The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1913-07-18
If Tolerated 1t Will Show a
New Policy by the Fed
era1 Government.
ENTITIES EMPLOYEES
Of the Government in Every
Department Permission
to Do Likewise.
ON AgoocIATTp paEs11

question of the right OF PUBIC
servant to sell his services twice,
the public announcement by Mr..
Bryan that a man OF his well ad-
vertised Democratic tastes cannot
live on an income of $12s 200 year
presents a moral question for the
consideration of the American peo-
ple,' declared Senator Townsend, Re
publican of Michigan, in a speech IN
the Senate today.
1.-The question is simply this,
whether under the circumstances, III
is the duty of the citizens and the
public servant to modify hts style OIL
living to bring 1t within his legih-l
mate income. or whether 1t Is his
privilege to resell his services in
order to cover the cost OF the style
OF living he has adopted"
Senator Townsend's speech was
an attack upon the secretary of
state, for his proposal Of making
paid lectures during his tenure oil
office to Increase his income.
He declared that other cabinet
officers were living on $4,000 sal
aries; that subordinates in, the goy-I
eminent departments would not be-
allowed to do other work while
holding their positions; and that be-
cause OF his previous attitude before
the people, Mr. Bryan should have
felt an obligation to live within
more rigid lines.
For more than fifteen years Mr..
Bryan has posed as a public censor
of men and measures said Senator
Townsend "He has preached tine
duties of citizenship and assumed to-
establish standards of public SER
vice. His public acts, therefore,
more than those of any other man
except the president. are inhunces
in the fixing OF standards of public
service. If the American people re-
main silent at this time and by their
silence give their inferentiaI APPROX
al or assent to the policy Mr.. Bryan
has announced, that attitude of an
official toward his duties. must be as.
sumed to be permanent feature OF
our governmental institutions.
For my part. Il feel impelled TO
voice of protest. am no respeetor
of persons. see no reason why the
head of a department should be per-
mitted to make private gain by meth
DDS that are forbidden ITO his subor-
dinates. see nothing in his an
nounced policy that is not equally
available to any man or woman in
the government employ, and certain
" no one will question the assertion
that the general application of that
policv would mean the absolute ruin
of public service.
1T has been ordered by another
member of the cabinet that postmas-
tiers shall not engage in any other
business than that relating to their
offices as postmasters. The same
rule Is applied to other subordinate
federal Office holders. Why, this dis
elimination in favor of high sal
aried officer against the low sal
aried one?
"Mr. Bryan says he is selling his
time, energies and talents to private
individuals or-organizations because
his official salary Is not enough for
him to live upon. He Is receiving
SIC, 900 a year. In the govern
ment service there are thousands OF
employees who receive less than one
tenth of that sum and who. in these
days of high cost OF living. find 1t
dfHcuIt to I'VE within their income.
Not one of these thousands. how
ever, is permitted to abandon his
most of duty and sell his time and
energies and talents to others for
the reason that Mr.. Bryan has given
for his action. If Mr.. Bryan's exam
pie shall be followed by public en-
ployees generally who can see the
extent Of injury to the public SER
vice?
.If we are to adopt the policy OF
placing the dollar above public duty.
then the door of opportunity should
not be opened to one citizen and
closed to another. If there is to be
determination, 1t sshould be in favor
OF the poorly paid man, but see no
reason why a distinction should be
made.
''At a time when most unusual
complications confront us, when the
Japanese question is before MS, when
our relations with the disturbed re-
public to the south OF us are most
grave and frought with mighty re
!. gponsibilities; when treaties AFFECT
ing our relations with various ma