Greenwood daily commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1919-1926, 1920-04-23

tnelr nome d1SCrlcLS aDu SD0WSs
with letters and kilograms from theii1s /
voting constituency "back home" be-
speaking Influence" for the retent-
ion of government employees in their
present positions in the government
service at Washington.
For there is to be material reduct-
ion after July l, in great govern
mental force at the National Capt. !
tai which was built up by the war and
thousands of ''jobs" are to be abol-
ished by the very simple process of
cutting off the appropriations there
for There will not be sufficient num- |
Der of holes for the pegs, and some of
the pegs will have to go. The ques-
ton, therefore, is who shall go and
who shall remain. Many of them are
willing to go, but most of them de-
sire to remain.
Some wag in Congress, years ago,
in discussing the status of employees
in the government departments at
Washington, said "few die and none
resign" The fact is, that after men
and women have have been in the de-
partments here for years, most of
them find that they must stay on un-
til they die, because there is nothing
for them to do in the busy world out
side of Washington should they re-
sign. And, furthermore, great num-
bers of them take the government po-
sitions in the first place under stress
of necessity, to provide daily bread
for others dependent upon them, and
there never comes a moment wf1en
they dare resign; they have to keep
their nose to the grindstone willy nil
| ly.
When the United States entered the
war in 1917, it became necessary at
once to vastly expand the personnel
of the government departments, es-
pecially of the War and Navy. Every
thing centered at Washington, all eff
forts were directed from this point.
Before that the departments were be-
ing run on an economy basis, and ev-
cry bureau had complained for years
of being undermanned.
But additional employees had to be
taken in at once by scores of thou
sands. In fact, the additions to the
government rolls in the capital city
alone were figured to be something
over 100000. They were brought here
from every section of the country and
included people from all walks of
life For the major part, they were
young women, since males of like age
were subject to the selective draft
for the army. They were not only
invited to come but were urged, as a
patriotic duty, go to Washington and
do your Bit was the admonition seer
on most every bill board in the land.
AS "doing your bit" contemplated
: new and interesting work in the Cap
: ital of the Nation, under novel eondiF
tions and the excitement of the war
: with pay running from 5000 year tk
S12OO-mostly $1200-the offer SEEM
attractive to scores of thousands p1
young women, many of whom we1ft
2 doing confining work in stores afft
e factories, and to whom $100 month
sounded fabulous. So they came II
r troops and were packed awey in tn
t great government buildings viii 81
n sprane up like mushrooms overnig h
e on the park stretching between IN
Capitol Building and the Washingtp1
Monument.
No doubt, to great many Of them
e it was an adventure, lark. Case
e were found where girls had run avIa,
y from home and were living under hs
sumed names, to enjoy the great Pc
) venture. Many became disilluslo'he
+ soon and returned home. They foil n
t that living conditions in the terr'pl
l. congested city were unpleasant, Eoe
cause living quarters had not bee
: proyided for a sudden army of 10O,D0
u and more.
n The vast majority of them "stYck
: and thousands of them want to Ior
"a tinue to "stick at it" These nc,fld
y the young women who have nIao
It good" in their work: some Of weol
7 have been promoted and see fuful
It ahead in the government seTIic
t. Others belong in the class of the pc
4 issitous, who came here under the ,fhl
and spur of hard conditions which 70
lr ced them to earn ivlihood Tor tlfen
he selves and others and who as he
" saw, sssimply have just Got 70 sol
le the job" 1T
d These are the two classes thsllI b
p siege the congressman With impi!ft
be mites to be kept on whea the rollla IL
~ cut down in July, and who bring ffe
* sure to bear from voting relativ
IN home to support their pies.
J Its hard lines for the Consro1f