Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-08-27
RESENT PROPOSAL
TO THROW EMPLOYEES
OUT OF THEIR WORK
Republican Plan of Saving That
Has Stirred Federal Workers at
National Capital.
ACTUAL REDUCTION IN
EXPENSE VERY SMALL
Special pispaica to Every Evening

Special Dispatch to Every Evening
Washington, Aug. 27.--In their scheme
of general criticism of the Democratic
administration for failure to economise
IN Federal expenditures by reducing the
number of employees in the departments 10
Washington and out in the states, the
Republicans have overshot the mark and
arrayed the majority of the 1oO,ooO
government clerks against them.
Claiming the administration was over
looking the opportunity to reduce gov
crnmcnt expenses in Washington, Clarence
Il. Miller, secretary of the Republican
National Committee, In political address
delivered in Washington, few days ago,
advocated the dismissal of 300, 900 govern
mcnt employees as means of reducing the
cost Of living to the general public.
The Republicans have been making these
charges of extravaganza, against the
Democrats for two years without encount-
ering serious setback, but on this occasion,
the Republican National Committee
secretary overplayed his hand and has
stirred up hornets nest that may bring
stings 10 his party In November.
Taking direct issue with Secretary
Miller, Luther &. Stewart, president of the
National Federation of Federal Employees,
an organization representing the majority
of the 100000 government clerks, has
addressed "A letter TO Republican head
quarters, pointing out that practical APP
plication of Millcr's plan would reduce the
government personnel for the entire eoun-
Try, exclusive of the postal service, to
10000 and produce a saving, then, OF but
t3 per cent of the total government ex-
pcnditure of 1920.
In other words, President Steward
states that the cost of the Federal gov
rrnmcnt IN 1920 was about S5l 60 per
head, of which sum S3.7l was paid. in
wages tO government workers. The letter
20 Mr.. Miller says:
In other words, If you are quoted
correctly, YOU seem TO have fallen in with
the iallacy so diligently exploited by pri-
waite employing interests that seek to
keep the workers on low wages; namely
the false contention that labor costs
Hrc the chief factor IN the cost of living
Fortuna tcly, the public IS at last begin
nng 20 understand that an increase of a
dollar per ton for coal, for example. does
not mean that the miner gets anything
like that proportion. And we have learned
that when we pay $3.50 for a pair of s.
shoes. the workers share of the increase
ln price is only Is cents.
"fhc dismissal of 800, 900 government
employees would leave about $40 600 civil
ian employees in the entire government
service OF these, 300, 900 are in the postal
service, which is so notoriously under
manned that we assume YOU would not
attempt reduction there. II then the 300.-
Ou0 dismis sails would be from the remain
lng services, YOU would leave 10000 men
and women 10 operate not only all the
executive offices in Washington (where
before the war the personnel was 81 ,000)
bat all the customs, immigration, and
revenue Offices, courts, government hos
pltals, public health stations, peniten-
ciaries, Indian schools, agricultural. for
tstry, fisheries, stations, reclamation prof.
ects, arsenals, navy yards and stations,
lighthouses, coast guard, steamboat IN
spcction, and numerous other field SER
vices of the government all over the Unit
cd states. You seem not 10 realize, furth-
crmore, thst such bureaus as War Risk
Insurance, Internal Revenue, the Public
Health and Vocational Education Board,
created or expanded in the last four years,
require permanent personnel in Wash