Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1906-03-31
WASHINGTON LETTER


to the speech of Senator Bailey OF
Texas who is regarded as one of the
strongest lawyers of the senate up
on all constitutional questions.
*
These are busy times for the
document and folding rooms en-
ployes in the capitol, for no end of
speeches upon no end of topics, are
being forwarded to voting con-
stituencies. 1t is said that in the
case of Senator Cullum of Illinois.
whose seat is being sought by
former governor Yates various
documents, the accumulation of
many years of credit, are being
sent out to the voters in his state.
Document room clerks and at
PENDANTS have become adopts in
predicting the quality of campaigns
waged against members by the
amount of printed matter sent out
and distributed In order to dis
tribute a speech among the voters
of an average district, from 25, 600
to $4,000 pieces are sent through
the mails. The addressing of these
from lists furnished, is no easy
task, but the work is done with
exceeding rapidity by men who
have grown accustomed to it.
~
The present civil service law has
bred system in which personal in
centive has little or no opportunity.
Promotions are not only slow but back
of 1t all is favoritism and the arbitrary
control of sub-department heads
marking his clerks as the farmer would
select planting ears of corn, some for
the fodder bin and others for future
use. Resting secure in the thought of
a certain salary the great majority are
improvident and the claim is made
that if the entire government force
was turned out of office between paw
days, about seventy-five per cent
would be found without money. This
is no pleasing picture but it is one
sustained by the facts. The ordinary
clerk draws from $500 to 81 800 per
year, a sum sufficiently large, it will
| be said, to maintain them in all rea-
son and far in excess of the pay of the
average laborer. To this the answer
can be made that the mode and man
ner of life is different, the cost of liv-
ing much higher in rents and food.
Clothing is another item, for the clerk
must look well dressed and there are
Il fl =
which serve to diminish the capacity
for saving for the time of removal or
old age.
~
There are clerks here who have been
in the government service for more
than forty years and who have not dur
ing this time saved more than enough
to secure some sort of home. In
fact those who have been provident
enough to save money ale exceedingly
uncommon. If census were taken of
the approximate 10000 clerks in
the government service it is doubt
full if ten per cent could be found
who have provided for the time of old
age and the general breaking down.
Many of those in the departments are
old soldiers who were already bowed
/ down to some extent by the marks of
privatlon and suffering when they
were appointed to positions and it is
this class that change in the present
law would most seriously affect. There
is little prospect however, that a
| change will be m lde in the present
system at this session, although the
question is being agitated.
~
In considering the life and work
the average department clerk there IS
more pathos than there is reward in
the material things of life. The true
story of this class of service may
never be written to show all the shades
and shadows and sides of an existence
which has destroyed the capacity of
many a we'll intentioned man and
woman and constituted them mera
routine machines IN the system. Poll
tically there are two sides to the civil
service proposition, and while no one
at this epoch of government develop
ment will contend for a repeal of the
service law, still there are no end of in
stances which afford illustration that
it would have been much better for
the thousands of clerks if the sharp
toe end of political feet had been ap-
piled and the objects of government
solicitude removed by the incoming of
an adverse party.
~
The spring excursion has made
its appearance 10 Washington and
thousands daily visit the capitol
building and take in the sights to
be seen. The New England states