Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-05-28
Underpay No Reason for Dis
honesty, Says Retail Mer-
chants Head.
LIVING BEYOND MEANS,
STRASBURGER CHARGES
Large Percentage of Government
Employees Fail to Pay Bills, He
Declares. Answering Gordon.

THE fact that government employees
are underpaid is no reason why any of
them should be dishonest If a govern
ment clerk gets a salary of $1,000 a year
he should see that he keeps his mode of
living on the weive-hundred-dola scale.
He should not purchase goods for which
he knows he will he unable to pay and
then make the merchant suffer"
Such was the statement made today bl-
President Strasburger of the Retail Mer-
chants Association in commenting on the
letter sent to President Wilson by Fulton
X. Gordon, real estate operator, in
which he declares that the percentage Of
government employees who knowingly and
willfully avoid paying their obligations is
very small.
In his letter Mr.. Gordon says that If it
is true that many government employees
fail to pay their bills. the fault lies in
the fact that they get salaries which are
not as high as they should be.
President Strasburger declared that
Washington merchants. especially the
proprietors of retail stores. have found
that a large percentage of government
employees do not pay their bills.
Called dead Beats"
The government clerk should be the
most desirable class of customer. for he
is paid twice a month and his pay is al
ways regular said Mr.. Strasburger.
But the fact of the matter is that many
of them are dead beats Of the worst
type. Many live beyond their means. and
for this reason have many unpaid obli-
cations. Others willfully purchase goods
on credit. knowing that they have no in
tention Of making payment The mer-
chant has no redress. for the heads Of
the various departments refuse to assist
in seeing that the employees pay their
bills
Mr.. Strasburger explained that the re-
tail merchants Of Washington would well
come an increase in the salaries OF gov
in getting such legislation passed. Until
relief In the form of advanced salaries Is
given. however. he maintains that the
government clerk should live within his
means. and that only those who have had
sickness or other misfortune should be
excused for getting in debt.
Mr.. Gordon's Letter.
Mr. Gordon's letter was based on ac-
tion taken by the Retail Merchants AS
sociation Monday night in drafting a let
ter to be sent to President Wilson. ask
ing that an arrangement be made by
TO pay their just debts. The letter is as
follows:
Il see by the morning paper that the
Retail Merchants Association will request
you to formulate a plan whereby they.
the merchants. can. through you, force
the civil service employees to pay their
just debts. After twenty-five years ex-
perience in the business world. l can
truthfully say that the percentage who
knowingly and willfully avoid paying
their obligations is very small
Now to the point: If there is just
cause for this complaint. in other words,
If those who do not pay in the govern
ment employ is greater than usual there
certainly must be a reason. and in my
opinion it is the United States govern
ment who Is the real offender AS proof
of this fact. the government employees are
working virtually under the same scale
OF wages that was established sixty
years ago. notwithstanding the fact that
in the meantime the high cost of living.
which has been doubled. has practically
cut their salaries in two.
Y-o~ooe1e ~;