner Tanner his daughter was trans
ferred to the Office of the treasurer OF
the United States where she drew
81, 500 year as private secretary to
Treasurer Huston. Miss Tanner is now
81, 400 clerk in the treasurers office.
Miss Nettie l.. White, of New York.
draws 81 800 year in the pension Office
as a stenographer, and Miss Annie j..
Shirley, of West Virginia, earns 81, 800 as
a clerk. There are great number of
81, 400 clerks in the pension office,
among them Miss Emily Browne, of
New Jersey; Miss Clara o. Brawley, of
Indiana; Miss Lizzie Il. Brown, of
Pennsylvania; Mrs. Mary f. Coleman,
of Oregon; Miss Sarah Culbertso., of
Indiana; Miss Medora Fuller, of Rhode
Island, and Mrs. Alice NJ. Goodwin, of
Illinois The highest salary ever drawn
in connection with the pension Office
was that of pension. agent at Chicago.
Mrs. Marian A. Mulligan drew $4,000 a
year in that position.
In the land office, Miss Lucy M.
Strong, of Vermont, draws 81, 800 as a
clerk and there is quite a large number
of women among Shc 81 400 clerks. On
the payroll of the offices of the sur
veyors general are number of women
draughtsmen Tor perhaps they would
prefer to be called draughtswomen)
who draw from SO to s. day in the
Colorado office and the chief clerk of
the Nevada Office, who is woman, re-
ceives 81, 400 salary In the United
States land Offices are quite number
of women clerks whose salaries range
from 5000 to 81, 200.
The most conspicuous of the women
employed in the Indian office is the
wife of the Indian commissioner, Mrs.
Morgan. She acts as the commissioner
private secretary and draws salary OF
1000. DR.. Dorchester the superinten-
dent of Indian schools, has Mrs. Dor
chester on the rolls as special agent.
One of the special agents in the field for
the Indian Office is Miss Alice C.
Fletcher who draws sS a day. Secre-
tary Charles Foster, of the treasury de-
partment, when he was member of the
Sioux commission, three years ago, re-
ceived only $40 day, and his associate
Maj. VIM. Warner who has just con
cluded an Intellectual canvass for roy.
ernor of the state of Missouri, re-
ceived the same compensation. The
women who act as clerks in the Indian
Office here receive salaries from 81 .60t
down. The teachers in the Indiar
school draw $40 year or less.
In the bureau Of education womer
are employed as clerks at $1,000 or less
and in the census bureau, where the;
act as computors and clerks, they draw
about the same amount. In the geo
logical survey, women are employed a!