The Washington herald., 1922-06-13
Pay of Government Employees

To the Editor. The Washington Herald:
In my letter published in your
column Monday and with which
Government Enploye" takes issue
I petitioned Congress to grant more
pay to those Of the government who
feel and know they deserve more
pay" From my opponents confes-
sion he evidently assures himself he
is not in this class. And when
man feels that he is getting all o.
more than he is worth 1t is also
evident that he is Of little value to
his employer and still less to him
self
He again maks the fundamental
error in assuming that the 100000
government workers Il shall avoid
the use of the word clerks" when
ever logicaD are either messengers.
file clerks or typists. He is among
the Ignorant and slanderous," the
latter the effect of the former. Has
he ever made himself acquainted
with the workings of the highly
technical bureaus under Commerce,
Agriculture. Interior. Labor, Army
and Navy? Is he aware of the num-
ber of the technical and profess
sional employees and the highly
skilled artisans employed by these
departments? Let him use up some
Of this generous annual leave and
gain some worth-whi facts He
will learn that these men are miscr-
ably underpaid.
What If a man or woman in a
clerical position does get $500?
Because an outside industry gives a
man less than a living wage should
the government follow its example?
Because the L. S. Steel Corporation
employees men on a twelve-hour day
should the navy yards do likewise? :?
Why not pick while he is about il
model employers in industry and
draw the comparisons which he
infers?
There is some argument to the
personal privileges which are given
us but they are only passive in their
economic help. Can We fill our
belly with the east wind?" They
were good concessions thirty years
ago but are they really today?
School-teachers get three months
vacation pay yet committees of both
Houses of Congress have favorably
acted on bills to increase their
salary.
If he thinks the average govern
ment worker is overpaid let him
familiarize himself with the report
of the reclassifieation commission
after two years work by experts.
Let him read over the testimony
before the Civil Service committees
hearings given by specialists in EN-
ployment and noted economists such
IS Prof. Fisher. Let him get back
files of the dailies and read various
remarks of Secretaries Hoover. Mel
lon, the Attorney General and
others relative to pay OF employees
skilled in their work. Let him look
over the estimates submitted by the
various Secretaries increasing the
pay which Congress has thus far
denied. And these Secretaries are
all big business men from big bust
nesses and who do not believe in
opening the flood gates Of the Treas
ury. Even Senator Smoot and Mr.
Brown admit the inadequacy Of the
present salaries and give more to
professional and technical men than
the Sterling -Lehlbach bill provides.
In challenging anyone to cite
facts of where general loafing oc-
ours / did not mean to be shown
cases Of where Mary Green or John
Apple play hands all day, but of the
bureaus as whole which are not
supplying the public adequately Of
that with which they have to deal
with the appropriations as provided.
I admitted that some bureaus are
inflated with employees but he either
misunderstood or misconstrued my
question as to the imitation OF en-
ployes in private industry. asked
whether employees in private indus
try request that they be discharged
when they are too numerous for the
good of capital. The Surplus gov
ernment employe Is not his act, but
that of his superiors. II you are
one of three doing a task and there
is a surplus of two when the two
are discharged and you take over
the whole are you still overpaid?
The mere fact that per cent may
loaf or even SO per cent Is no argu-
ment that the remainder who are