Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-04-03
POVERTY EXCLUDES
SANTAFR0M HOME
Department Messenger Ex-
plains Why He Had to Dis
illusion Little Daughter.
NAVY RECORD NO ASSET
TO HIM IN GETTING JOB
Tells House Committee at Hearing
on $3-a-Day Bill of Sufferings
of Frail Wife.

of Frall Wife.
A little girl who prayed that Santa
Claus would bring her tricycle-and
then did not get twas the foremost
person at the meeting of the House
three dollar-a-day bill was discussed.
The little girl was not present. but her
father. Harry Goldman. an assistant
messenger in the office of the adjutant
general. was there. and he told the
committee how he and the little girls
mother had been forced to unfold to
their little seven-year-o daughter the
great tragedy of the poor at Christmas.
THE child woke up on Christmas day
without the great dream of her life com :
ing true: and a few days later the real
reason was revealed to the world when a
baby brother appeared
Il don't suppose you gentlemen ever
heard of little baby like that that
doesn't have soft powder put all over his
body-our baby never knew what the feel
of powder is" said Goldman. who gave
some plain and direct facts on the way a
government messenger with a slender and
not Overstrong wife has to turn slave in
order to put bread in the mouths of his
meats when they have it at all. and never
tricycle. for their little girl or toy of
any sort.
Record in Navy No Asset.
Il haven't the slightest kick against
my job he told the committee. but
when I think of the hope I had when
T was married and how ] have made
my wife deny herself and how / have had
to bring up my little girl in neighbor-
walk at nights get sick. | Went to work
when l was twelve years old, and when |
was big enough / thought | would be
doing good thing to join the navy.
Then when l left the navy with an
honorable discharge and high A
rating as I could get / went back to
my old employer, thinking he would
be glad to see me and give me job.
He looked me over and he said: Get
out OF here, you navy bum
so 1 went to driving wagon.
Then i took the civil service, and got
into the War Department. | get $50 a
month. and this is the way the prin-
cipal items lined up to Saturday: We
paid $3.50 for rent, and by walking
all over town to get the very cheapest
stuff. we paid SIS a month for our
table. ] carry $3.50 month insurance;
we pay $50 for gas and s1.40 for milk.
THAT makes $3.50. and for the other
things we have to scrimp and scrimp and
save and deny. / never in my life spent
cent for tobacco and liquor and ]
haven't had whole new suit of clothes in
six years. 1 don't spend any money! for
carfare.
No Money for Prescriptions.
II have been sick: my wife has been
sick. Doctors are reasonable. you can
pay them dollar now and then, but il
takes cash to fill prescription. And you
can't get prescription filled for less than
So cents. / have studied my eyes out.
thinking ] could advance myself in the
civil service, but now comes the doctor
and tells me I'm nervous wreck and il
I study any more I'll either be dead or
insane in six months.
IF I look at a printed page now l
go to pieces. and the doctor tells me
to get glasses. I found out they cost
IS and l can't get them.
'Since this Nolan bill to pay gov
eminent employees minimum wage of
50 day has come up. every woman
in our class of life has been talking
about it. That's all they do talk about.
MY wife thinks of it and talks of it
every hour. | believe. We were lying
in bed one night. and she put the baby
over to one side and woke me:
what do YOU WANT | asked her.
81 can't sleep she said
"'Count sheep, l said to her
Its no use. It's no use she said, I
was just thinking how glorious it
would be if the Nolan bill goes
through"
Disillusioned Little Girl.
Then he told about his little girl and
how her belief in Santa Claus had to
be killed:
Our little girl wanted a tricycle.
one last Christmas. She kept writing
to Santa Claus and praying for one.
and we began to set down and figure
out exactly what we could do. There
wasn't anything to it. The other little
baby was on its way, and there was
more expense there than we could
stand anyhow.
One night Fear to Christmas we had to
both go to our little girl. and her mother
told her the truth about Santa Claus.
She told her there wasn't any Santa
Claus at all. and that daddy and man.
ma had to buy that tricycle.. and that we
didn't have the money, and the child
didn't have any tricycle."
Then he opened the door of his house
and let the committee see how the in
ternal economies were arranged
II don't suppose you gentlemen ever
knew about washing over a tub. Well
my wife and l do the washing together
I come home at night and help her be-
cause she is too frafl. I have coaled
ship in the tropicS-I was on the Maine
and helped coal twenty-five hundred
tons a week. and believe me. gentlemen,
it's easier than washing over a tub
Realty Agents Insulting.
"why do government employees have
to make slaves of themselves? ask