Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-05-22
Sad Scenes as Old Clerks Are
Notified of Dismissal.
MANY GRAY IN SERVICE
Ak Falls in Auditors Office of P. o.
Department.
TAFT TRIES TO EASE BLOWS
Asks That Other Branches of Gov
eminent Take Care of the
Unfortunates.

Unless Congress speedily .ntervenes 10
save them. a number OF superannuateo
Clerks in the Office OF the auditor Tor the
Post Office Department some with serV-
ice approximating half century, who re-
ceved their first intimation yesterday,
will be dismissed from the department
between now and July I. The dismtssais
are the result of recent reforms in the
office.
If human despair were to count as an
argument with Congress for the passage
of civil service retirement bill y visit
to the office of Auditor Merritt o. Chance,
at the Post Office Department, yesterday
would have supplied it in its intensest
form. Men and women grown gray IN
the service, weak with age and bodily
infrmity and. as some Of them declared,
face, were there to plead for consideration
for their long and faithful service.
Many Had Good Records.
Some of the old folks. II was declared.
had been excellent clerks in their day.
and the government had gained at the
expense of the best years of their lives
Others had given freely of their means
in the past to aid unfortunate assoct-
ates in time OF trouble, but few now
remained to minister to their needs in
the hour of their misfortune, so close
at hand. Auditor Chance tried to look
stoical, but it seemed as II his heart
at times failed him as he listened to
the sorrowful story of now one and
then another of the poor unfortunateS
whose separation from the service had
become imperative through reforms that
had been instituted to reduce eX-
penses."
Months ago Mr.. Chance had foreseen
what was to happen, and by all the
to make the blow fall as lightly as he
could. For months vacancies as they
occurred in his Office were left unified,
and when the inevitable day drew near
when the ak must fall he even tried to
have some of the other departments care
for those who otherwise must be turned
out of their places. President Tart him.
self took up the cudgels in their behalf.
for superannuated clerks and issuing or
ders that those whose terms of Office were
drawing to close might be taken care
Of in other branches Of the executive de-
partments. But the other Offices did not
care for dead wood"
Blow Came Suddenly.
THE small solace of a months leave
with pay accorded to those marked for
dismissal seems to be the best we can
give these poor SOULS said Auditor
Chance 1--WE have tried hard to save
them and to make some provision for
them in the hope that Congress might
soon see its way clear toward providing
for their retirement with something at
least to keep them from want and per-
haps starvation.
1t was the receipt of information that
this leave of absence had been granted
them that gave those marked for dis
missal the first intimation of the fate in
store for them. And it was those who
had received the information who dragged
their aged limbs into the presence of the
auditor yesterday, pleading with broken
voices for retention, while their hearts
were breaking with the hopelessness and
despair that filled them.