The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1881-12-09

business, but which do not involve payment
of any arrears beyond the date of filing
the claim. OF this number it is now esti-
mated that Sc per cent. will be allowed, as
has been stated. With the present force
of the Pension Bureau, 676 clerks, it is esti-
mated that it will take six years to dispose
OF the claims now pending. Il is stated by the
commissioner of Pensions that II an addition
O. zo5 clerks INCREASING the adjudlcatlng force
rather than the mechanical, double the amount
OF work could be accomplished, so that these
cases could be acted upon within three years.
Aside from the consideration Of justice which
may be urged for q speedy settlement OF the
claims nov on the files of the Pension Office,
It is no less important ON the score Of economy.
inasnlueh as fully 9ne-third OF the clerical force
of the Office is now wholly occupied In giving
attention to correspondence with Thousands Of
claimafi.s whose cases have been on the files
for the past eighteen years. The fact that q
sum so enormous may be expended by the
Government to meet the demands for arrears
of pensions is an admonitio1 to Congress and
the Executive to give cautious consideration to
any similar project in the future. The great
temptation to TIE presentation of fictitious
claims afforded by the fast that the average sunS
obtained upon each application Is 81 800, leads
me to suggest the propriety Of making some
specisl appropriation for the prevention OF
fraud
AHIEfsNAH lElthOf EMENIS-
l advise appropFiahons Tor such INTERNAL
Improvements as tbs wisdom of Congress may
seem to be of public lnlportanee. Tue neces-
sity of improving the navigation Of the hlssls-
sippL river justifies a special alusion to that
sdb1ect. l suggest the adoption OF some
measure for removal of distinctions which
now impede the navigation of that great chan
mel Of commerce.
THE CIVIL SERVICE.
1n.my letter accepting the nomination for
the Vice Presidency l stated that in my iudg-
ment " no man should be incumbent of an Of
fee the duties of which he is for any cause
unfit to perform, or who is lacking in the abll-
ity, fidelity or integrity which proper admin
lstration of such Office demands" Inis senti-
ment would doubtless meet with general soqui-
eseence, but opinion has been widely divided
upon the wisdom and nIpracaoability of the
various reformatoTy schemes which have been
suggested, and of certain proposed regulations
governing appointments TO public ofhce.
The efficiency of such regulations mas
been dlsIusted mainly because they have
seamed to exalt mere ednca ional and abstract
tests above general business capacity, and eyGU
speoial fitn SIS for the wCck in hand. II seems
to me t1at the rules that should he applied TO
the management of the u lie ryice - may
properly conform IN the man, to such as reg
ulate the condition Of successful private bust
upon ascertained less. The tenure OF Office
should be stables positions of RESPONSE
bilty should, so far as practicable,
be filled by the promotion of worthy
and efficient officers. The Investigation of ali
complaints ami the punishment of al! miscon-
duct should be prompt and thoro ga"
The views expressed in the 70 eSoing letter
are those which will govern my administration
of the executive 0fnce They are doubtless
OH nv al intn City M
however divergent III their opinion as to / ,e
best methods of putting them into pIaetc1i
operation.
For example, the assertion that original APP
pointmentS should be based upon ascer-
tanned fitness sis not open to dispute" but
the question how, in practice, such fitness
can be most effectuslly ascartained is one
which has for years excited interest AMI Ills
cIrsei0n. The measure which, with slight
variations in its details, has lately been
urged upon the attention of Congress Snd
the Executive has its principal feature III
tae scheme of competitive examination.
Save for certain exceptions, which need
not here be spa CHI, d, this pla' void give adj
mission to the ssIy c. only III s lowest grade
and would accordingly demand that all yEcan~
cies In the higher positions should lie filled by
promotion alone. In these particulars it Is IN
conformity with the existing civil-serYice sys-
TEN of Great Britain, and indeed tue success
which has attended that system ii the century
of It's birth Is the strongest argument which
has been urged for lis Adoption here. III fact
| should not, however, be overlooked that there
| are certain features OF the English system
| which have not generally been received with
favor III this country, even among the fore
most advocates of civil-service REFORM
Among them are: First, a tenure of Office
which ia substantially life tenure Second,
| q limitation of the maximum age ct which
| an applicant can enter the service, whereby
all men in middle life or under are, With
some exceptions, rigidiy excluded Third, q
| retiring allowance upon going out of Office.
These three elements are as important
| factors of the problem as any Of the others.
| To eliminate them from the English system
| would effect q most radical change IN its
! theory and practice. The avowed purpose Of
| that system is to induce the educated young
| mon of the country to devote their lives to
| public employment, by an assurance that,
| having once entered upon 1t, they need never
| leave il, and that after voluntary retirement
| they shall be recipients of an annual pension.
| That this system, as an entirety, has proved
very successful. in Great Britain seems to
| be generally conceded, even by those who once
| opposed its adoption. To a statute, which
| should incorporate all its essential features. |
should feel bound to give my approval,
| but whether it would be for tho
| upon an expedienI, for immediate and
| extensive application, which embraces certain
| features of the English system, but excludes or
| ignores Others Of equa Importance, m6y be
| seriously doubted even by those who are I'M
| pressed as | am myself, with the grave import
/ snce of correcting the evils which lnhere III the
| present methods of appointment If, Tor ex-
| ample, the English rule, which shuts out per-
Sons above the age OF % years from q large
number of pubic employ1nents, il not to be
nude an essential part of our system, 1t il
| questionable whether the attainment
| of the highest number OF malhs
| at O competitive examination should
| be the criterion by winch all applica-
| tons for appointment should be put to test ;
| and under similar conditions 1t may also be
| questioned whether admission to the service
| should be strictly limited to its lowest ranks.
| There are very many characteristics which go
| to make up a model civil servant prOmI-
| neut among them are probity, industry,
| good sense, good habits good temper patience,
ardor, courtesy, TACT self-relianc., manly oef'
| erence to superior officers, and manly
| considerations or interiors. The absence Of
/ these traits is not supplied by wide knOwL-
| edge of books, or by prOmptitude in answering
| questions, or by any other quality likely 10 be
| brought to light by competitive examination.
1 To make success III such a contest, therefore,
| AN indispensable condition of public employ
! ment, would very likely result III the prdcJcal
| exclusion of the older applicants, even though
| they might possess qualifications far superior
| to their younger and mrre brilliant comp ttors,
| These suggestions must not be regarded as
evinciDg any spirit OF opposition to the COM
| petitive plan, which has been, to some extent,
| successfully employed already, and which may
| hereafter v;ndicate the cltins of its most
earnest supporters, but it ought to be seriously
| considered whether the applicable OF the same
| educational standard to persons OF mature
| years, as to young men fresh from school and
| college, would not be likely to exalt more
| intellectual proficiency above other qualities
| Another feature of the proposed system,
the selection by promotion of all officers of the
| Government above the lowest grade, except
| such as would fairly be regarded as opponents
| of the policy of the Executive and the pTlnci-
/ pies of the dominant party, to afford encour-
| agement to faithful public servants Dy exciting
| in their Kinds the hope Of promotion, # they
| are found to merit it, is much to be desired,
| but would it be farciol to adopt a rule so
| rigid as TO permit no other mode OF supply
| Jog the intermediate wants Of the service
| There are many persons who fill suDor-
| dinate positions with great credit, but lack
| those qualities which are requisite for the
| higher posts of duty, and, BESIDE the modes If
| thought and action of one whose service in a
| Government bureau has been long and contin-
| ned, are often so cramped by routine proceed
| ure as almost TO disqualfy him from instituting
| changes required by the public interests, and
| infusion Of new blood from time to time into
1 Ii