Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1922-03-29
Where Your
Taxes Go
How Uncle Sam Spends
Your Money in Conduct
ing Your Business
BY EDWARD 6. LOWRY
Author Washington Close-Ups." Banks and
Financial Systems" etc. Contributor Political
and Economic Articles to Leading Periodicals
and Writer Of Recognized Authority on the
National Governments Business Methods.
By EDWARD G. LOWRY
Copyright. Western Newspaper Union
XVII,
NO REWARD FOR LOYALTY

NO REWARD FOR LOYALTY
What can a man hope for who en-
tiers the government service as
career? Let us look at some actual
cases. Here is the story Of one as
told by q. ]. Ayers, chief clerk, De-
partment Of the Interior. He cites it
as case similar to that Of many 9th
ers in his department, and says there
are many others who are In worse cir
cumstances:
1.-THE records of our department
show that he entered the service as a
laborer at $660 year, after a service
OF three and half years in the Uni
ted States navy as a first-class fire.
man, with an honorable discharge. He
has been with us for more than thirty
three years, and is sixty-six years
old, and has given more than half his
life to the service of the government.
HE owns little property three
miles beyond the Chesapeake juno
ton, and he gets up early in the morn
ing, before daylight, and comes in to
work and goes out after dark at night.
Today he Is getting $40 year. He
has raised a family of nine children
three Of whom are now dead-eight
boys and one daughter. His elder
sons are married and have established
homes of their own. Two of his sons
We're in the military service in France,
and his daughter, twelve years old,
lives with her grandmother where he
is supporting, educating and clothing
her.
HE is a white man, very intelli-
gent man, eminently qualified for this
particular line of work. His wife is
dead. He Is his own housekeeper and
| he does the cooking and the washing
and the ironing.
His home was established in its
present location because it was not
thought practicable to raise family
| in the district, and he bought piece
Of property in Prince Georges coun-
ty three miles beyond the railroad
| terminal, which distance, as l said, he
walks twice day, leaving in the morn
| ing most of the year before daylight,
| and returning home by dark. This
| small place consists of a shack and a
| few acres Of land on which he has
mortgage of $1,000, and you can judge
| that he enjoys no conveniences other
| than the small house, which protects
! him from the elements.
"The house is divided into four
rooms, the partitions being of paper
| tackled to the framework there being
| no laths or plaster.
The small stove standing in the
| center of the room he has used for
more than twenty years, and the pot
on the stove contains his Sunday din
ner, which he has prepared for him
| self. consisting of white navy beans
| and fatback. These beans are now
| costing him twenty-five to thirty cents
| Il quart and the fatbacll costs him
| forty cents a pound. 1t could have
| been purchased a few years ago for
seventeen cents pound, and the beans
| Cor ten cents He does not get any
| fresh meat because he cannot afford
to buy it.
ITO my mind it seems pity that
The United States government should
employ men of that type, or any other
| type for that matter, and not give
| them enough to live on decently. 1t
is particularly pity in this case be-
cause he Is somewhat superior to
many of the employees. He has
stayed with us as matter of faithful
ness to the government, and has
stayed with us when he could make
more in one week outside of the gov
eminent than we pay him for one
| month.
"Others have left us, but instances
| of that kind have been very few. AT
| one time l had in our auditorium our
| employees and l made an appeal to
| them to stand by us during the war
| period, and there We're more than 800
| of them present, and they all of one
accord assured us that they would
stand by us and would give us the
| benefit of their labor in our depart
ment during the war period, notwith-
standing the fact that the price for
labor outside was great deal more"
| This curious pride in their work apd
loyalty to the government and the
government service was thing that
| CIODpci up III lHC iiiOSL ulCApCNtCu
| places.
AS one employee put it'll think you
will find that every service seems to
be quite proud of its work | know
you will find it in our service as far
as compensation and such as that are
| concerned. The pay in this office Is
small but that element, that feeling
| in mans mind that he is really help
! ing to accomplish good work and
helping this government to function
| well. is really part of it. find in all
my talks with employees that they
really feel proud Of their work, and
that pride is really what gets things
| done. l think that is true everywhere
In the whole service, and particularly
throughout the executive depart