The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-07-02
WAITS OF THE LAST CENSUS.
Washington overrun with Men and
 Women Looking for Positions.

Women Looking for Positions.
 Washington Special Correspondence 10
 N. Y Evening Post.
 The comnletion of the body of the cen- sus work. and the consequent discharge of 250O employees, has caused an era or seeming hard times at the National cap ital. The city is ovarrun with young m91 and young women looking for positions They are about the departments, in the pubiic offices, at the doors of commercial establishments; they hang about the corri- dors of Congress, and dog the steps of Senators and Representatives night and day. They came here two years ago, most of them, and secured positions Ill the Census Office, paying from $6OO year LID. They have settled into Washington ways, and acquired taste for the Gov ernment service. The young men, in many cases, have started evening courses in law and medicine. The young women have experieced "independence,' possibly for the first time.
 Many of these clerks have worked hard. but the hours are easy-from to 4-and holidays are frequent: the work is clean al not too strenuous. and there are thir- ty-four days allowed for vacations every year. which can be taken at any tune. Finally, the spell-the hypnotic charm which Overcomes Federal employes-the habit of office. the lack of initiative, the dependence on the Government, has en- veloped tht SC 2,5O0 young men and women, so that they decline to give up or go away Generally, they have lived up to the limit of theIr incomes: although they knew that in all human probability they would be dropped at this time: they hoped against nope that their pull might he sufficient to keep them going a while longer. When their discharges came, | many were without money for a weeks l board and could not muster railroad fare l to take them home They regard 1t is grievance that they have been let out. A friend who worked near by has been | kept. They are sure that little more effort on the part of their patrons would | get them back. or land them in one or tho other departments.
 The habit of taking care Of their con- | stituents becomes second nature to l old politicians and Senators and Repre- sentatives have endeavOred to look after these astrays. Each individual case is apt l to have it's merits. and the same reasons which induced the member to get placs 1 for a certain young person make him wish to keep him there. He may be the son of an old friend. or of a valued political | Ii ,Ltenant: or the case may be meritori- cus from the humane standpoint. Tho Congressman bears down on Director Mer
 riam first, and is warned that it is i'm possible to put a bushel Into pint meas ura-the force must be reduced. the ma jority must go. He goes from Treasury to War Department. and from War to State, and from State to Agriculture, and then to the Government Printing Of fee, and so on down the line. He is told that everything Is full. and that all the temporary places are filled. He asks his colleagues If they happen to know of any place where Q clerk can be taken care of. and is greeted with a smile. Every Senator and Representative is having the same trouble himself. Finally, if he is wise. he will knock over all roseate struc- lures of hope. and get his constituent down to the rock bottom of fact Home is the hest place for the young person and if the patron can get off with supply ing a ticket or procuring A pass he will be doing we'll
 There is no nuisance like the place. seeker. The patience and persistence he will manifest in getting a Government l job, if expended intelligently in some in- dividual enterprise. would insure dazzling