Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-01-16
T0CURE NATlONS|LL MERIT Wins PRIZES
Governors and Civic Fedora Awards for Essays Civil
ton to Prescribe PanaCeas Service Retirement
BOTH MEET THIS WEEK MEETING OF ASSOCIATION
That Trouble Social Broth
erhood to Be Discussed. ODonoghue and Others
PRESIDENT TALK CAUSE CLERKS INDORSED
OF to Be
Uniform Organization
Legislation. I
MEETING OF ASSOCIATION
Addresses Made by President
O'Donoghue and Others.
CAUSE OF CLERKS INDORSED
Elmer E. Paine Compliments the
Organization Upon the Progress
It Has Made.

! Prizes were awarded in the order named
/ to John J. Crowley of the interstate
commerce commission. Mrs. T. B. Young
of the Treasury Department. Elmer w.
Marshall of the War Department, w. A.
Poyck of Wilkesbarre. Pa, and S. l..
Hoover of Knoxville. Tenn. for the best
essays civil service retirement at
meeting of the United States Civil Service
Retirement Association at the Public Ii
! brary last evening. The prizes five in
number were graded as follows: SO for
the first prize. so for the second SIS
for the third, SO for the fourth and s..
| for the fifth prize. The judges were FL
mer E. Paine of the Associated Press,
as president of the board: Thomas +. Lo-
gan of the Philadelphia Inquirer, secre-
tary: Edgar c. Snyder of the Omaha
Bee William II. Landvoigt of The Star.
G. W. Finney of the Washington Times,
| NJ II. 3. Delaney of the Post L. {. X.
Humphries of the Washington Herald
and Charles A. Edwards. correspondent.
Association Listens to Addresses.
| In addition to the presentation of the
prizes addresses were made by NJ f.
IO'Donoghue. president of the association
Jesse A. Robinson of the weather bu-
w. H. Landvoigt Frank T. Rogers,
member OF the board of directors and
president of the National Association OF
! Post Office Clerks; \. c. Wolton, division
/ president of the New England division
OF railway mail clerks: Pierce NJ. Maher
of the New Haven Comm branch of
the Association of Supervisory Post
Office Employees: Peter Wynne of the
! advisory board. A. III. Shuttle of the New
York post office and Joseph w. Buck of
this city.
| At the conclusion of the speechmakinG
Mr.. Buck presented President O'Donos-
hue with basket of flowers as testi-
moniai of appreciation of his efforts in
! behalf of the cause represented by the
| association.
| Elmer E. Paine. president of the board
| of judges, before announcing the award
| of the prizes for the essays. spoke of the
| interest taken by the judges in the con-
! test and in the cause represented by the
association. They are all busy men, he
! said and yet they had served the asso-
| citation gladly and with patience in fairly
! and impartially passing upon the papers
of the numerous contestants in the hope
of promoting to the extent of their ability
the movement for provision of law
under which civil service employees of the
government who may become incapac:-
tated by age for active and efficient work
/ may be retired on a pension that at
| least would keep the wolf from the
door.
Represents Deep Convictions.
! This movement of the United States
| Civil Service Retirement Association
| said Mr.. Paine. represents the deep
| convictions of thousands and tens. of
| thousands of earnest, able and devoted
| Americans The principles involved in
it are automatic, because they are founded
on justice-man to man: they gaining
ground among the people of this country
/ day by day.
/ "A year ago, the chairman of the
board of judges of an essay contest on
this same subject, | ventured to take
! Issue with what then was the idea of
! the association. The organization al
that time was supporting a measure in
troduced in Congress providing for the
retirement of civil employees of the gov
such employees as were retired from a
fund created by the employees them
selves.
ANY reasona bic, disinterested thinker
who considers this question of the re-
tirement of the civil employees of the gov
ernment must reach the conclusion, in
evitably, it seems to me, that the gov
ernment itself must provide for the re-
tirement of its employees in some auto
matte way. This ought to be done not
as matter of sentiment. purely. but as
a matter of business.
/ Favored by Government Heads.
| During the last year the movement
! for the retirement of civil employees of
the government has taken a new
impteus. due in large measure 10 the
WORK of this association. 1t is notable
/ fact that practically every important Of
] ficer of the government. from the Presi-
dent of the United States down through
the members of his cabinet to the bureau
and division chiefs Of the various de-
partments-every one of them-in his an
nuai report has discussed favorably the
idea of providing for superannuated en-
| ployes.
4 Differences of opinion exist as to the
methods of bringing about provision
for retirement, but all are working to
/ the same general end.
/ Il can very readily understand why
| member of Congress should hesitate to
vote, for instance, for the establishment
of a civil pension list. which might be-
! come a great financial burden upon the
country.
Congress Will Approve.
| When however he understands thor
oughly the situation which confronts an
employe of the government in the city of
| Washington today, / am quite sure that
/ lie would be willing to support any rea-
sonable or proper measure which would
! provide at least a pittance for the old
/ age of government employees no longer
able 10 bear their burden of the govern
ment work
I'm the considera ton of the essays sub
/ mitted to the board of judges | want to
say that the judges have been i'm
! pressed by the thought and ability which
/ characterize all of them. Practically no
difference of opinion developed among the
J judges as to the award of the prizes Of
fered by the association. 1t is proper TO
! add that the judges were not aware of
/ the identity of the writer's of the essays
until their decision had been formulated"
| AT the conclusion of his remarks MIR.
| Paine announced the award of the prizes,
Addresses by Others.
1 The remarks Of the ether speakers were
| directed to the proposition that the gov
!, ernment should provide civil service re-
, tircment pension. Some of them were
| along humanitarian I:roS. others advo-
4 eating Suc! me@su:f / purely busi-
ness plcpcSi i. n ,sig..vG u improve the
/ civil service lessen the Yearly demand in