The Washington times., 1911-11-20

NEW YORK, Nov. 2o.-The Hippo
drome was too small by more than
1900 seats TO receive the great crowd
that went there yesterday afternoon to
indorse and encourage the proposal that
the Federal Government should provf1e
bv a direct pension for the old age OF
the civil service employees, proposal
embodied a bill intro duced by Repre-
sentative Hamill of New Jersey. and
now pending in Congress.
The mass meeting, held under the aus
gicss Of Branch 2 United ST. states ciyil ,n,!
the purpose of creating strong public
sentiment in support of this measure.
SO vast was the attendance and SO un-
stinted the enthusiasm that Congress
man Goulden, in the chair, was rather
under the impression that the echo
would reach those gentlemen in Wash
lngton who are apt to have their ears
to the ground ~. .-.
the service Of the Postoffice Depart
ment for more than thirty years were
assembled on the stage of the Hippo
irome, a semicirclG of old men, some
long as the prophets. when one old
man took his seat there was a wave of
recognition in the audience. for he was
Robert Turner. on the payrolls of
Uncle Sam for half century and still
delivering mail from the New York
Central Offices on Lexington avenue.
Thomas L. James, who was Postmaster
General. under Garfield and Postmaster
Of New York in the 70's. vowed that
Bob Turner had been delivering mail
since prehistoric times and that no man
remembers who appointed him.
James Pays Tribute.
"And when I see him making lis
way along Forty-second street, said
Mr.. James, II feel like calling out
Hitchcock. spare htat tree. When
was abroad last summer was mex
pressibly shocked and grieved to read
in tho newspapers that they had drop.
ped from the service here old Andy
Hyde and Barney Rooney, who only
crime was Ammo Bonini. A Government,
which commits such perfidy as that is
unworthy to be called by the name OF
government. Ny friends, we pension
the butchers, why shuld we not pen
sion the benefactors Of mankind?"
Mr.. Goulden outlined the provisions ol
the Hamill bill, which, he said, follows
bill introduced by him years ago. Il
Is distinct from other pension measure:
contributions from the employees t.
make up the pension fund. BY
men in the civil service for thirty years
who have reached the age of
so per cent of an averaged salary calcu
lated on the basis of their salaries fo
the previous five years. Men sixty-twt
years old who have been in the servic,
from twenty-five to thirty years will re
tire on 45 per cent pension, and a sim
ilar graduated scale is provided fol
pensioning those whose work Is Gu
short by disability.
Pay Stops If Men Are Injured.
The present employees work under n,
such system, and II they are injured
even in the performance Of their duty
their pay stops automatically. Thougl
they have worked for a generation ii
the Governments employ, they canno
look forward to the old-age pension pro
vision that Is assured to the employees
of so many Of the big corporations II
this country. 1t was the sentiment o
Yesterdays meeting, recruited almos
entirely from the ranks of the Post
fee Department, that this condition l
monstrouSly unfair.
Andrew Mckee, president of the Uni
| ted States Civil Service Retirement AS
| sociation, argued In behalf of the Ham
| Ill bill as conservative, economical
and feasible" in contract with tn
contributory pension bill. which call
| for so great an outlay as an initia
| expense that the employees think tn
| idea of its ever becoming law
| fantastic dream. According to Mr.. Nc
Kee, Senator OGorman has expresse
! himself as earnestly in favor of the di
| rect pension scheme.
But the speaker who really stirred tn