The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1899-08-31
WOMEN BARRED OUT.
Why Men are Preferred for Service IN
the Government Department
at Washington.

NEW YORK. Aug So.-A special 70
the Herald from Washington. says:
Women are practically barred out
Of the government service In the de-
partments at Washington. There IL no
concerted action among the heads OF
departments and chiefs Of bureaus here
10 exclude women from appointment
but whenever there is a place 10 be
flled. the head office almost invariably
asks for a man. This right 10 1iserlm-
lnRte between the sexes Is recognized
by the civil service regulations and
when requlsltlon Is made for a male
clerk. stenographer or typewriter. the
commission certines only the names
OF men.
Civil Service Commissioner Harlow
said that the commission had a long
list OF women stenographers and type
writers eligible for appointment but
they could not get the appointing Of
ficers TO take them.
There are many reasons" said Mr.,
Harlow. (which seem TO Influence the
heads OF government officers to prefer
men to women. The principal one. per-
haps. Is that while women may do as
well during the regular working hours,
n there Is a rush and II Is necessary to
work over hours. the work can be
crowded on the men better than on the
women. The women are not willing to
work over hours and the heads of Of
nee feel more reluctant in asking them
10 do so. than is the case With men,"
chief Examiner servin. OF the civil
service commission told me there were
many reasons. small in detail. but i'm
portannt In the aggregate, which In
flusnced heads Of government offices
TO prefer men 10 women.
"The haeds OF Offices" said he, pre-
fer men partly because In the event Of
a rush they can work the men harder
then they would like To work women.
In addition to this 1t Is found that
women cannot adopt themselves TO as
great a variety Of work as can men.
they may be alright in a certain line,
but when they are put on something
else, Il is very hard for them TO get the
hang OF II. They are also inclined not
only TO insist ON having all the privil-
eyes in the way of vacations and sick
leave to which they are entitled. hut
they often expect special consideration
and special favors OF course there are
exceptions. and many women are very
efficient. but the heads CT offices where
both men ana women are employed
almost Invariably ask for man when
they are filling a vacancy"
Assistant Secretary OF the Treasury
vanderlip, who has general supervision
Of the clerical force in the treasury
department, endorsed practically all
that the officials OF the civil service
commission had said
in the auditors Office" said seere-
tary Vauderlin men are generally
preferred to women for the reason that
women do not seem to have the faculty
Of exercising as well as men that judg-
ment which must be used in dealing
with many matters in those offices, In
the Office where most of the work IS
d me ilree;ly for the secretary's office
we have two stenographers-a woman
a d man--and they are both very
efficient, but the general tendency
seems to be to prefer men, largely be-
cause they can do more work under
pressure and because of their greater
to varieties of work"