The Washington times., 1916-01-19
WHY THIS EXCEPTION?

There has been reported to the
Senate a resolution by Senator Ken
yon which provides for an investi-
cation of living costs Of wage earn
ers in the District of Columbia,
other than Government employees. In
a general way the resolution stands
for a proper enlightenment of the
relation between incomes and neces-
sary expenditures of residents here.
But it does not seem to 20 far
enough.
Why should this investigation ex-
clude the employees of the Federal
Government? There are some 10000
Of these, representing the income
producing support of probably 200,-
600 people, or more than half the
population of the city. 1t is no
toriouS that Government salaries
have not been readjusted in more
than half century, and that, for
the great majority Of people draw
ing them, they are lower than sal
aries for like service in business.
If Washington is an expensive
city for other people to live in, it is
also an expensive city for the Gov
ernment employees.
There is another reason why this
inquiry ought to extend to Govern
ment employees. 1t is going to be
utterly impossible to improve the
wage scale of other classes of work
ers in this town, so long as Govern
ment employees are kept under an in
adequate compensation schedule.
The backbone Of Washington's pro-
ductive opportunity is Government
service. If the big majority of earn
ers are inadequately paid, the mi
nority, whose pay must largely come
from that Of the Government work.
ers, must also be inadequately paid.
A family which has Government
salary Of 5000 year as the basis of
its income cannot pay as good
wages, let US say, for domestic help,
as a family that has a basic income
of Sl,40O.
There has been demand that
some minimum wage scale be estab-
lished for this District. Unless the
thing be done in an intelligent way
it would be just about the most ruin
Gus performance that unintelligent
experimentation could perpetrate. 1t
is all well enough to protest that
laundry workers and shop girls and
walters and many other classified,
tions of people are underpaid; per,
haps they are; but their pay has to
come from the people who patroniZe
the establishments in which they
work. If those patrons are out.
rageously underpaid-and, to the
extent that they are Government
employees, they are thus underpaid-
how on earth are they to be squeezed
for still higher charges, still highe,
wages, to go to the people whose
employment depends on the patron.
age of these Government workers?
The truth is that the question OF
wages in general would adjust itself
fast enough in this town, if the great
superior employer-Unclc Sam
would just pay reasonable wages
for the service he requires.
, He doesn't. He requires a high
quality Of service; high as deter,
mined by the tests imposed on ap,
plicants for civil service positions
high as indicated by the characte,
of the work demanded; high a!
shown by the general intelligence OF
the army Of workers; high as PROVED
by the fact that better opportunitie.
: in general business are constant,
taking people away from the civil
service.
There can be no satisfactory ad
iustment of economic condition.
among the people of Washington
that is based on anything short of {
proper appreciation, by the Govern
ment, of its responsibility for thu
whole community. 1t would be yer!
easy to work a real calamity il
Washington, through such a well-in
tentiOned investigation as this pro
posed one, followed by legislation
attempting to fix wage minimum
for certain classes of employees whil
leaving the great majority of earn
ers ll-pad and with no hope of bet
tcring their condition.
If the Kenyon resolution can b,