The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1912-02-06
lBN Winfield Jones.

ty years ago Recently, however the
demand for greater wage scale has
been more compelling. Consequently
during the adjournment of congress
all those interestel in the welfare OF
the clerks got busy and strung wires
from Maine to California, from Mich
igan to Louisiana, in the hope that at
this session of congress some legis-
lation will be begun which will have
as its object the raise of The pay scale
of government employees.
In the clerks fight for more pay
it is interesting TO note that congress
in 1852 enacted the last law increasing
the compensation of government cleks
and classifying them. Not since the
bin then has the government pay
scale been revised or increased An
analysis of the bill which became a
law in 1852 shows that the average
salary of clerks before the passage OF
the bill was S1,173.43 and after the
passage of the bill $1,29o63 Today
the average salary is Sl,019, nearly a
hundred dollars lower than GO years
ago.
Oldest. inhal tants of Washington
generally concede that the purchasing
power of 81 in 1S52 was much great
er than it is today. The reasons as
cribed are that WASHINGTON then was
a very small town with large rural
population The contrary is due to-
day. Washington is a big city and
has large suburban population that
extends for twenty miles in every sec
ton. This necessarily makes farm
produce higher. Rental values have
likewise increased and the general
scale of living has increased proper
tionately
1t is pointed out that government
clerks in the early fifties were abun-
dainty remunerated for their services
before their increase in salary was
granted, when compared to the man
ner in which the clerks are paid today.
The classification of the clerks es-
tablished by law in 1882 has changed
little. hut the number of clerks en-
ployed in the government departments
/ has grown enormously. At present
there are 800 clerks employed in the
treasury department alone. This is
ten times the number OF clerks who
were employed in all departments Of
the government in 1852. Since that
| period a half century ago the gov
ernment at Washington has extended
itself into about twenty-five branches,
mas many buildings, each with its
hundreds and some with its thousands
of clerks.
With this vast crowd demanding Of
of its representatives and senators
more deserving recognition of the gov
ernment, it is promised by those who
seem 10 know that congress at no late
date will accede to the demands of its
employees.
The fight for the increase in the
wage scale, however, is going along
merrily Printed arguments are being
sent out in every direction through
out the United States and competent
men have been enlisted to engineer
the campaign. One of the arguments
sent out by the publicity committee
of the clerks organization is to this
effect:
Mems minds take direction from
those with whom they associate. 1t
is Therefore important that those
whose employments embrace intellect
ual labors should have for compan-
ions intelligent per,ons-particular
| ly those conversant with matters
which are likely to come before
| them. With many of the clerks these
matters embrace a wide range. To
secure such companionship requires
an assimilation of the style in which
intelligent persons live.
Men in public office are morally
bound to live with and for the puD.
| lie They have no right to withdraw
! themselves fro massociations with
their fellows, nor appear in society
meanly clad. or without contributing
something toward the general ex-
penses Of social intercourse. Especial
| ly is this true of the clerks whose
position necessarily brings him into
association with gentlemen. He is in
fact kind of representative of the
state h ehails from, and if he pos.
sess sentiments which should charac-
terize every recipient of public favor,
he Will feel mortified if he cannot
extend the rite sof hospitality to such
of his friends and acquaintances as