Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-04-27

There are scores of divisions in the differ
ent departments where the only men in
sight are the chief and the assistant chief.
How is 1t done?" asked the representa-
tive. What becomes Of the male clerks?
Are they dismissed to make room for the
females in what would appear to be an evil
dent tranSpoSition?
A Natural Process of Evolution.
NO the men are not dismissed. and the
transpostion Is not apparent. but actual
The evolution is a natural one, under the
system In vogue, and the political complex
ion of the administration Is no factor in
the case" replied the accountant.
'The female clerks enter the service on
the temporary rolls, or come in by the low
est grade of the classified service. The tenn
porary rolls are ultimately made perma-
nent, or the clerks thereon secure transfers
to the lower grades of the civil service by
examination. or by various processes of le-
ultimate effort. AS the males in the higher
grades drop out by transfer. death or res
ignation, the females are promoted to the
vacancies thus created, and remain and fill
the quota of their respective grades for
which appropriation Is made annually by
Congress in the legislative appropriation
bill.
"a cabinet officer has no power to place
on the rolls of his department, for example,
twenty 81 400 clerks when Congress allows
him but fifteen. But if during the fiscal
year there are five vacancies in that grade
he may appoint five females to fill them. 1t
is this process of long service, or short, If
the lady has sufficient influence to cause a
recognition of her merit that has dis
placed the men.
Recent Appointments.
"Of the recent appointments to the cleri-
cal force large number have been made
on temporary rolls, or out of special funds
for specific purposes. Two-thrdS and per-
haps three-fourths of these appointments
have been women.
I'm some divisions ten years ago there
We're no females employed, or say a proper
ton of one to ten. Now the proportion is
more apt to be five to ten, and in some di
visions it Is seven to ten. The complexion
of many of the divisions has been complete
ly recolored by transportation of the sexes,
the males having been shifted from a ma
jority to the minority.
THE question is an economic and social
one, which is bound soon to attract more
attention than it has received as the per-
centage of females gradually rises and the
men find another avenue of employment in
vaded by their sisters 1t but a few
years ago that woman clerk in store
was an exception. Now it Is the man who
is the exception. If the flood of self-sup-
porting femininity can crowd out tn air
rivals In one pursuit they can in another.
The struggle for bread and independence is
a fierce one. For women to gradually Dust
men in running the business end of their
government Is startling. To be governed
In this respect by sex to whom the priv
lege of franchise is denied turns the sword
In deep and bleeding wound. but 1t is
nothing now to what it will be In 1860
within the life of many here today, if the
clerical force of the government in Wash
ington is to increase 30 per cent in about
as many years"
eff the first woman were to come to Com
gress with the Fifty-seventh Congress, and
her sex were to Increase in thirty wears "a
per cent In that body, it wouldn't bc so
funny for the members of the House q
generation hence, would it?" asked the rep
resentative.
decidedly unique, think" answered the
accountant.