Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1870-12-05

salaries Of the officers in the Treasury Depart
ment as fixed by law. The Offices recently es-
tablshed are supported by proper salaries;
tut the salaries attached to many of those re-
ated at the organization of the Government are
lnsufh cient. As a temporary means OF auevla-
ting the admitted evil, Congress has from lime
time, and for many years, annually made APP
Preparations to be used at the discretion OF the
Secretary, for additions to salaries of officers in
the Department. In the nature of the case, this
is a disagree able duty for the Secretary to per-
form, is usually unsatisfactory to the parties in
ttrested, and the result has not the sanction
and support incident to a system Of SPECIFIC sal
aries established by law. At the present time,
IKE sum of sol 500 Is distributed by the Secre-
tary in his discretion. After careful examin-
alton OF the subject, / find ,0at an additional
appropriation, not exceeding $4,000 year, will
be sufficient TO provide adequate salaries for the
for the officers of the Treasury Department.
The act of 1853 in regar- % me examination
of clerks has been Observed by this department,
and with benefci al results. IL is worthy of con-
liberation, hOweve,, whether 1t would not be
wise to provide b, law for an examining board,
the majority of ~hose members should no. be
officers of the apartment to which the clerk is
10 he assignei, In case OF appointment and ap-
Iroval. "dis system should also be extended to
the priJSipal custom houses and revenue Offices
OF thecountry. II such an arrangement, ade
ouat security would be taken for the character
anSqualifications of clerks, as far As they can
b ascertained or tested without actual service
n the discharge of official duty. 1t is well un-
derstood, however, that no exa ni1ation can
furnish security that the person examined will
always be speedy and easy method OF re moyiny
such persons from office. do not therefore az
ceptthe idea that the tenure ofoice for the KS
and employees in this Department should be
changed. Indeed, / believe that the present ten
ure Of Office furnishes the best security which
the people of the country can have that the bust
ness OF the Government will be efficiently and
properly performed. The work of the
Treasury Department does not differ
essentially from the business done in bank
ing, houses and merchants counting rooms;
DO xu1,r- At
of Office should be permanent in one
case that does not apply with equal force in the
others. 1t does happen practically that there
are in the Treasury Department aud IN every
bureau and office or it, men who have been con.
nected with the service for several wears and
who possess all the knowledge derived from ex-
perience and tradition that is essential to the
performance of their duties.
Excluding the employees of the Bureau of En-
CRAVING and Printing, and the messengers and
connected with the Treasury Depsrtment at
Washington on the LIST day of November, 1870:
and of these, ,is9 were in office on the Ith 1iay
OF March, 1869, leaving G5i as the total number
Of appointments made since that time.
Previous to the war the business of the de-
partment was go small that on the list of March,
1861, only 433 persons were employed, and OF
has been in Office over fifty years, two Others
over forty years, one over thirty-fiye wears
seven over thirty years, one over twenty-five
fifteen years, and twelve over ten years.
These statements show that the changes In
the department are not so numerous as to de-
priye the service of the knowledge derived from
experience. On the other hand, the introduce
ton OF new men secures additional energy and
emclency. Two errors prevail in the commu-
nity In connection with the subject. One is that
under republican government every man has
q right to an office. This is in no sense true
The only right Is that of the people to elect and
10 nave appointed to office persons best qualified
to perform the work. The other error is that
ONCE in the Treasury department are prizes
whlcn .ne young men Of the country may
Speaking generally, it is q misfortune to a
young man, who possesses even ordinary ca
pacity for business or labor, to remain peTms-
nently in the public Offices of the city. 1t is.
however, true that many Of the most yalu able
clerks in the Treasury are young men who are
professional studies, or who having
completed the course, remain from one to foul
industry and economy, of securing a small
amount Of money with which to Commence
active life elsewhere. A system of life tenure
would exclude All these men from the service,
unless they chose to accept it Is permanent |
pursuit, which in the main would be an injury
% them and to the country.
Il am also fully convinced that any more per- /
nanent tenure OF office would materially impair
he efficiency Of the revenue system There
re many thousand men employed in the Gus
ons and internal revenue service, and, how
yer careful the pre- iminary examination might
'e, the evils which now impair its efficiency
you'd undoubtedly exist. 10 system: nf exam
D., ton could exclude all those who are disbon-
st, o. VINO, under the pressure Of necessity or |
be offer OF sudden wealth, might yield to temp
amen under anv hs sTits' and It would
ound who are honest, temperate, and
pparen'iy e-gaple, and yet lack the
mercy or the courage essential to
he enforcement of the revenue laws-a duty
which alteI requires sagacity and kind of in
diligence too subtle for discovery through for
nal q lstions. Men who are thus unqualified |
l.. ~. Hrnx. 4Nx
tut an invest CATION, which, indeed, might fur
lish nothing tangible in justiic alton OF the act
10, too, in custom-houses or collection districts
branch of the service will fail to meet lust ex-
,ectations, although no dishonesty NAV be
raceable to any perGon connected with the Of |
Ice. In such ca es the interests OF the Govern
nent demand change, and a change must be /
made without hearing Of the parties concerned. |
i may be warranted IN saying in this connec-
ion that the evil OF office.seeking, although
,reat, is probably exaggerated in the public |
ions for appointment to Off ce in the depart- |
ncnt than can be met, but the number of an
'licants who are well qualified, and who could |
,ass any proper examination ina Is not usually
he several States and districts OF the country |
he number Of applicants for local ces doe. |
lot Otter exceed three or four to each Office
md occasionally there are not more than tw6 I
Who are really SO presented as to be considered |
q connection with the appointment.
-. 'nstihcaiion OF the present tenure, and a.
proper recognition Of tue services OF the Off
ers and CLERKS employed In THE ;iepar tment,
express the opinion that the business, upon tie
shole, is not only done in a satisfactory man
,rI, but that it will COMPARE in accuracy and
fl cheney with the business OF the country gen
rally which Is carried Oh by corporations or |
Individuals.
In my annual report Of December last | ad-
sised the continuance Of the existing system OF |
az aton as an essential condition TO the success |
If the proposed loan. The circumstances that |
var was declared between France and Prussia |
with the passage OF the loan bill |
put it out of the power of the Department to |
make the negotiation as had been expected |
The large revenues. however,, OF the Govern |
nent continuing without material abatement /
until the present time, improved the credit OF |
the country enabled the Treasury Department, |
by weekly purchases, to reduce the amount OF |
surplus bonds offered for sale, and contributed
TO depreciate the market value OF gold. |
also expressed the opinion that the settled |
policy of the country should contemplate a rev.
enue suff cient to meet the ordinary expenses of
the government, pay the intest on the public |
debt, and from twenty-five to fifty millions OF |
dollars Of the principal annually. The reduc |
ton Of the public debt since the 30th day OF |
June last, has been so great as to render 1t eer
tain that the total reduction fer the present ifs
cal year will exceed sixty millions OF dollars.
The natural increase OF the business OF the
country during the next eighteen months is