The Washington times., 1911-01-23
FRANK A. VANDERBILT ON
DUTY TO THE CLERKS.

In the first place, the scandalous de-
fense of inadequate wages for Govern
ment employes-the defense that they
are not worth much because they will
not work. and are just naturally worth
less and incompetent-wi not get very
far with Frank a. Nanderlip.
Mr.. Nanderlip was one of them for
a number of years
He was ncwspaperman in Chicago.
and came to Washington to be private
secretary to Lyman !. Gage, Secretary
of the Treasury. He rose to he As
sistant Secretary. and thence was car
rIed away to New York by the Ma
tional City Bank, in which he has
risen to be its president-executive
head of the greatest bank in the coun-
try.
Mr.. Nandcrlip, naturally. does not
fully indorse the theory that Govern
ment employees are worthless class,
who in substance are really pensioners
throughout the entire term of their
service, who could not earn so much
in other callings as the Government
kindly pays to them, and who ought
to be thankful to be privileged to earn
subsistence wages, because they would
starve if they were required to give
real value for what they were paid.
Having been one of them, and being
convinced that he was not a CRATER
or an incompetent; having seen other
Government employees work, and be-
ing satisfied that they are neither
grafters nor incOmpetents; knowing
that those among them who are for
tunate enough to escape from the Gov
ernment tread mill and get into out
side business generally succeed vastly
better than those who remain with
the Government-having intimate un
derstanding of these things, Mr.. Van
derlip considers the problem of the
civil service employees intelligently, and
in the light of the business worlds
experience.
In The Times today Mr. Nanderlip
tells of his experience with this and
related problems, in Government bust
ness and in private business. His
article is presented with a good deal
Of satisfaction, for it gives the conclu
Cons of a man than whom none is
better placed for a real knowledge of
the subject.
~ When The Times sent a staff CORE
spondent to New York to ask Mr.. Van
derlip to set down his views on this
subject, Mr.. Nanderlp was found to
require no urgings. He was more than
willing, because he knew so well the
need of forcing a fair consideration of
the case of the civil service workers.
Busy as he has been in the years since
his own connection with the Govern
ment ended, be has kept closely in
touch with the difficulties that so
forcibly presented themselves to him
when he was supervisor of the person
Htl vi lIG SlCoO
ment.
That the civil service has been
threatened with a break down under
the burden of superamuation and con-
sequent atrophy of ambition among
the people in the lower grades, was
recognized long ago by Mr.. Vanderlip.
The conditions have grown worse since
he left official life, as was inevitable.
The crisis has come, as is attested by
the statements of the members of
President Taft's Cabinet heretofore
printed in The Times. -
What is going to be done about it!
Are we TO have nothing but the an
cient answer that these Government
clerks want the earth-they'd starve
If they were turned out of their jobs;
they couldn't earn so mnch in any
other occupation OH earth?" Isn't that