The Washington herald., 1913-11-18
Civil Service Pensions.

There's a world of encouragement
for government civil service workers
in the meeting in New York Sunday
of advocates of pensions for superan-
n1ated government employees. The at
tendance, numbers and in distinctive
ness of individuals present, showed that
the desire for such provision by
Congress for the governments servants
is becoming quite general among the
people of the United States and that
the jealous workers in Washington foT
civil service pensions may hereafter ex-
pect a very valuable assistance from
other parts of the country.
A happy result of the meeting was
the full explanation of the fact that
civil service pensions are not gratuities,
not gifts or donations, but as Repre-
sentative Hamill of New Jersey stated,
''installments, paid by the government
after a certain period, of wages accrued,
wages which were not paid out at the
time they were earned" 1t can be con-
tended, of course, that the government
employee accepting service for stipu-
lated wage, has no right to expect far
ther reward from his employer. The
same contention can be made in regard
to soldier, for whom, nevertheless,
the nation has always provided pen
sion. But it is an idle thing to indulge
in sophistries over a matter which
nearly everywhere outside the civil
service ranks is being disposed of SO
admirably.
The employees of many railroads and
other great industries are now the bene-
ficiaries of pension systems so we'll es-
tablished that the success of the plan
seems quite beyond dispute. Whether
the pension funds are to be made up by
compulsory contributions from the
nployes or by seeming oYerpayment
p5n the part of the employers into an
accrued wages" fund, the results at
tanned are the same. The employees
are protected against Indulgence in their
age. The equitable proportions of the
employers and employees contributions
is a detail, not q fundamental of the
plan.
What private corporations have done
for their employees, the government
certainly can do for its civil employees.
The government should be able to ac-
complish the desired purpose far more
easily and effectively than a private
corporation. That the government
ought to do this, that the government
must do this, no observant resident of
Washington has any doubt. The OBJ
servant resident of Washington knows
that the pay of the government worker |
is inadequate; that only in rare cases
can the government worker lay aside |
anything for the inevitable rainy day, |
and that this inevitable rainy day gen.
orally finds the government worker a |
sadly broken old man or woman with
no solace except the uncheering recol-
lections of colorless past !
The men who stood forth with great
est prominence at the meeting in New
York were singularly forceful allies
for the civil service workers. Among
them were officials OF the Civil Service
Employees Association, who, thorough
ly converSant with actual conditions,
have worked faithfully for the cause
representatives of "big business" Of
fcials of the city of New York and of
the Federal government, and Mr..
Hanill, whose interest in civil service
employees has beenAonsistent. Such a
meeting surely must make itself felt
in the Capital