The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-06-12
old employees
MAKE PROBLEM
Retirement From Service
Causes Hardship
RECORD OF SENATORS
just One-Fourth the Body Were Cow
ernors of Their Respective States.
Speaker Cannon Gets
"Ca11 Down"
By RALPH NJ. wHITEsIDE

Washington, June n.-(Special 1.-The
question of what shall be done with worm
out government employees is a very live
ono Just now, at least to number who
have been informed that they are no
longer wanted on Uncle Sans payroll
1t is coming to be the policy In several
of the departments and probably will be
in all that when clerk has passed the
age of usefulness. or she must make way
for a younger one who can do the work
A number of old clerks already have been
served with notice of dismissal. They
are too old to secure employment else
where and very few of them have laid by
anything on which to live. Wherever pos
sible places are found for these old en-
ployes, where the work is not beyond their
power, but necessarily many of them will
be out entirely. What those of them who
have nobody to look to for support will
do is a problem.
Congress has discussed the proposition
to pension superannuated civilian en-
ployes more than once, but has done moth
ing. and it is doubtful If anything of this
kind will be done. 1t Is urged that the
employees of the government are no worse
off In this respect than the employees of
individual employers and that Congress
has no right to pension these employees
who have outlived their usefulness.
Whatever may be the rights of the mat
ter there are some very pitiful cases in
Washington these days.
Just one-quarter of the United States
Senate have served the states they repre-
sent as governors. 1t would appear, there
fore, that IL a man wishes to come to the
Senate 1t would be a pretty good idea
for him to first go after the governor
ship. The senators who are former gov
ernors are Johnston, Clarke, Davis, Per-
kins, BullSeley. Coulton. Cummins, Brad
ley, McEmery, Foster, Smith (Maryland),
Crane, Nelson, Stone, Chamberlain, Wet
more, Tulman. Crawford. Frazier, Taylor
Culberson, LaFollette and Warren Both
senators from Arkansas, Louisiana and
Tennessee are former state heads
If to this list were added those who
tried to be governors, but failed it is
probable 1t would include fully half the
senators. 81
Speaker Cannon blew over to the Sem
ate the other afternoon and received a
call down. 1t was just before the vote
was taken on the Cummins amendment
| to the railroad bill. Senator sI1aF Toilette
was speaking Uncle joe entered
lpeered. around, and spying Senator Gull
lom leaning back against the wall in a
chair. on the republican side went over
and Joined him. Uncle joe and Sena-
tor Cullom look SO much alike that
strangers around the capital are always
getting them mixed. They entered into
an earnest conversation. Gradually their
voices rose higher and higher. They
seemed oblivious Of their surroundings.
Finally Senator LaFollette stopped, and
addressing the chair, said: IT will con-
tinue when the Senate comes to order ;,
Uncle joe and Uncle Shelby looked
sheepish. They stopped their powwow
and the speaker ambled off by himself.
Two Texas citizens imported a fine
horse for show purposes and gave bond to
the federal government for the animal 8
return to Mexico within year. In that
way they avoided paying the tariff duties
The horse. however, died, and the owners
found themselves liable under their bond
for the tariff.
Representative Smith of Texas intro
duced bill for their relief and the ways
and means committee spent some time
considering It, They reported It favora-
bly, to the House. Representatives Champ
Clark, the minority leader and a member
OF the committee, seized upon the oppor-
tunity to say that he considered the whole
Payne Aldrich tariff law very much of
dead horse on the country"
Suggestion has been made to the Senate
committee on library, which Is the court
of last resort on statuary in the Senate
chamber, that the bust OF former Presi-
liant PoOaevelt ba MIA ced In ,frha hox,o