The Washington times., 1902-03-19
PAY FOR employees ON
new PRINTING OFFICE
Lost Time During Funeral of
President Mckinley.
Captain Sewell Submits Proposed Con-
gressional Joint Resolution to
His Superiors.

Capt. J. S. Sewell. the army engineer
officer in charge of the construction of
| the new Government Printing Office, has
written a long letter to the Chief of En-
gneers. protesting against the loss of pay
sustained by the per diem employees on
the building by the executive order de-
| claring September II. Is. and 10. 1901.
legal holidays as mark of respect to the
late President Mckinley
Captain Sewell has submitted a pro-
posed Congressional joint resolution.
which has been approved by the Secretary
of War and General Gillespie. giving him
authority to pay the men for the three
days in question.
Proposed Joint Resolution.
The resolution is as follows:
That the officer in charge of the new
building for the Government Printing Of
fee be and hereby is authorized and di-
rected to pay. from the appropriation for
said building. full wages to all per diem
employees of the United States carried on
the pay rolls of said building on the three
days of September H., Is, and 10, 1901. on
which work was suspended by executive
order out of respect to the memory of the
late President of the United States, VIII
liam Mckinley"
Text of Captain Sewelps Letter.
In his letter to the Chief of Engineers
Captain Sewell says:
Our of respect to the memory of the
late President Mckinley, the three days of
September, II. IS and 49, 1901, were set
aside as holidays by executive order and
operations were suspended on Government
work everywhere. In accordance with
these orders work was suspended on the
new building for the Government Print
ing Office. Subsequently the question of
paying the per dieI employees for these
three days was raised, and the Comptroller
of the Treasury decided that it could not
be done. The men concerned feel that this
has worked some hardship to them, and
think their feeling is well founded. Due
to some technical difference in their
status the per diem employees at the Navy
Yard-including bricklayers and their
helpers-have, l understand, been paid for
these three days.
The majority of the men at the new
printing office building were masons and
helpers. and so far as duration of employ
ment is concerned are probably more per-
manently employed than similar workmen
at the Navy Yard: the difference in status
can be only technical and does not seem
to be fair TO the men at the printing Office
alone. If the Government wishes to sus-
pend work as a mark of resnect to em-
inent deceased citizens it seems only fair
that it should bear the expense and not
coI1pel number of individuals dependent
upon their daily labor to lose time they
would otherwise make. The gang of brick
layers and helpers at the new building for
the Government Printing Office is lot of
picked men: i think it fair to assert that
it could not be duplicated in this city. 50.
Result of Conscientious Work. 7
Zone OF the unexpected economics in the
construction of the building has been in
the brick work. and Is due to the efficient
and conscientious work of all concerned.
Under all these circumstances. l think it
would be no more than simple Justice IL
Congress would pass joint resolution au-
thorizing me to pay the men who were
on the pay rolls on the three days men
toned out of the appropriation for the
building. The appropriation is ample to
cover this expense which will amount to
about 81 1En