Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-05-05
SOME SHARP CRITICISMS
Vulnerable Points Sought in the Tawney
Bill.
Clerks Who Object to Some of the
Sections In the BilI-Provfding for
Clerical Retfrements.

A clerk in the pension office writes The
Star as follows in regard to the Tawney
bill, as finally agreed on in the House sub
committees report:
LAS government employee of ten years of
service, wish to appeal to my fellow clerks
In the departments to resist the passage of
the so-called Tawney bill l am convinced
that very many clerks are not aware Of the
truly odous features of this bill, which
grants the power to tax our salaries, to an
unlimited amount, without our consent, and
which amount 800 of us out of every 1000
clerks will never see again. By the pro-
visions of this BILL as published in The Star
on Friday last, the Secretary of the Treas
TRY is authorized July /, 1896. and every
year thereafter, to withhold from the salary
OF every governmental employee in the civil
service per cent of said salary or so much
thereof as the Secretary may determine
necessary for the purposes specified in the
act.
last year pronounced unconstitutional for
taxing people receiving a salary of $4,000
: Fer centum per annum, because it was a
tax levied on particular class and was
not uniform. But in this high-handed
outrage called the Tawney bill a few
thousand poor government clerks are tax
ed, not only per centum of their meager
salaries, but the Secretary of the Treasury
amount of their salaries-1O per cent or 50
or 20 per cent of the salry-the Secretary's
judgment being the sole and only criterion
OF the amount which we shall each year
be taxed, in order to provide a living for
a lew long-service clerks.
IL TINS absolute power of taxation to
an unlimited amount, SO given In this bill
to the honorable secretary, over a par
ticular class of American citizens is not
unconstitutional and despotic, then pray
tell us what is.
Again, who will be placed on this an
nulty roll, or be retired, and when?
Take the blue book and figure out how
mary employees in the executive depart.
ments excepting those who have been en-
listed men in the signal service or enlisted
general service Clerks and see what a pre-
clous rev will be eligible for retirement in
any class OF July l, 1900. Remember the
age and continuous service must both ONE
up 10 the standard, and in two classes
ABOVE the clerk must be disabled from
clerical labor by disability not the result
OF vicious habits; all of which will REQUIRE
more proof than soldiers claim for rem
sion under the June act 1 venture TO
say without fear of contradiction that in
lOc there Will not be one clerk in one
thousand employed in the Interior or Post
once departments that can get on the
retired list.
An Alleged Discovery.
Then who will be the benefic;arieso
The bill itself tells you: EMPLOYEES in the
several executive departments who were
formerly general service clerks enlisted for
service In the executive departments and
Numbers of the signal service of the United
States army Here is the milk in the CO.
coanut. Here is the negro in the wood
pile The clerks of the pension bureau
patent office, land office, printing bureau,
POST ONCE and other departments under
the civil service law, are to be taxed an
Unlimited amount, in order to support for
the balance of their lives a lot of super
animated people, who directly after the
war enlisted, either as general service
clerks for service in the executive depart
ments or as members of the signal service
of the United States army Their num-
bers on July l, 1900, to go upon the an
nuity roll will be simply legion, and then,
one ceases tC wonder that there is no limit
to our taxation.
But the impression is among many clerks
annuity roll, yet We will all be repaid what
l can assure you that not one clerk in a
be a clerk before she or he is eligible for
money taken from them under this bill.
say shall be repaid? First, clerks who die
amount paid in by them shall be repaid to
clerks who resign, or are dismissed for any
first five years of continuous service; and,