Evening star., 1909-05-22
President Addresses Retire.
ment Association Delegates.
AID FOR SUPERANNUATED
Would Like to See Satisfactory Sys.
tenn Devised.
SPEECH ARoUsEs ENTHUSIASM
Meeting Held In the Public Library
Last Night-Hepeful Tone Of
the Speakers.

To the committee OF the United States
Civil Service Retirement Association,
which called upon him yesterday after
noon to enlist his interest in some plan
for taking care Of superannuated en-
ployes Of the government. President Taft
declared that he was in hearty sympathy
with any project that could be devised.
Il am strongly in favor" said the Pres
ident. 'of the merit system of appoint
ment In ell government positions. 1t fell
to my lot in the Philippines to institute a
system even more rigid in many regards
than the system adopted by the federal
government. A necessary concomitant Of
that system, however, logical accom-
provision for those who
have become too old to render proper
service to the government.
There has been In Congress q strong
feeling against the civil pension list, on
the ground, I presume, that the military
pension list has been 50 large and heavy
necessarily. Other methods have been
proposed by means Of either voluntary or
contributions Of percentage
tute fund from which pensions or an
nuities. whatever you choose to call them,
should be paid to those who have reached
the time fixed for their payment. Some
thing OF that sort ought certainly to
be done.
Present System Unsatisfactory.
Now the system has been adopted in
the departments-a most unsatisfactory
system-of taking those gentlemen or la
dies who have reached an age when they
cease to be as active and useful as they
have been In the past and reducing their
fn hA e1xy
method which can be substituted for
proper methods.
'"The condition IL not satisfactory I
have not studied the various methods pro-
posed with sumcient care to have q judg-
ment that Is valuable on the subject as to
just what method ought to be adopted, II
1t Is true that no civil pension list can be
adopted. All l can say Is that I am in
hearty sympathy with those who are
seeking to find satisfactory solution.
recognising the necessity for adding to
our merit system some method OF aiding
those who, through disease or age, after
long service. are unable to render to the
government the services for which they
were compensated when they were in
active life and able to give to the govern
ment that which the government paid
for"
Meeting in the Public Library.
Enthused by the encouraging statement
Of the President. the delegates to the con-
vention Of the association met at the Pub
lie Library last night. NJ. F. O'Donoghue
the newly elected president. occupied the
chair.
Several members Of the association liv-
ing in the District and several from dis
tant cities spoke on the progress that has
been made by the association and pre-
dicted q successful outcome of the efforts
now being made to better the condition Of
government employees.
The practical side Of the retirement
system was clearly outlined by Herbert
D. Brown, who drew a sharp comparison
between the methods employed by large
and the government.
He told OF the workings of the retire.
ment systems in operation in some of the
great corporations Of the country and
quoted facts and figures to show that the
retirement policy was simply one involv-
ing common sense.
F. L. Siddons laid stress on the fact
that Congress had raised the salaries of
the President, Vice President, the cabi-
net and senators and representatives and
urged the members of the association to
continue their efforts in behalf of the
clerks. The present movement, Mr.. Sid
dons declared, is bound to succeed. Per-
severance is all that is necessary to carry
1t forward.
Other speakers were j. F. Scanlon Of
Boston, Alexander F. Schultz. Pierce NJ.
Maher, H. r. Myers of New York and
DIR. Llewllyn Jordan. Owing to the stormy
to speak failed to appear.
Representative Frederick II. Gillett Of
Massachusetts,, who, among others, had
been invited to attend the meeting, sent
a letter expressing regret that a previous
engagement prevented acceptance.