Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-05-17
GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES.
What Would Result if All Should q
on Strike

while Washington has had several
strikes recently among it's wage earners OF
more or less seriousness, these were mere
pigmies compared with the giant strike of
all of the government employees in the exec
utfve departments of Washington for a
raise of salary which could be inaugurated
If the price of beef and other foods con-
tinue to rise" said an old government clerk
who has weathered many political storms
and department tempests.
But this is no joke. The clerks of the
government have the government at their
mercy rather than the government having
the clerks at its mercy, as is popularity sup
posed, If they only realized it and acted
concertedly and as a unit. OF course, the
idea of strike on the part Of the employees
of the government in Washington is en-
tirely new, and would be of radical effect
iveness If carried into opera tion. 1t would
not be impossible of realization if every
one of the $4,000 employees formed union
and Obeyed its mandates. The President
would not only have Congress upon his
hands, but an army Of disgruntled employees
and lot Of vacant public buildings. He
would certainly be up against hard prop
oSition.
1.-The high price of meat and food is felt
by government employees as keenly as by
any other class of wage earners yet they
seem to have been overlooked in the general
discussion attending the impending meat
famine. Thousands and thousands of them
receive from $40 to $50 a month maximum
pay, and this Is about the average monthly
pay of the average wage Garner. A strike on
the part Of every government employe in
Washington would be a catastrophe to the
country and government alike. Temporary
employees could not be put in their places, as
neither the President nor Congress can
Override the law: Their places could not be
nlled, as would be commonly supposed by
host of outsiders unless the entire civil
service commission were abolished and the
entire civil service act repealed. Chaos
would reign. The vacancies would have to
be filled through the civil service, upon the
dismissal of the regular clerks, except Con-
gress wiped 1t out of existence, as would
be probable in the event Of the contingency
l suggest.
OF government employees in Washington for
many reasons, and only the major ones L
will consider. One is that of any one body
or workers none can be found where har-
mony of thought and unison of action are
utter impossibilities. I have never seen in
ten years service any three clerks who could
agree upon any one point, If one of the
three happened to be a woman employee. 1
nave seen men agree among themselves
and women hold together for a time at
least, but never a concerted agreement on
the part of both sexes. Why? Mainly be-
cause the women wanted to dominate their
views, and as the men would not submit
disagreement resulted Women as a matter
or TACT are poor organizers, but consider
themselves past masters at the art. The
relief associations of the different depart
ments are well patronized by women en-
ployes, but they are managed by men, or
they would have disrupted long ago.
50, If all the men to a man agreed to
strike, all of the women to a woman would
disagree, and vice versa. Thus, the safety
OF the government, as 1t were, Is in the
taper-fingered hands of our fair friends
toiling within the walls of our public build
ings. Were all of the employees men, and
they unanimously agreed to strike for
higher wages, force action on the part of
congress, they could tie up the government
in twenty-four hours as a baby is tied I'D
in its crib. Another leaf in the wreath
which bedecks the brows of our fair CO.
workers; they are saving the government"