The Washington times., 1910-12-30
Needs Greatest in Best Years.

! savings account could not be used 90
/ secure a loan nor could il be drawn
upon, no matter what the emergency
Needs Greatest in Best Years.
/ Now should a man be forced to pro
/ vide fo- his own old age at the expense
OF his wife. and Of his young children,
who are entitled 10 their chance In
| life?
, Even for himself alone. it is TO be re-
membered that in his best years his
needs as well as his powers are great
est while IL old age his wants are few
As For his children they viii by that
time have become self-supporung- If
his present obligations are to older de-
pendents, It must not be forgotten that
these also are charge he may not
neglect even in his own interests, much
less for the benefit Of other old people
to whom he owes nothing whatever
3 The higher saIaried-The higher
saIaried employees, or rather. those with
2 higher margin Of income above eU-
penses. II they would not suffer under
the GiIIett bin would stiH have reason
70 object to II for its narrowing erect
on their plans
rate of interest satisfies But many
other safe investments pay , ana per
cent and more. and the emplOye forced
return has IN any event lost the pcs
sible difference He may have lost many
times shat much BIZ the cOnnScation OF
his opportunity
II is to be remembered also that win
higher salaries and Proportionate de-
duCtfOns, so much the larger Is the sum
Withheld from the employees control IN
I'll he Is old-too Old perhaps 20 use II
Upon salaries Of more than 900 the an
nuitv IS limited 20 $3.50 basis
E-17ove- Co,rr EfTc1bIa
l. Those now neutrality-suspicious. now
eligible 10 retirement would, Of course,
benefit under the GiUett bill. since they
would have no contributions to make
and WOULD retire at once upon ST an
nuity- These are the group WHO. We
constantly hear. are in danger OF being
dismissed 10 penUry and want. and
IN their behalf the younger clerks
are frequently urged nowadays to
yield their cVn interests as affected BY
the GiIlett b5lI. As we do not wish 20
be accused Of seIhshness because Of our
refusal 10 do this, We have made some
inquiry TO justify our feeling that our
own families. our own old people, II you
please, have a prior claim upon Us
We find that in the District OF Colum-
bia there are 20 civil service employees
seventy years Of age and over (only 500
estimates say IL these - however.
We find 800 veterans Of the civil war al
ready pensioned and eligible to soldiers
homes
Now. be II understood. that we are
glad they have pensions, We would be
glad II they had more But IL IS fair 70
point out that even II they are not given I
another pension they viii not be desti-
tute II dismissed. but viii have com
Portable homes and a little money be
sides
Should Have Resources.
The resources Of TIE remaining So
In this oldest class OF employees we |
Ct course know nothing about But
IS II Unreasona bic to assume that
many Of them have saved something
from thar salaries, or made scs7ns
provision for their old age? They I
have had during most Of their lives.
only half OF our living expenses. and 4
they received the same and some
times higher salaries for many Of \
them are stiIl in the upper grades
And others Of these 332-have not 4
many o. them children who viii take
care Of them. Just as many OF the
younger men and women are now
providing for their superannuated OF /
invalid relatives2 The younEer en-
ploye is not selfish. nor hard hearted.
--oA AAllllAtE6ltt 10 the sun eT1lES OF Old
age very very often he has old age
IN MS own home. and he is providing
for IL there
) An incidental group-There are
in the civil service. no doubt. as else
where. individuals who are irrespoR-
Slble and imDrovIdent They can not
be segregated, but il is clear that
they are not 70 be looked for among
the 1902 heads Of families ,lrawfng
$500 and less and it is certainly
p must 10 consider them z large part
~ any group But wherever they are
-hey are the only group. excepting
the superannuaUe that yvo11fd he \
better of for the GiIlett bin. They.
presumably, do need TO be saved from
themselves, and the Government
guardianship proposed for an would Il
be an aid TO them
Effects Summarized.
II appears, then, in summary. that the
Iillett bin makes exactions on the en-
2ioyes' income which would be, in prob
ably 1900 cases out OF the 5000.
positive and irreparabIe hardship In
All other cases except that Of the now
retiring employees, Il offers, at the very
best, nothing that anybody may not do
for himself and do better. Not only
may. but does do better in most cases
The Few who are careless and will not !
provide for themselves are not entitled /
20 provision al the hands Of their feI-
Here, however, IS the anomaly OF the
proposition a man VINO has no money
10 save would be driven 10 actual need /
md his daily struggle for a bare living
would be made the harder, while the
man who vTillfully wastes what he mas
would be protected. in part By the
struggling mans labOrs
The whole thing Sits, IN fact to A /
system of false philosophy and per-
serted economies. under which, for the [
sake OF the few who have and who viii
reach old age in the seTgice and for a /
vague number OF irreSpOnsibles. all
he rest Of the nearly 10000 employees in
he District would be forced under a
Measure not fitted to their needs ard de-
oriviug them Of their legal rights as
citizens.
Every tub or its own bottom" the
advocates Of tive bill viii repeat al this
point. and every tub on its Own bottom
We agree II is But II is also every tub
chained to STSVy other tub. and all OF
hem weighted down by the two or
hree that cannot float II this is not
50. why IS the plan compulsory Why
rot leave il 10 the option OF the en-
Dloye2
Reaction upon the Service J,
The GiIlett bill is a striking example,
- paternalisnn, with unsurpassed par
.ia1Tfv TO the weak brother ana fuf,,e+fco