The Washington times., 1910-06-21
NO HOPE IS HELD OUT
FOR THE OLD CLERKS
Nothing Doing at This
Session, Is Decision of
Committee.

No assurances we're given the mem bers
of the business organizations who held
a conference with the ojint Senate and
House Committees on CIVIL Service this
mCrnitnE with regard 70 IN emergency
measure ir the interest Of the SD old
Government clerks who viii be dis
charged on the drst Of July
The conference lasted for fully an
hour. ATJs- il had concluded the two
committees held an executive session
for fifteen or twenty minutes and an
nounced that there was nothing that
they could do al this session Congress
No action whatever was taken by The
.commIUee.. Senator Cuumins said when
ne came out
Tnls much comfort. h0EevCr. was
ing on a retirement system This sys-
TEN the two committees hoQa TO see en-
10 provide for the old clerks the
chances are that Congress Viii take
care or them within 1nothcr va.
Anything Satisfactory.
This is all that came OF today's meet
ing. The members Of the delegation
who appeared before the joint commit
tee tolC them that anything which
would keep the old clerks employed or
which would retire ,hem with a CON-
petence would be entirely Satisfa ctory-
To this the committeeman replied thai,
on account Of the laIeness of the pres
CnJ session. there was nothing which
Congress might DO Al lthaL was pos
sible TO DO lay with thee President
Senator Perkins said that the Presi-
dent had money enough 10 keep the
old men on the nav rolls II he cared 70
~ J. d. d D.
ed nv those VINO appeared for the clerks
They proposed thar an CpDrUuriariun ue
made rs an amendment &c the general
deficiency bill which IS vet pending.
practicable. They said such an aDDr0-
pTiauOn was not a ''dedCirnCv.' hut
Would be new legislation and he sub
iect 20 q 7oint OF OrGcr-
Gen. George H Harries conducted the
hearinS lie was the first TO sDcak and
first 10 urSe hat some measure should
be devised az 1uce 70 take care Of these
old clerks Ee said that it would re-
Government 20 sit idly .hv and allow so
fits faithful employees 70 be turned out
IN their OH age - StlrVe-
Perkins Proposition.
II was here that Senator Perkins pro-
posed that the President be appealed TO.
He said that the Executive should be
made 10 understand the situation and
should amenable 20 an appeal such
as had Just been made 20 the joint COM
miltee He said that he was quite sure
that there was sufficient money avail
able with which 10 keep these old clerks
employed until Congress could act
General Harrles Said that ne doubted
II there was such an appropriation, but
said that the President had been appeal
ed &C by the Cabinet officers whose de
partrlsnts were involved he said that
he had been daily expecting the PreSi-
dent to send a special message TO Con-
.gress on this very subject
L. P Shoemaker sustained General
HaTTies and urged the committee 10
take some action on lis own respOnsi-
blity. He said. that II seemed possible
that some measure might be brought
IN at this session which would serve
10 meet the emergency-
Joseph ". Buck followed with a state
menl 10 the effect that there We're now
800 inefficient employees in the Pension
Office alone, 100 IN the Patent Offce-
fourteen or fifteen OF whom We're drs NJ
ing $500 q year This salary uag even
now nothing more or less than a ae0-
sion. he said. as the employees were not
rendering any useful service.
Former Commissioner MacfarIau6 ak
ed that justice be done the clerk again
v hon. nothing in the world stood but
their advancing age. He said that the
civil retirement plan seemed the most
equitable way OF taking care Of them.