Fort Worth Daily Gazette

Secretary Endicott's Warning.

Secretary Endicott's warning to dead-beats who may succeed in finding places in his department is one that will commend itself to the public, and it is one that every employee might enforce with good to his own service as well as with justice to the public. Secretary Endicott tells the employees of the war department that they must pay their just debts, and says that "while the war department will not permit itself to be used as a collection agency, and declines to take action in a case where illegal interest is charged or where the indebtedness was incurred before the employee entered the service of the department, neither will it harbor anyone who contracts a debt on the strength of his official position, and then without sufficient excuse neglects to make payment, and generally it may be stated that where a case has been tried and judgment rendered, it is too late to deny the justness or correctness of the amount of the judgment. Hereafter complaints will be sent to the proper chiefs of the bureau, who will be expected to take such action as may be necessary, and if it shall appear that the employee is using his official position as a shield to avoid the payment of his debts and in violation of this circular, he will be recommended for discharge."

It all sounds well enough to say that neither the government nor any other employer has any right to assume control over the private affairs of an employee, and that so long as the latter does his work well the employer has nothing to do but pay him for it.

The man who receives his salary regularly and who fails to pay his board and other bills is not an honest man, and should be forced to ways of honesty or deprived of the place by virtue of which he gains the confidence of people and swindles them. Men working for salaries are enabled to obtain credit by referring to the fact that they work for the government or any other well-known employer; the fact that they hold such positions is considered as a guarantee of their honor and honesty, and it is the most irresponsible men who give the greater emphasis to the fact of their employment in seeking to obtain credit and to swindle people.

An employer has nothing to do