Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-07-01
WOMEN IN DEPARTMENTS
PROTEST AGAINST DISCRINIyA.
TION ON SEX GROUNDS.
Salaries Should BE as high a. Those
of Men-NO Danger of
De1uge.
To the Editor of The Evening Sfhr


women in government offices. One of these
| articles was column or more of walls
| over the fact that, at the present ratio OF
| appointment of women in office in thirty
| years they would have a monopoly of the
| business, would have snatched all the
| choicest plums in Uncle Sans grab bag. a
| situation too horrible to be contemplated
without protest! Another writer harped
on that old tune that men always have
| families to provide for, consequently.
should draw larger salaries than women
| VINO nave no one dependent upon them for
| support. Now, considering several facts,
| from the Woman's point of view, neither
| OF these positions is well taken. And
everything worth considering depends
| largely upon the point of view. 1t is only
now ana then one is large enough to view
a subject from several points at once
Why there should be such a fear of the
first calamity is hard to realize, seeing that
the appointment clerk in the United States
treasury, at least, when calling upon the
CIVIL service commission to fill vacancy
always calls for a man, and never wo-
man, ana were 1t not for the protection af-
still imperfect bureau, never would wo-
man receive single appointment There
is growing feeling among politicians that
100 many places are held by women that
iegltlmately ought to be filled by men as
rewards for political service This senti-
ment was first observed when Secretary
carlisle was in the United States treasury
and 1t has been cherished covertly and
kept alive by both parties since The
writer has heard it expressed in compare
lively hlgh places more than once
en- ne .e CIVIL service in replying for call to
MI "a vacancy sends in the names of
tnree or the highest on the list of examina-
ton, with a due regard to the apportion-
ment OF appointments according to states
(another political bias), two of men and
one OF woman for the appointing clerk to
select from. If the woman's record is
higher than those of the men, she gets the
place, because the civil service law must
De respected, and not because they want
her. They distinctly do not, else why
should even the civil service give her only
one chance in three on the lists? If for
economical reasons the woman's Mace is
worth less salary than the mans, she
might get it on that account In other
WORDS, the man rates a political factor
Whlch gives two men chance where
woman mas one, and as voter he Is to be
reckohed with, and the woman. at present
having no political status whatever. has
70 take what she can get and be thankful
her that her sex is at all likely to get all
the department offices within the next
thS years, not If politicians can have
t 5nelr way. Her only defense, one she has
been slow to take, is to assert her right TO
vote, for, as it is, the men must continue
to outrun her in the race for place since
men must covertly be rewarded for polit-
ical services.
The world has assumed a great deal
about the lack of responsibility of women
Tor others while the truth is the average
Moniah IN department. life generally has as
many people dependent upon her as the
average man. Because woman is a lady
odchelor does not necessarily exempt her
from the responsibilities of family life,
Many single woman is helping TO SIM
port aged parents, paying off mortpapas
taking care of invalid relatives. helninp TO
educate the sons and daughters of mem
pers OF her family, and even assuming all
brhtl
ana have known of women In denart
ments assuming burdens of people NOT even
remotely related to them, putting some how
or girl IN the way of self-respecting SIM
port. sap
The Salary Question.
90 not offer this as a reason for giving
woman any better salary than her sery-
ices entitie her to, neither would IT be of |
fered as reason for averaging a mans
salary above that Of the woman who sits |
beside him In office and who does the same |
kind OF work for less pay, Just as well as |
ne is doing 1t. That kind Of justice is. or |
oug II 70 nave been long ago, relegated to
Cleveland's 'innocuous desue-
ude.' Why should such standards 50
alse and misleading, be continued in rating
me value of clerical work? Work well !
lone should entitle the doer to just com
and the question Of sex should
aot en- er into the consideration at all from
he woman's point of view. A distinction
IN account of sex Is vulgarizing and should
become speedily an obsolete consideration
ilso from the woman's point of view
There presumably as MANY Young
men In office who have only themselves to
provide for as young women, both just out
# school, and not qualified for anything
n particular. And as much average ex-
ravagance can be laid to their charge as
o the same class of young women. 1t was
his class that recently put up all their
valuable funds on the races" in GER
a rt 1anf nd IN,
pledged or borrowed funds when their
alary was not available" and lost 1t all
N venture 1t was not young women
Who did these things, yet no one In office
# out, so far as heard from, suggested
hat the salaries Of the "plungers' should
re cut down. 1t is not women who spend
heir salaries on bad characters, and yet
10 one suggests that the young men who
10 are getting too much salary. A recent
ocal murder will sufficiently emphasize
his phase of the question without more
eing said
The only person justified In considering
he question of family responsibility, when
alking of salaries, Is the person expecting
o receive it. He has right to stop and
onsider his needs. The other side is an
pen market for bidders No one is COM
elled to take a salary smaller than liv-
BILE, except here and there one who is
another political dodge to keep
n man but give his place to another as a
eward or it may be woman, who can
OF afford to give it up. But too often this |
ind of knowledge of family responsible
les has been "wormed' out Of women and
1ade an excuse for keeping their salaries
own-more's the shame to the politicians
nd heads OF bureaus, from the womans
ONT Of view
Dress and Reputation.
If a woman in department dresses in
God taste and up to date, she u.s. If young
nd pretty too often regarded with sus- I
icion and made the subject Of gossip or
he heroine of some story about I'm Of
CO." These attractive qualities are
lenace to her good name, because people
ssume the right to measure incomes by
heir own standards.
Even II it were true that there was any =
anger Of women finally getting all of
ncle Sans clerical plums, something
orse might happen to, the young men {
trough having to divide with them, for. {
II business men concede, government Of I
ce is the last place for an ambitious
oung man to aspire. What Is 81 200 or
800 salary to an aspiring young man who
ay have graduated from any professional
.hool? Every month he spends in office is {
much time lost, and If every clerical po-
ton in store or department was given
yer to women so much better would it be
n The yOIlng men, especially If public SEN