Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-06-19
About 1000 National Guards
men Face Loss of Salaries
and Civil Service Status.
MAY RESULT FROM CALL
TO SERVICE WITH MILITIA
Only Executive Order by President
or Legislation by Congress Can
Remedy Situation.

About 1000 employees of the govern
ment in this city face loss Of Jobs,
salaries and civil service status because.
as members of the District National
Guard. they are forced to respond for
duty on the Mexican border.
Unless Congress. by legislation, takes
some action. or the President issues an
executive order protecting the rights of
the government employees they may re-
| turn to Washington after their term of
service in the Mexican campaign is
ended to ind their desks occupied by
employees who have been taken on to
Ali vacancies
There seems no provision in any law.
past or present. which would assure such
payment of salary during such absence
from civic duty on transfer to actual
military service. While there seems a
general sentiment favoring consider
alton for federal government and Dis
trict of Columbia clerks who. undertake
this military duty to provide that their
salaries shall go on for the provision
of those they leave behind. the legal
machinery does not seem provided.
Up to Congress Alone.
Congress alone can find a remedy.
While members Of Congress are in
quiring whether private employers Of
labor will undertake to keep jobs open
and pay salaries during absence from
such mercantile duties for those Of
their employees who answer the call to
arms. the government clerks and off,
Gals are suggesting that legislation
tv1,tD lfrf al,
to permit the government to show a
like consideration.
Something of the kind Is expected to
be done. The suggestion has been
made that the President might have the
authority by executive order to grant
extraordinary leave to such govern
ment employees as answer the call to
arms The law combining leave to thirty
various authorities. is interpreted by
officials to indicate the impracticabil-
it, and illegality of any such procedure
by the President.
federal employees who volunteered were
not accorded the pay for the civil ser
vice they abandoned to serve their
country in the field. The question
seems never to have been raised in any
accounts presented to the Office Of the
controller Of the Treasury. final arbiter
Of all federal accounts. Such employees,
however. were taken back into the civil
service without loss OF place or record.
Spanish War Situation.
Before the Spanish american war
there was on the statute books the law
Of March 1. 1889. providing that en-
ployes of the federal government and
of the government Of the District Of
Columbia. members of the National
Guard Of the District Of Columbia.
should not lose pay nor time for partic-
ipation In parade or encampment Sec
tion go act OF June 3. 1915. just en-
vision:
All officers and employees Of the
United States and Of the District of
Columbia who shall be members Of the
leave of absence from their respective
duties without loss of pay, time or
efhcientcy rating on all days during
which they shall be engaged in field or
coast defense training, ordered or au-
thorized, under the provisions Of this
act"
II It were possible for the proper
officials Of the government to construe
active service in the field as train
there is hardly doubt that It would be
done. But in entering active service
the individual alters his status from
civilian. and Is actually in the mill
construction seems impossible.
Provisions Of Act Of 1908.
Tho act Of January 81. 1903 (s2. Stat.
77s). provides that Tho militia, when
called into the actual service Of the
United States, shall. during their time
of service. be entitled to the Same pay
and allowances as are or may be pro-
vided by law for the regular army"
1t says nothing about the pay for the
Job abandoned back home.
The recently enacted law providing
that no government employe shall draw
two salaries in excess of $4,000, from
government appropriations can hardly
Of government accounts. In this case.
ono of the Jobs 10 not being attended
to. and no legal leave can cover the alb
sence from duty.
executive departments. especially the
War Department. will have to be made
Immediately. to meet the situation
caused by tho sudden increase Of the
probable hostilities. That is in addi-
ton to the necessity of supplying the
places of the employees attached to tho
District National Guard or other militia
organizations. Secretary Baker con-
ferred with Chief Clerk sconeld today
regarding tho probable necessities Of
the clerical situation. As a result Con-
gress will be asked to authorize the
employment at onoe Of about 200 addi-
tional clerks to meet tho sudden extra
demands on the bureaus Of tho depart
ment Most OF these are required to
keep up current work in the Offices Of
the ad5utant general, the quartermas-
ter general. the chief OF ordnance and
the surgeon general
May Have 70 Work Overtime.
II may be necessary until the matter
is adjusted to compel clerks remaining
on the Job to work overtime. As already
Is tho case in the ordnance bureau.
District National Guard officers to-
day said half the members Of the Dis
trict organization were employed by
the government. The question Of hold
ing the jobs open for these men is an
important one which they believe Con-
gress or the President should adjust at
once.
MINNESOTA PRIMARIES TODAY.