Evening star., 1919-02-02
"I0B HOLDERS" AND
"C0L0RED CONTINGENT"
Who Are the Suffering Poor" Of
Washington Senator Sher-
man Pities?

! TO the Editor of The Star:
Senator Sherman of Illinois. in a
recent speech. scathingly arraigned
Washington as "a city of job holders"
These" he said. with the colored
contingent constitute the whole of
the city of Washington" Obviously
such remarks are based upon a pro-
found ignorance of the real city of
Washington and would deserve no no
| tiee from any one. except for the fact
| that they represent an unfortunate
| OF the country and reflected in the
| of the country and reected in the
views of many congressman.
1t is unfortunate that so many mem
| bers of Congress should be SO igno-
rant Of the facts relating to the Dis
triet of Columbia and to the govern
ment clerk. II it is not ignorance,
then it is the grossest form of hypoc-
risy. for the facts which can be ascer-
tanned by any one who wishes to listen
to them, are widely different from
these statements
If II is a fact that the majority of
N4lC pCOP1C AZ W lBii are lGlSTai
| lob holders" and those dependent
upon them, it is also fact that these
| Job holders" are, without exception.
the poorest paid class of employees in
the United States for the work they
do. 1t is a fact that the wages or
salaries of great many of them are
below the minimum wage" which
federal officials have repeatedly forced
other employees to pay. 1t Is fact
that there are Thousands of highly
educated and highly trained men and
women in Washington who are work.
ing for the government for salaries
at which an ordinary mechanic would
laugh to Scorn.- 1t is n fact that
there has been no material increase in
the salary scale of federal employees
for over fifty years, while the cost OF
living and the wages of union labor
have increased nearly 500 per cent in
that time. 1t is a fact that many
technical and scientific positions un-
der the government carry salary
scales lower than the present wages
of a street car conductor.
1t is a fact that thousands OF men
and yomen are going down to pow
erty stricken old age because they
unfortunately allowed themselves
when young to become enmeshed in
the tolls Of that SoUllesS and con-
scienceIess employer, the government
of the United States of America. q IL
is a fact that this same employer
during the war emergency paid un~
trained young girls salaries as great
or greater than it continued to pay
'+s old faithful employees. who weFo,
filling and had filed for many years
sositioGS OF trust and reSponSlbilityys-
requiring. in many cases, years of
special training and eNperience. and
it is fact that, by a series OF laws
and regulations more oppressive and
iniquitous than any private employer
would dare to infiict upon his em-
ployes. the government has prevent
ed these old faithful employees from
bettering their conditions.
If. as the senator says, the lob
holders and the "colored contingent"
constitute the population OF Washing
ton, who are the suffering poor" to
whom he refers iE another part OF
his speech? Are they the sob hold
ers'' or the "colored contingent? l
The fact is that the underpaid gov
ernment employees are the "suneringS
poor" here, and the Congress or the,
United States is directly responsible
for their condition by refusing them
more than nominal salary increases
and by making the conditions of their
employment such that they cannot
increase their earnings except by
leaving the government services
which. for the majority. would mean
leaving Washington, and breaking up
their homes here. s
1t is also a fact that the District OF
Columbia is further behind the times
in modern social and economic legts-,
la tion than any other city OF its size
or of greater size in this country.
Its schools are overcrowded. its teach
ers are paid less than laoorers
wage. its police laws are defective.
its police force is inadequate to en-
force such laws as il has, its health
is powerless and Its milk,
laws are a disgrace.
The Congress of the United States
Is intrusted with the sole power ana
of the government OF
the District of Columbia, and the
present conditions are due simply and
solely TO the failure OF Congress to-
act in the city's interests and by its,
and Indifferent policy to-
ward the District of Columbia and its
people.
And yet the senator says that the
people of Washington have all they
are entitled to now and would refuse
hem the right of suffrage. Could
hey make a worse job of il than
Congress has? Let those congress-
men who are so strongly antipathetio
.oward this city be honest with them
selves and think IL they would dare
reat their voting constituents an they
reat their voteless constituents or
he National Capital
KENNETH T. ARMSTRONG.