Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1905-08-20
CIVIL PENSIONS AGAIN

CIVIL PENSIONS AGAIN.
A recent article in The Bee discussing
the Inauguration of a movement on the
part of the department clerks and en-
plOyes to persuade congress to create
civil pension system expressed the opin-
ion that the taxpayers of the country
may be safely counted upon TO oppose
vigorously such a proposition. This
declaration has elected a reply from
DR.. Llewellyn Jordan, the vice president
Of the United States Civil Service Re
tirement association who is also en-
department at Washington, intimating
that the opposition Of The Bee is based
upon an entirely erroneous assumption
that the retirement fund out of which
superannuated employees in the civil ser
vice are to be supported is to come out
of the money paid by the taxpayers Of
the country into the national treasury.
Quoting the substantial part of DR..
Jordan's letter, he says:
Historically It should be mentioned that
years an association called the United
States Civil Service Retirement association.
which has been charged with the duty of
collecting statistics as complete as possible
dealing with The questions Of age, salary
and disability of employees in the classified
executive civil service in order to intelli-
gently proceed to formulate bill for pre-
sentation to congress proposing a plan of
retirement based upon certain percentage
Of salary deduction of each employe which
will be without expense to the goverpment
wish to emphasize the point lin the
strongest possible manner that it is not a
fact that a civil pension list is desired at
the expense of the general government, as
stated in your editorial, but on the con-
trary, the efforts of those interested in the
movement have been directed solely to the
accomplishment and perfection of plan of
retirement for the aged, disabled and super
animated employees without any expense to
the United States government at all.
DR.. Jordan goes on to say that his
association has purposely avoided using
the term pension" in order to avoid
the appearance of creating in any sense
a civil pension list with it's consequent
burden upon the taxpayers and that the
desire is to pay premiums from personal
salaries as they are annually appropri-
ated by congress in order to insure an
income of a small amount of retirement
pay after a certain period of service or
on reaching the retirement age and that
the sanction of congress is absolutely
necessary to accomplish this end
The facts as set forth. so far as they
relate to the United States Civil Service
Retirement association, The Bee is not
disposed to dispute, but from the prac-
teal side it fails to see where the express
sion Of intention in the constitution of
the association in any way alters condi-
lions. The story OF the camel who in
serted his nose under his masters tent
then his eyes, then his head, then his
neck then his hump and finally evicted
the occupant altogether is generally ia
civil service want to club together for
any sort of an old age insurance or pen
sion scheme there is nothing whatever
to prevent them. They have the priv
ilege Of paying in their premiums
monthly, quarterly or yearly TO any in
surance fund they may wish to institute,
but >they want the sanction of congress
apparently to make 1t compulsory in
stead of a voluntary contribution. II
the pension premium is to be clipped of
at the treasury every payday with or
without the consent Of the beneficiary, II
would at once Ee regarded as a reduction
OF salary and the next step would be to
bring influence TO bear upon congress to
restore the salary list by making good
the pension premium by direct appropri-
alton out OF the treasury.
Why should the taxpayers who are not
in the public service and who have to
provide for themselves for a rainy day
be compelled in addition TO provide pen
sions for the civil service employees who
are supposed to occupy specially favored
positions both as TO work and as 10
wages2 The taxpayers OF this country
who are not In the public service are
quite willing that the government should
pursue a most liberal policy toward It's
employees, are willing that they should
enjoy minimum hours and maximum
pay, regular vacations and good behavior
tenure. but they see no reason why with
all these advantages they should not be-
responsible for their own care wheneVeI