The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1906-12-23
Congress Sits Down on The Pro-
posed Salary Grab.
Secretary Root Advocates More Cen.
trsiixsa covsrnment--More Lard
Frauds Found in indian Terri
tory---Week in Washington.

WASHINGTON, D.. G.. Dcccmbes
2s.--The clerks In the Government SER
vice IN washington are clamoring, az
loudly as they dare. for an increase In
| their salaries. In which demand the
local press Is supporting them. It Is
natural. for n the clerks have more
money 10 spend the local merchants
will ultimately profit and everybody
| win he pleased. But no one yet has
touched the practical side Of the ques-
tion In public discussion. The fault
IL not In the low salaries but In the
system itself. II Is properly pointed
out that the cost OF living has greatly
increased here or elsewhere within the
past ten years: that $1,000 year will
not 30 az far now an II would ten years
ago. But the fact has been overlooked
that the clerk who drew twelve hum
dred year ten years ago, Is now re-
cciving si,4oo, $1,000. $500 or even
| 1000 per annum. Thus his salary has
kept pace with the increase In the cost
OF living There are three exceptions,
the clerks who were at the top ten
years ago and who are still there, and
those clerks who did not deserve pro-
motion or who find their promotion
stopped by the failure OF those above
them TO die or resign. Yet these three
classes are insignificant as compared
with the total number OF clerks.
Twelve years ago there was clerk In
the post Office department receiving
$1,000 year. He Is now a member OF
President Rdoseveit'a Cabinet Ti.is
goes to show II can be done. The
grave fault with the system In that
the extremes are too close together
Practically no young man who can
earn 5000 year in private employ
ment will enter the Government SER
vice. for the reason that the utmost
limit for clerks is practically $4,000 q
year. The majority OF men prefer pri-
vate employment. where II success
ful. the prizes range from $4,000 to
100000 year. A man may be good
copyist but II he is no better now than
ton years ago, and II he Is receiving
say twenty per cent more than he
would in private employment, for the
same work. the argument that he
should receive more salary Is not con-
elusive. A much better remedy, in
deed, Is to rearrange the grades, re-
dueing the salaries at the start and In
creasing them at the top, giving more
nexibllity TO the service. II young
man could be started In the Civil Ser
vice at $4S0 per annum, but with the
knowledge that II he earned promo
tion he could rise to $4,000, $4,000 or
even $4,000, there would be some in-
centive, As II is, he takes a civil SER
vice examination and lands place at
5000 at the start. with the certainty
that the higher grades are full OF heal
thy men and women and that after he
serves intelllgently and faithfully, for
twenty years he can never reason
ably hope to receive more than $4,000.
No wonder he clamors FOR his so days
annual leave, his 80 days sick leave,
and all holidays Ne Meades Nc -
pears on the last stroke OF nine and
passes out OF the building at 4.S1.
The writer Is one who does not believe
the average government clerk Is bad
" treated. He has thirty days an
nual and the same amount OF sick
leave, II he Is inclined he can get away
with only about ten months work a
year. During nine months he works
from 900 to 4;sO, the terrible total of
seven and q half hours, but he has half |
an hour for lunch. During three
months he is Off at one o'clock Satur-
days. He gets every national holiday
Off and the half day preceding. II the
holiday falls on Sunday he gets half
of the day before and the next day af-
ter, he gets his money regularly and
knows his job Is secure as long as he
behaves himself. Most Of the work Is
purely mechanical; copying letters,
taking diotatlon, following established
rules and precedents or filling out
printed formsMos of 1t is WELL -paid,
exceedingly well-paid when the class
Of work and the amount accomplished,
the easy hours and the vacation perl
DDS, are taken into consideration The