The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1922-07-07
Copyrixht. Western Newspaper Union
XVI
WHAT OF THESE OLD MEN =?

VITAL VI lAlGS6 VIZ Ave
Congress enacted law in 1880 re-
quiring all heads of departments anu
independent establishments in the
federal service to report each year 10
the secretary of the treasury the num-
Der of employees under them who were
below fair standard Of efficiency.
Every year this Is done and the letters
TO the secretary of the treasury from
the various departments and bureaus
are printed in the book of estimates or
appropriations compiled for use by
congress in making up the annual
supply bills. Congress never pays the
slightest heed to these reports. They
are made up year after year, but the
inefficient are never fired.
For example, last year the chief
clerk of the treasury reported 10 en-
ployees of the Treasury department as
below a fair standard Of efficiency. But
nothing will be done about It, The
Interior department reported 139 In
efficients, and will probably go on re-
porting them till they die of old age.
There are employees Of the govern
ment in Washington who are totally
blind and who are led from their
homes to their offices each day and
back home again In the afternoon.
knew in 1920 one gentleman OF
ninety-twO years who had been in the
government service for seventytwO
years. He was being paid at that time
$500 year. His maximum pay dur
ing his long service was $500 year.
James X Polk was President when
this old gentleman came into the serv-
ice. He was born on January TO-,
1928. His father was captain OF
the regular army in the war of 1912.
After that service he led an active life
in other occupations until 1913, when
he died, leaving dependent family Of
nine persons. three of them boys. 1t
fell 10 the lot Of one Of them to be the
chief support Of the family.
1t came to pass, then, that at the age
Of twenty he received through the
influence of navy friends Of his father
a small clerkship at the naval Observ-
atory. then under the superintendent
of that accomplished officer, Matthew
FOntalne Maury, whom he served as
amanuensis for ten years, accounting
ii great privilege and pleasure to
have heard Maury's voice debating the
words of sense and wisdom which
make up the sailing directions, the
wind and current charts and other
publications issued from the observ-
atory for the benefit Of the world.
From copyist at first November 8
lS4S, at So day, the young man was
advanced as follows:
July l, 1853, clerk at $1,000 a
year; July l, 1854, clerk at $500 a
year; July l. 1870, principal clerk at
$500 year; December 6, 1911, clerk
at $1.4OO year; May /, 1918 stenog.
rapher and typewriter at 5000 year
1t will be seen that he was denoted
in December, 1911, and again in Nav.
1918, to lower positions, involving less
work and responsibility. These demo.
tons were at his own request. In
October. 1917, he received from the
assistant secretary of the navy, Mr.
Roosevelt. the following letter:
II have to inform you that you have
been granted leave without pay for
six months beginning October ID, 1917
AS you have been In the EMPLOY
OF the government now nearly sixty.
nine years, and during all that time
your record has been excellent. l re-.
greet that there is no way in which the
department could continue you on the
rolls with compensation.
Il desire at this time to express
the appreciation Of the department for
your long and satisfactory service and
the hope that you will be so benefited
ny this leave that you can return and
resume your duties at Its expirat ton. -
talked with one Of the cabinet
officers about the old and feeble EN-.
plOyees.
He said: II don't know what con.
gress intends to do about them but 7
know what | intend to do with thosa
in my department. l intend to leave
NA "''"o' Ahcy Cuu stay here aS
long as they like, until some provision
Is made for them. When l was new
In the department dismissed two NJ
these old people and denoted another
on the ground that they were sinner.
animated and inefficient and were a
hindrance to the work.
"All three of them wrote mo sod
letters and promptly committed sni.
eide. That was enough and mora
than enough for me. Never again
VIII l disturb one of them. do No,
choose TO have it on my conscience
that l pronounced sentence of death
on an old man or an old woman in
the service of the government. They
can all stay on here as long as thew
ike. ! found them here and some NJ
them VIII he here when leave. n
congress chooses to provide for them
that Is its obligation. But will never
sentence another one of them to self.
destruction, no matter what the cost
to the taxpayer and the government -