The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1911-12-21
phia Inquirer:


"There are a number of excellent
reasons why the United States should
adopt this course, and one reason is
that the benefit to the service would
be worth much more than the cost OF
pensions. AS matter Of fact, pen
sions are virtually being paid already.
They are being paid in the shape of
salaries drawn by superannuated en-
ployes who cannot do their work with
a normal measure of efficiency, but
whom their chiefs will not discharge
because they feel to do so would be
inhuman. The government clerk cam
not live as he must and save com
potency out of his earnings for his old
| age. His meager salary makes it i'm
| possible. But he should not be retain
| ed on full pay when he has lost his
usefulness. He should go on the re-
| tired list"
AS matter of fact, the pension
often begins with the acceptance of the
Government position. That is to say,
many positions in the Government SER
vice are "pork" distributed by Office
holders. Everyone knows individuals
from his community who draw more as
Government employees in the depart
ments" at Washington than they ever
earned by private endeavor. The com
mon assertion that Government clerks
are paid meager salaries is not true.
In proportion to services rendered they
are paid better than minor employees OF
business concerns. There is no reason
why they should not be able to save.
No young woman on the Federal
pay-rolls works for the slender wages
that constitute the explanation of the
moral weakening and degradation of
young women who work for their liv-
ing in shops and factories. No young
man begins in Government service at
wages that compel him to wear thread
bare clothes and eat insufficient or I'M
palatable food until he has proven his
efficiency and attracted the attention
of his employers. No Government en-
ploye has back-breaking or nerve
breaking tasks. The work is so divid-
ed that every mans position is gen
tleman's job" No Government en-
ploye is compelled to begin early and
work late, giving up TO his bread-win-
ming hours that should be devoted to
recreation or sleep. No Government
employe misses vacations. Everyone
on the pay-rolls has good allowance
OF vacation plus sick-leave allowance.
No Government employe has to work
seven days week, instead of the six
allotted for labor in the scriptural in
junction, or lose his dob" No Gov
eminent employee is hard driven by
piece work that is a constant tempta-
tion to overstrain. Every man or
woman on the Federal pay-rolls leads |
a measurably sheltered life. The funds
for their liberal pay and for the en-
ployment of ''force" large enough so
to divide the work that nobody is bur-
dened are contributed by the taxpay-
ers, millions of whom have a harder
row to hoe and no hope of pension
But the worst of civil pension sys-
TEN would not be the mere pensioning
of superannuated or otherwise incapac-
itated employees whose places might be
filled economically with more efficient
persons. The worst of it would be that !
the jack-.eg politicians would use pen
sions for their own ends, and that the |
graft that saturates the military pen
sion system would appear, upon a
much larger scale, in the civil pension
system. No matter how long the Pc
rio3 of peace, the military pension
budget grows constantly because of
corrupt politics at Washington. The
civil pension list would entail an enor-
nous outlay at the beginning and
would grow at a rate that would be |
staggering even in comparison with the |
growth of the grand total paid out an
nually to those made eligible under the
military pension bills. 1t would rain
pork in every congressional district in
the untry.-Louisville Courier Jour
nal.