The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1910-01-09


immediate relief by Congress. for the
sake of the education Of this important
factor OF the rising generation, II for
no other reason.
Equally emphatic Is President Charles
W. Needham, of George Washington Uni
versity. who has had opportunity TO OBJ
serve similar curtailment Of the higher
education OF sons and daughters Of gov
eminent employees. and for the same
reason.
Hand in hand with the demand for a
readjustment OF the salary scale is the
call for provision for retirement on pen
sion OF superannuated civil service en-
ployes. At the present day the United
States has the distinctive. though not
ereditable. position Of being the only
world power which fails to make such
provision for those who have grown old
in its employ
How the present system has fostered
the loan shark avil and enabled greed 70
prosper and grow fat on the distress oc-
casioned by the poverty OF undergrad
government employees Is a matter with
which readers Of THIS paper have already
been made familiar The loan shark evil
Is another OF the train OF misfortunes
which have persistently pursued the I'M
derDaid clerk. forced 20 face complex and
rapidly changing conditions with the
status OF his earning power unchanged.
Only Ones to BE Omitted
That the employees In the classified
service are the only ones who have been
omitted in the general movement. old and
new. for the increased remuneration Of
those in the public service Is we'll
known fact Senators and Representa-
uves. unmindful OF the needs Of civil
service employees who have been working
for the same wages for half a century
and more, raised their own salaries. Like
wise have been increased the salaries OF
other public servants Nobody questions
either the wisdom or the justice OF these
Increases.
Among the conspicuous advances. noted
In salaries Of public servants. within the
period during which clerks in the CLASH
fed service have been struggling along
on the old basis Of 1858. are the following.
President, 200 per cent; Vice President. 81
per cent; Speaker Of the House. 30 per
cent; Secretary OF the Treasury. 70 per
cent; Assistant Secretary of the Treas
ury, 6 per cent; Comptroller OF the Treas
uTy, 81 per cent; Auditor Of the Treasury.
80 per cent; Treasurer Of the United
States. 166 per cent; Register of the Treas
ury. % per cent
In view OF these facts. IS the demand
for readjustment OF salaries in the clas-
sihed service unreasonable? In Justice
to itself and to those in It's employ. can
the nation further defer action?
Another factor In the battle for the
government clerks is the hard rule that
prohibits them from doing work outside
Of their regular positions. Stenographers
who have been earning from 81 to s. a
night by performing extra service are
thus forced to refuse the additional en-
ployment and confne themselves exclu-
sively TO incomes given by the govern
ment.
Again, the government clerk. according
70 the ethics Of Uncle Sam" IS not
permitted to make an outcry. He must
smile in the face OF poverty: he must
pretend he is satisfied with conditions.
he must praise the government. and he
must not object, even though his nav
is reduced. The Washington Herald Is
his champion.