Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-06-08
TALKING OVER PLANS
Discussing Proposed Methods
of Raising Retirement Fund.
TWO VIEWS PRESENTED
Civil War Veteran Suggests a Small
Tax on Tea.
FAV0RS THE BRADLEY BILL
Another Correspondent Submits a
Plan Which is Said to Be Well
Supported in Congress.
TWO VIEWS PRESENTED
AVORS THE BRADLEY BILL

Public opinion having been manifested
in SO unmistakable manner that Con-
gress is likely to make provision at Its
present session for the retirement of the
superannuated clerks in the government
service, at least these employed in Wash
ington, plans for such retirement are now
being generally discussed. 1t has been
said that many Of the younger clerks in
the service, and they are generally men
or women who have recently been ap-
pointed at the lowest grades. are chahns
under what they call the injustice of the
government in taxing them to care for
the men and women who have worn
themselves out in its service.
Many Of those who have given little
consideration to the subject or who have
not considered the improbability that
members of Congress are willing to face
an election which means political life
or death to them with the charge OF
having voted for "a civil pension list to
burden the people against them. it is
said, still cling to the straight pension
theory. Others willing to make sac
rifice to force Congress to recognize the
justice of the principle of retirement for
civil employees 1t is said, are willing to
accept the contributory plan, even though
it involves great hardship to the many
for the salvation of the few at this time
Those who are willing to accept the con-
tributory plan. it is declared, are willing
to take chances that Congress will in
the near future remedy inequities that
may be involved, and many see in the
adoption of such plan. especially in the
form proposed by the so-called Gillett
bill, a strong argument for a general
raise of salaries.
Economical and Just.
There are still others who declare that
Congress is even now in possession of
complete information which will enable it
to enact just law and one that will not
be open to criticism from the clerks
themselves OF the country at large. They
say that few hours of close attention
to the subject by the proper committee
OF the House and Senate, with the com
plete data at their disposal. will convince
them not only that retirement measure
is unavoidable on the grou: Of sound
business policy and governmental econo-
my, but in simple justice to human be-
ings whose private ambitions. aims. op-
portunities and very life blood have been
sapped out for more than forty years at
salary rate that was deemed just and
only just half century ago. They point
to the fact that the present salaries were
based upon the bed rock of fair COM
pansation at time when the public debt
was greater, the burden upon the public
treasury heavier and the prospects for
| prosperity less bright than they are to-
day, to say nothing of the fact that the
cost Of living was much lower.
Forced Retirement Resisted.
The veterans Of the civil war, many
| of whom yet remain and perform good
service even today in the executive de-
partments, resist the idea of enforced re-
tirement. But, on the other hand, there
are those who assert that many of these
old soldiers and sailors receive pensions
in addition to the government salaries
and have been therefore better enabled
to provide for separation from the serv-
ice and have brighter outlook for the
future than many of the superannuated
whose years have been entirely devoted
to the civil service without extra re-
ward Of any kind, not even a fair in
crease in wages when business corpora
tions all over the country have increased
the wages Of their employees because OF
the increased cost Of living.
Those who have given careful though,
| to the subject contend that there is a
| business as well as a sentimental side
| to the question. and that Congress Car
| best determine the proper solution of the
problem. What they contend for is q
present acknowledgment of the principle
that civil service employees are entitled
| to retirement with some provision after
having given their best years to the gov
| ernment and being unfit, as a rule, tc
| earn the lowliest livelihood outside, ever
| II given the opportunity, which it seems
| Is generally denied them.
! OF the many suggestions received by
The Star upon the subject, two are pre-
sented today. one because it comes from
| an old veteran OF the civil war, and the
other because it Is said to meet witt
| favor from a substantial number of mem
| bers of Congress- who would unite upor
! 1t il given the chance
Small Tax on Tea Favored.
The old veteran favors the bill intro.
| duced by Senator Bradley of kentucky
! which, he says, is fair to the clerks and
| relieves the government of the bugaboc
| that the retirement money will have to
| come out of the Treasury. A tax, a very
small tax on tea, he says. probably
| per cent, could be levied to create g
| fund for the retirement of clerks at the
age of SiXtytWo years, at the rate o
| $500 per annum, payable monthly. The
| number of clerks to be placed on the re-
! trement list at first, he says. will nat
| urally be large, but in the course of ter
years it would be reduced half or more
| and the number added in the next tifteer
| years, he believes, would not equal the
| number that "have passed across the
| silent line He says army and navy
officers are educated at the expense o
| the government. and in addition to theil
clothes and keep are paid a fair salary
| while being educated. They are retired
he says. usually with larger pension:
than the government clerk ever receives
as salary. He thinks there should be M
| cause for bac' wardness on the part o.
| the clerks in demanding something in the
face Of this showing.
A Contributory Plan Described.
The other plan, which is said to hav,
the support of a very large number II
both houses Of Congress. is contributor,
in character 1t is described as follows:
Assume for the purpose of assessmen
the average grade would be of the 81, 20
class. One and one-half per cent annual
ly of this would be SIS per annum, O
$50 per month. Thirty clerks woul.
contribute $40. of which one-third coul,
at first be held as a reserve. with whicl