The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-05-31
THE WOMEN UNCLE SAM HIRES

THE WOMEN UNCLE SAM HIRES.
 Some of the best paid employees of our government are women. So far as wages are concerned, Uncle Sam recog- nizes no distinction of sex, and in some branches of the public service sersons in petticoats, owing to their superior aptitude for certain kinds of work, such, for example, as the counting of money-have entirely driven out the men, who are unable to compete with them.
 The highest salary paid by the gov ernment to a woman is drawn by Miss Estelle Reel, who is superintendent of all the Indian schools. She Is, as may well be believed. quite a remarkable person, and the supervision which she exercises over the rising generation of the nations wards has already revolu- tioniZed to a great extent the system of management adopted. She gets three thousand dollars year, plus her ex- penses, the latter being a considerable item, inasmuch as she spends nearly all of her time in travelling about from one school to another, all over the country, utilizing almost every known means of transportation, and, when stage coaches fail, frequently riding on horseback for hundreds of miles. Eve " one who knows her says she earns her pay.
 The most remarkable position held by any woman under the government Is occupied by Miss Clara Graecen. who is the law clerk of the treasury at Wash ington. A mere girl, slight of figure, with fluffy blonde hair, one would new CT imagine that she could be an expert writer of legal opinions for one of the executive departments. Yet such is her business, and she obtained her place purely through merit and super for ability. It pays two thousand dol lars year, and is the only position of the kind under the government that was ever held by woman. Miss Grae- cen came from Kallsaska, Mich, eight years ago. Though still in her teens, she was proficient stenographer, and became the most rapid typewriter in the treasury Her evenings she spent in studying law, and after while some of the cases that came into the comp troller's office were referred to her for decision. She showed such lucidity and legal accuracy in the preparation of such papers that when, two years ago, the place of law clerk fell vacant, it was given to Miss Graecen (though many men lawyers wanted it) by Sec retary Gage.
 l Miss Margaret M. Hanna is the only woman in Uncle Sars employ who does diplomatic work. Her business is the handling, at the Department of State in Washington, of correspondence which relates to diplomatic affairs. She is, in fact, the assistant of MT. Aides, the second assistant secretary cf state. Though still in her twenties, she has occupied this position ever since 1896. Her salary is eighteen hundred dollars year. Miss Hanna is very pretty, with blonde hair aud graceful manners. Ann Arbor, Mich, claims her as her birthplace. She is an excellent linguist.
 The highest pay given to any woman in the Post-Off1ce Department is eigh- teen hundred dollars. This amount IS drawn by Mrs. Emma Watkins, who is an expert in accounts. She handles the accounts of all the postmasters irl Jour outlying possessions, including Porto Rico, Hawaii, Guam and SSamoa To these are added the post offices in Alaska, and also those in the Wind- ward Islands. Mrs. Watkins, young widow, is tall, dark and distinguished | looking. M
 Mrs. Emma Sheridan, also a widow writes treaties for the Department oi State It is quite remarkable work fol woman to do; but she is born lin. lguist, and, as she herself says, spoke three languages from babyhood-Eng- Ilish to her father, Italian to her moth CT and French to other people. Her mother was an Italian, and her father half Italian and half English. She was
 born in Siena, Italy, and was educated in Paris. Her father, Don Ontonit
 Montucci, spoke seven languages, ant was chiefly distinguished for havint made the first Chinese dictionary (nov
 preserved at the Vatican in Rome)