Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-12-24
Albert Jonas Offers Suggestion
for Retiring Old Clerks.
NO COST TO GOVERNMENT
Appropriation Of Million Dollars
Yearly, He Believes, Could Be Saved.
WOULD BE BENEFIT TO ALL
Veterans in the Federal Service
Could Enjoy Rest From Work
and Still Be a Help.
To the Editor Of The Star:

TO the Editor Of The Star:
For several years Congress has had
under discussion plans for the retirement
of the superannuated clerks in the civil
service of the United States. Some OF
these plans propose straight pensions by
congressional appropriation for the old
clerks who have outlived their usefulness
in office Others advocate assessments
from the salaries of the whole clerical
force to create a fund from which to al
low pensions to those who are to be re-
tired. Both plans are found to be SO OBJ
jectionable that it is impossible for Con-
gress to reach a vote on the proposition.
Yet it is agreed on all hands that it
is best for the government that some
provision should be made for tho re-
moval from Office of the old clerks. They
have spent their life in the service. Their
salaries are mostly too meager to have
enabled them to save a competence for
old age. II they were simply dismissed
from the service to which they had de-
voted their best years they would be
turned out to Starve. as they are not IN
a condition to earn a livelihood outside
the government employ.
In consequence of this hesitancy, mac
ton or delay on the part of Congress to
settle the status of the old clerks the
practice. is gradually extending among
bureau chiefs and heads of departments
of retaining them on the pay roll, but re-
ducing them to the lowest salary, $780,
This is done not only from humanitarian
motives, but in many cases for patriotic
reasons. Among the older clerks are
many who fought and 'bled on the battle
fields for the preservation of the Union
Quite number were colonies or brig
adler generals during the rebellion. Many
desks in the public offices are occupied
by the fossilized remains of wartime
military greatness. The nations gratitude
to these old heroes for their valor in the
field of battle will never be fully dis
charged OF course it is of no use to
argue that 1t isn't businesslike to retain
these old clerks. grown useless. In gov
eminent employ. So long as Congress
takes no decisive action for their relief
bureau officials will carry most OF them
on the roll and make their declining years
as comfortable as POSSIBLE at 500 per
annum.
Should Not Become Permanent.
There are several good reasons why
this makeshift ought not to be allowed
to become a permanent custom at WASH
ington. In the first place, it is very
wasteful. Not only is the $500 clerk
per annum in many cases nearly total
waste, for these old chaps and old wom-
en- take it very easy. but there are many
OIn6r expenses connected WITH tnelE Gill
ployment. Desks wand chairs must be
provided for them, the charwomen must
dust and sweep after thems the fireman
must throw an extra shovelful of coal
into the furnace. and the iceman, ETC.,
ad lib.. The very walls of the gov
eminent buildings had to be built thicker
and higher by reason of their presence.
1t all costs money, and it's a waste OF
the peoples money because the Intended
object, the comfort of the superannuated
he hon
ly subserved.
But these petty expenses, though sum-
ming up in the aggregate enormously.
dwindle to minor importance when We
look at the subject from the other view
points.
BY reason of advancing years many
of these old clerks become very absent
minded and their work is often fun OF
mistakes. This necessitateS reviewers
and re-reviewers. who have their hands
fc:i working at high salaries. spotting
out the mistakes of the Incompetence
Even then, mistakes sometimes slip
through into the finished work. not to be
detected till perhaps years afterward.
done much mischief. perhaps entailed
enormous expense, or even been the
cause of loss of life. Is it not much
better not to risk making mistakes in
the first place than to put main de-
pendence on reviewers to correct them?
Then, again, the presence OF large
number of old men and women, with
their leisurely ways and their habits OF
inaccuracy, devitalizes the work of the
whole Office force. Being the oldest in
the bureau they set the tone Of Office
life, and q strict discipline is found to
be impossible. They are an impeachment.
If the old people were only out of the
way, how the young blood would push
the work along. How emulation and am
bition would strive for the highest sal
aries and for the occupancy OF the
chiefs desk. How every one would
have to mind his ''p's"' and "q's" lest
selves the better clerks.
1t must seem that the direct vote
by Congress Of q million dollars year to
remove by pension system the dereilcts
from the public service would pc pay
along this line. It would be useless. 1t
is impossible to get bill through
Congress to retire the buperannuated
clerks on pensions. I believe that such
proposition would meet popular APP
that the people are enthusiastic over
Industrial pensions for the worn-out
employees Of business corporations.
Consequently. they are ripe for ap-
pensions. But the members of Con-
gress do not know that. They are
afraid to face their constituents with
such an expenditure from the public
talking, no use hoping. for such an
innovation. It hence behooves thought
full people to devise some scheme which
will subserve the intended purpose.
and yet not be open to the objection
that makes Congress timid about es-
tablishing a civil pension system.
:. Objection Made to Clerks.
A plan much discussed in this con-
nection is the creation Of pension
fund by the retention of a part of the
clerks salaries. But the clerks them
selves object vigorously to this project,
claiming-and justly, too. it seems to
me-that they can manage their earn
ings at least as well as Oncle Sam,