The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1922-07-06
Your
IS Go
How Uncle Sam Spends.
Your Money in Conduct
Ind Your Business
By EDWARD @. LOWRY
Author "Vsshipstsn Closs-ups," '.Usplu sp4
FthAnsiAl 6ysbslkSt,s etc. Contributor Political
and EcopptAtc Articles 10 LSAdina rse3sdtssk
Mslsonai 6oveesnsaR SSSlnsss Ssstsds
6op53lfEs. W..s.sa NsssSsSs4 Daioz
~ XVI. &} -:
WHAT OF THESE OLD MEN2


Congress enacted a law in 1890 re-
curing all heads of departments and
Independent establishments In the
federal service to report each year to
the secretary Of the treasury the num-
Der Of employees under them who were
below a 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 of
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 un year after year, but the
inefficient are never fired. E
For example, last year the chief
clerk of the treasury reported ITO en-
ployees of the Treasury department as
below a fair standard of efficiency. But
nothing win be done about 1t. The
Interior department reported 13o in
eficients, and will probably go on re-
porting them till they die Of old age.
There are employees Of the govern
fqenf In Washington VINO ore totally
blind and who are led from their
homes to their offices each day and
back home again In the afternoons
< I knew In 1920 one gentleman of
ninety-two. years who had been In the
government service for seventy-two
years. He was being paid at that time
$500 IA year. His maximum pay dur
ing his long service was $500 a year.
James II. Polk was President when
this old gentleman came into the serY-
Ice. He was born on January 10,
1928. His father was a captain of
the regular army In the war of 1872.
After that service he led an active life
In other occupations until 1848, when
he died, leaving a dependent family of
nine persons, three of them boys. It
fell to the lot OF one+of them to be the
chief support of the family.
It came to pass. then, that at the age
Of twenty he received through the
influence OF navy; friends Of his father
q small clerkship at the naval obsery-
atory, then under the superintendence
Of that accomplished officer, Matthew
Fontaine Maury, whom he served ia
amanuensis for ten years, accounting
Ii q great privilege and pleasure to
have heard MauryE voice debating the.
words 9f sense md YisdoM which
make up fhe sailing directions, The
WIND and current charts and other
publications issued from the obsery-
atory for the benefit of the world.
From q copyist at first, November {.
1848. At $3 day, the young man was
advanced as follows
July 1855. clerk at $1,000
year; July ], 1864, clerk bit s1,50O q,
year July ]. 187o. principal clerk at'
$1.800 q year; December /, 1911. clerk
1t $1.4o0 q year May ]. 1913, steuog-
rapher and typewriter at 5000 i year.
It will be seen that he was denoted
III December. 1911, and again III May.
1918. q lower positions, involving less
work and responsibility. These demo-
tons were at bis IVA request. BIZ
October, 1917 ne received from the
assistant secretary OF the navy. M.
Roosevelt. the following letter
81 have 10 inform you that y0p have
hem granted leave without pay for
~ months beginning October IL, 1o11.
you have been III tAe eanpIoy4
NJ M government now nearly slxty-
nine yearA and during all that dine
y0ur record has been excellent { II
axAf fhnf fharn n m vraxtNfn uhfr& =