Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-07-19
DEMOT|ON, He SAYS,
KILLS AGED CLERKS
Commissioner Ewing Tells
Pathetic Story in Arguing
for Retirement Law.
OTHERS ASK FOR PENSIONS

The cases of two aged employees OF
the patent office, one OF whom killed
himself and the other Of whom went
home to die of a broken heart when
they were denoted. were cited by Com
office in his argument today before the
Senate civil service committee in sup
port of the adoption Of a retirement
and pension system for superannuated
civil employees OF the government.
I'VE had a tragic experience in the
patent Office" said MIR. Ewing. when
four men on the examining board were
reduced at the same time, one grade.
cutting down their salaries $500 year:
One went home and to his bed and
died the second day; another went TO
an undertaker's office and blew out his
brains. Fifty per cent Of the men de-
Humiliated by Demotions.
Mr.. Ewing told the committee there
was much humiliation attached to be-
ing marked as superannuated and de.
NOTED under present conditions: II
there was q retirement system. with q
central retirement board to pass upon
all cases. he said, there ewould be no
such humiliation.
Many government officials appeared
before the Senate committee today to
urge The enactment without delay OF
an adeanate ciyil service rst,r enc nt
Charles NJ. galloway told the committee
that the commission had been on rec
ord for a number OF Year, fsvoring q
contributory plan. whereby the en-
centage OF their salaries to the estab-
lfshment Of . retirement fund. He left
with the committee statement by the
commission to this effect.
Others who were heard In support Of
a retirement system were Commission
er Butler of the lighthouse service. AS.
sistant Secretary Edwin F. Sweet Of
the Department Of Commerce. Brig.
Gen. Henry P. Mccain, ad5utAnt gen.
eral Of the army; Calvin satterheid, chief
partment Of Justice; Col. Birmingham
Of the surgeon generals ohics, Capt.
Bailey Of the once OF the qrartermas-
ter general, James L. Baity, auditor for
the War Department; Miss Florence
Etheridge OF the burehu OF indian At
fairs, and DIR. Lewellyn Jordan. secre-
tary OF the United States Civil Service
Retirement Association.
Aged Lightkeepers a Problem.
Commissioner Butler pointed out the
great need Of b retirement system for
the lighthouse service. He said that
Of the five or Six thousand employees.
ninety-two were more than seventy
years of age and twenty-four had
served more than forty years.
ut is hard to take care Of these old
employees he said. He added that 1t
was unfair to the travelling public.
however. to keep superannuated men
on the lighthouses.
He advocated a straight pension plan.
but said that any equitable system Of
retirement would be a great benefit.
II am very strongly IN favor OF the
adoption Of some system OF retirement
for the civil service employees" said
Assistant Secretary Sweet Of the De-
partment of Commerce. He said the
government would benefit greatly In 4
financial way by the adoption Of such
system and at the same time . way
would be found to care for the men
and women who had devoted their lives
to the government service.
Discussing the question OF superan-
nuation. Gen. Mccain said that in the
regular force of the adjutant generals
OF this number seventy-seven are over
seventy years OF age.
1--WE can't turn them out" he said;
ut would be inhuman. Yet the govern
ment is not getting Its value for the
money it pays out. They should be re-
tired, say, after reaching sixty five, on
half pay or three quarters pay. I
would not make the age arbitrary,
however. for one of my best clerks Is
eighty-three years old and others over
seventy are OF great value in this
crisis"
Senator smoot suggested that it
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