The Washington herald., 1912-05-03

/
were trying by obvious tactics to wipe
out OF ONCE Republicans who have
served faithfully.
Does the gentleman from South Car
olina honestly believe that the man who
has served faithfully for years should
be driven from service because he Is six.
ty-five years OF age?' he asked.
Renigs ON Age Limit.
II am not desirous Of insisting on an
age limit" returned Mr.. Johnson. al am
willing to strike out the are limit en-
tfreIy. The committee itself IL not de-
sir9sT .. lI|itiR5 Inf R5 the @Es ssc, sf sTPlsyS
sentative Levy of New York, that every
one Of the so-called heartless corpora
ticns retires it's employees with pensions
when they shall have passed the age Of
usefulness. Does the gentleman from
South Carolina assume that the govern
ment should be less Just than those So
called heartless corporationsT
II am not awafe that all corporations
In this country retire their employees
with pensions. Personally / believe that
when the usefulness OF a government en-
ploye ceases, his. pay should stop" re-
turned Mr.. johnson. who then went on
to protest his good viii toward govern
ment clerks and his humanitarian dis
position.
opposition to civil pensions, -lf you
pass q law giving pensions 20 the em-
ployes Of the government In Washing
ton, you are laying yourselves open to
other IegislatIOn. What will you do
with the employees OF the Life-sayinE
Serviees They are men who risk their
lives daily In the salvation Of others.
They are men who are devoted to their
duty and men whose self-sacrihce is un-
excelled In the annals Of the government
employees What, then, will you do with
another class, the great railway mail
service? They number 1900, and they
are men whose lives continue among no
less hazardous conditions than those that
confront any other class Of government
employe-"
Representative Dyer, Of Missouri. ask
ed, ''Is there any objection, II il Is neces-
sary. to increasing the wages Of the gov
ernment employees with the object Of cap
talking the surplus fund and establish
ing from II a permanent fund upon which
superannuated clerks may be retired:
Our Christian Civilization.
'I will not discuss that at this time"
returned Johnson. at m my belief that
the Christian civilization would prevent
any aged man from suffering. HIS fell
I0w-men will EHaFd him from that. But
deny that the system Of eiytiiEation
should allow ms TO enter intO . scheme
Of legislation that would prevent men
from prOvIdinE for their own needs In
their cid aEe.s
Mr.. johnson then referred pathetlcally
to the hard times Of the men on the
hIIlsides''-there are several thousand
farmers in his district-and closed with
a touching quotation from Gray's "Elegy
on a Country Churchyard."
In n fiery ten-minute speech Represen-
So lnWE WEaGl
civil service provisions OF the bill as an
attempt 90 restore the old spoils system
in the government service.
The bill which has been introduced"
he said, represents in its scope the old
spoIls system carried TO the ultimate de-
gree. The clause giving the right OF
dismissal after five years Of service Is
worse than the old spoils system: for In
the old spoils system the ernploye had
In the present system he has not that
right.
This most iniquitous provision-this
clause which would be considered absurd
were It not 50 imTortant-tries TO shackle
the man and deny him the right OF
proving that hr was untustly dismissed
from the service.
Does Not share Fear.
"As TO the question Of dismissing men
without pensions when they shall have
passed the age Of sixty-five years, I
cannot share in the fear so eloquently
expressed by the gentleman from South |
the government should not
pension its employees because II is not
general custom. Since when did this |
government count money in doing an act |
Of plain and evident justice? Because |
men in other corporations do not receive
pensions. Is the government warranted |
In refusing them? Does wrong COM |
mitted by a private individual excuse the |
for committing a no less |
grievous wrong? The government should |
be the first TO pension its employees. and |
by its example should teach the rest Of |
the nation. After we have pensioned our
own clerks. We may look to the treat |
nent of employees of others.
This provision inserted in this appro-
priation bill is a direct and damaging I
blow at the system of civil service. and
4 blow at the very foundation and con-
iitions which are needed to carry II on
and that. although We prate
very much about our devotion to a sound
eivil service system. We are here very |
obviously taking the means by which
we would undermine the civil service
system"
Reach Vote To-day.
General debate on the bill closed with
he Hamill speech. The measure was
hen taken up under the five-mlnute rule
Ind the first clause read. after which the
House adjourned. The bill will be taken
lp tomorrow under the fve-minute rule
Ind a vote probably will be reached at a
light session.
Characterizing as bad legislation"
'penny-wise and pound foolish" and as
crude and unreasonable" the proposal in
he legislative. executive, and judicial ap-
bill to summarily dismiss in
Tune, 1914. all government employees in
who have reached the age
u sixty-five years, the minority men,
,ers Of the Appropriations Committee Of
he House yesterday fled a report on
he bill.
The report is confined to three items
4 the appropriation bilI-those abolish
ng the Commerce Court. the Bureau Of
and the Bureau Of Sta
istics-and the fixing of the hve-year
enure OF office for the government clerks
n Washington.
While asserting that they believe the
ivil service provisions will, IL enacted
nto law, eventually be applied to the
ntire country. the minority report re-
marks that 1T is perhaps significant that
he operation of the economies of this
I'll Is confined IN the District Of Co.