Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-01-18

the complaints there has been presented to
Congress and by the clerks themselves, a
humane measure by which. without ex-
pense to the government, places could be
made for the young and lusty. Apparently
never even an investigation or inquiry has
been instituted to determine whether the
proposition is practical or not. The clerks,
the great ma jority, think some practical
plan could be inaugurated, and all they
ask is an investigation by competent ana
disinterested parties. At best such plan
would be. in the inception, experimental.
and, its defects once developed, proper leg
islation would correct.
I will not refer to what 1 consider the
strong arguments that could be presented to
show that the plan is practical; but If 1t is
not fully practical as a measure entirely
supported by assessment on the clerks, then
why might not the government, itself a
beneficiary assume part of the expense?
H. A. G.
To the Editor of The Evening Star:
Being one of the clerks about whom so
great a war Ia one-sided one) has been
waging. permit me to thank The Star for
the kindly attitude it has taken In the
matter toward the under dog" There
seems to be sentiment abroad that the
clerks In the departments have a soft
snap" AS in all beehives there are drones
because of which the other bees must
work the harder), so is this true in the gov
eminent service. Having been employed
In the business world, I know whereof
speak when / say that In no private office,
of which have any knowledge, is the work
so monotonous and SO fatiguing as that In
the departments. Senator Stewart knows
what he is talking about when he speaks
of the badly ventilated, crowded rooms.
Even suppose you have no work to do. the
fact remains that you must go into room
of moderate size. with, probably, twenty
other people, some of whom are in such a
% .f1 lot r1~ re fb,r
clerks, they would not be allowed In a
private Office in these days Of germ theories.
In this room, because of such unfortunates,
no fresh air is allowed, and II you request
such an innovation you are Immediately set
upon a crank, heartleSs wretch etc,
though your own bread and butter and pro-
vision for others depend upon your good
health You enter upon these conditions at
in the morning, and If between that hour
and the hour of closing you are seen away
from your desk Except the half hour for
lunch) you are likely to be reprimanded.
These conditions exist in almost all of the
offices.
In this growing country of ours an enor-
nous amount of detail work must be done.
Who does it? Yet there is a decided tend
ency to sheer at the clerks as If they were
merely pensioners on an al-too-liberal gov
ernment. I would like any one who thinks
this to fill the desk of almost any clerk for
one day and then hear his opinion
AS a matter of fact the clerks have taken
this slight addition to the working hours
in a most philosophical way. 1t may be a
surprise to some to be told that there are
many clerks in the various departments,
and especially in the Department of Com
merce and Labor. who have long been work
ing overtime without compensation. No
one has compelled it, but such action was
necessary to keep up the work.
The majority, 1 believe, prefer that the
day begin at $50 and end at 4. because
many have outside interests, and clerk
who Is not up in time to be at his desk by
that hour is certainly too lazy to be "even
a government clerk" (Of course the sub
urbanites would not belong to this class.)
The man or woman who has no time to
keep up with the reading of the day, with
lecture now and then. and the many
things that tend to broaden ones mind, is
not a progressive, live clerk. ]. B.