Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-02-17

for the rank and file OF low and moderate
| salaried civil employees of the government
It is true that this is the short session
| But 1t is likewise true that every one OF the
| money bills, with the possible exception OF
| the naval appropriation bill, shows large In
| creases I understand, moreover, that the
| sundry civil appropriation bill, which has
! not yet been reported to the House, will
be the largest in the history of the gov
| eminent. Sufficient time was found to
| raise the salaries of members of Congress
| The salaries of two-thirds of the civil en-
| ployeS of the government aimed to be taken
| care of by my measure, have been pro-
vfded for In the post Office appropriation
| bill
'It is my opinion that the disposition and
not the time is lacking. My measure pro-
| vfdes for a temporary increase, and in the
| spare time Of next session there would be
| ample opportunity to go over the whole list
| of government employees to correct injus-
| tice where injustice is found to exist, to
| raise this particular salary and that partic
| ular salary where they are found to be be-
low grade, and in general to make a thor
| ough and comprehensive readjustment of
salaries of civil employees. But this relief of
| a percentage Increase is absolutely needed
| at this time. 1t Is not consoling to a man
| whose house rent and grocery bills fall due
with painful regularity to assure him that
| he will be reclassified' at some undeter-
! mined time in the future. 1t does not help
pay for the necessities of life to assure him
| that Congress at some day in the sweet
bye-and-bye will raise his salary maybe.
Not a bit of it.
Relief Needed Now.
This relief is needed now. 1t has been
given, SO far committee of the House
can give it, to the vast majority of civil
| employees of the government outside of
Washington. OF the remaining 10000 or so
who do not share in this distribution of I'M
divided profits of prosperity by the govern
| ment, the greater part live in the city of
washington. And it is right here in Wash
lngton that the proposed percentage in
crease would do the most good 1t is here
that prices are high, 1t is here that rents
are nigh, it is here that the necessities of
| life are daily increasing.
1t must not be forgotten by those who
speak carelessly of the supposedly vast
sums of money that 1t would take to carry
out the provisions of the Davis BILL that
two.thirds of the employees to be affected
appropriation bill. it would take only six
or seven millions more to provide for the
increase to the remainder Of the deserving
ones.
Mr.. Lttauer in setting the seal of his
dlsapproval on my rank bill goes out of
his way to speak favOrably of much
needed Reconsideration Of civil employees
of the government. Why is it that a re-
classification is needed?-and l am willing
to admit that it is needed. 1t is because
Mr.. Littauer and other equally powerful
by their efforts in behalf of their friends
and their friends friends have knocked
the service Off it's pivot, have put it out of
equilibrium, have boosted this salary and
that salary and this and that man
until there is no general uniformity of
pay In the various departments of the gov
eminent. The proposed Redistribution
would undoubtedly do good. but 1t can
De made when Congress indeed has plenty
of time. 1t is not absolutely needed at the
present moment. 1t would not reach the
seat of the trouble. 1t would not serve
in place Of the percentage increase to
which the low-salaried government servants
are entitled and which they should prompt
ly receive.
Unjust Discrimination.
Suppose the post office appropriation bill,
carrying increase for approximately 100 600
civil employees Of the government, becomes
q law. VIII any one contend that the de-
serving classes Of government employees
not taken care Of in that measure have not
been unjustly Disseminated against? I
think not. Several classes of such en-
ployes come in my mind There are the
teachers of Indian schools, clerks in
the land offices, clerks in the Wash
i ragto departm mem, could name many
serving as the employees sought to be bene-
fitted in the post office appropriation bill?
1 thing no one will deny it.
THE real work of the government Is done
by the moderate-salaried men. They are
the backbone, the mainstay, of the admins
trative system Chiefs may come and
chiefs may 60 without affecting In any
degree the efficiency Of the work of the
departments. They are merely incidentals,
ornamental portions Of the machinery and
not cogs in the wheel.
Your high-salaried official oftentimes
wins promotion and reward as a result of
the efforts of his suDordinates Occasion
ally we find an official who wins reward for
the performance of work that he doesn't
understand. The work., it is true is wound
up with his label on It, but the chances are
that he merely appended his signature to
the completed product and solely on the
responsibility Of some moderate salaried
clerk whose initials appear upon the work
as a guarantee. I know of one case in
point-I have no doubt there are many
others-of bureau chief who had his sal |
airy raised as reward for excellent work
done by a thousanddollar clerk under him.
And he is still receiving that 81, 900 year.
Mr.. Littauer seems to be particularly |
vides a maximum of $500 and a minimum
Of 500 for increases, would give to the |
charwomen who work in the government
departments for $40 year an increase Of |
500. Is it on that alone that he condemns |
the bill as rank? In view Of the small |
number of such charwomen, the small |
amount Of compensation they receive and |
the very small percentage the total addi- |
tional paid to them would be of the whole, |
I think this is pretty small foundation on |
which to base a general condemnation Of |
the measure.
Redistribution Talk.
''Mr. Littauer cannot talk any more |
earnestly concerning a proper reclassiica-
ton of salaries than did in my first state |
ment, issued at the time 1 introduced my |
increase BILL AS have said, the state
ment concerning Redistribution comes par
ucularly well from Mr.. Littauer, in view |
Of the fact that he and his equally power
full colleagues have largely contributed to |
upsetting the equilibrium of government |
salaries.
Perhaps Mr.. Lttauer thinks that by put
ting of the government employees with talk |
of Redistribution and the like the statute |
of limitations, SO far as hope of relief Is /
concerned will intervene. l am very con-
fdent that Mr.. Littauer, for various and |
sundry reasons, is in favor of the statute /
of limitations and l presume he has APP
piled his views upon it to the case Of the
government clerks, hoping it will prove as
effective there as elsewhere.
II do not believe that Mr.. Littauer ex-
pressed the belief of the Keep commission
In his statement concerning OppOsition to