The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1881-08-01
MONDAY MORNING. AUGUST 1.

branch of the service under his charge, select
ing his own men to do it, and answering in
turn TO his superior for the capacity, integrity
and efficiency of those he has employed.
lake the Treasury Department as an illus
tration. Let the President, after having called
70 his aid for Secretary of the Treasury the
best man the country affords, hold his hand
upon him, and require of him that that de-
partment shall be so conducted, in accordance
with the policy and principles of his admins
tration, as to produce the most perfect results
attainable. But let him go no further in its
management.
When results fall short of his standard, it
will be time for him to call new secretary,
not to enter into the detail of management
His brain and strength should be reserved for
higher duties, Let the secretary in turn select
his own heads of bureau without interferences
from the President, holding them directly re-
Sponslble to him for the character of the work
to bs performed in the field of labor assigned
exclusively to his charge, and clothing each
with power to select his own agents for the
performance of that work. If he understands
that he holds his position so long and not a
day longer than that work proves satisfactory
to the secretary who placed him there. the
strongest possible bond will have been taken
for the faithful discharge of public duty. One
head of a bureau, of large experience and ac-
knowledged ability, bore striking testimony on
this point a few years ago. The secretary had
been asking, year after year, for large in
crease of force for this bureau and the head
of the bureau was asked this question by the
committee: "Does not your 10 years. expert.
ence suggest some change either in the system
or in its management, which will infuse into
your bureau more of economy and efficiency
than now exists?" 1 commend his answer to
sincere reformers: "Were permitted to run
this bureau as any good business man would
manage his own establishment of $50 men, I
would take the contract to accomplish more
and better work than now do, with 90 less
clerks than now have; but otherwise l must
have so more. AS it is, have no voice in the
selection of man under me, nor in his reten-
ton an hour. / cannot discharge Ounce or a
drone or rascal. cannot promote merit or
degrade Incompetence. Men come to service
under me with a commission from one who
neither knows the character of the men he
sends to me or of the work they are to per-
form. And the whole force knows that its
tenure of office does not depend upon my
conviction that it accomplishes the greatest
possible results, but upon considerations over
which have no control"
Tho conduct of the census bureau demon
strates the efficacy and wisdom of the plan 1
suggest as well as the evil which comes of a
departure from it. Gen. Walker although
appointed by the President and placed under
the Secretary OF the Interior who could have
interfered and controlled its whole manage
ment, was nevertheless left, more than any
other bureau officer has been, master of his
ONA "~AN' 80 NSs wisely pihCOu LII CudI 20 VI
this great work by the Secretary, and held re-
sponsible for the character of its performance
Political complications, it is true, did at one
time lead President Hayes to interfere, but
Just to that extent the work went on badly
enough, and the interference was finally aban-
doned. He was, however, in the main, inde-
pendent In the management of his bureau, Sc
Letting bis own agents and controlling their
action. Tbs commissions of the appointe es
caLle in the name of the Secretary, because
the law required it, but they were Gen. Walk
er's appointees, coming and going only as they
met or failed to meet his requirements. How
wise was the selection of Gen. Walker and
the committal of the whole work to his hands
the public judgment has already determined
Let the commissions of appointees, so long
as the conditions and the law require it, eman-
ate from the President, but let their selections
be made, each by the man above him, to
whom he is responsible for his work. The
Secretary by the President, the head of the bu-
reau by the Secretary, the chief of division by
the head of the bureau, and the clerk in each
division by the chief under whom he serves
And let each one know that this tenure OF
office is measured only by his ability to return
to his superior the highest possible results
from the charge thus committed to him
Tie plainest business principles will then die.
tate to each in his sphere the rules of civil
service that must govern all his movements to
the end that the utmost efficiency, economy
and integrity attainable in the service re-
quired at his hands may reap for him in turn
security and permanency of place.