The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1881-12-07
arEarDENTss MESSAGE.
Continued. from page 2.

-,rSzsG SzIEl which mGSt be pad 1IpGT
-sgSSIrJas which were filed before Jul
.qgf. 1880, and are row pending, and
sszuf5tded to the benefits of the
arrears act. Fr0Ra this amount may
me deducted frem $4,000, 900 to S15,-
$50. 600 for cases where the claim
ants dying, there is no person VINO,
under the law, would be entitled to
BEeh pension, leaving $235,O00,OOO as.
Che probable amount to be paid; In
these estimates no account has ,Deen
taken of the $4,000 cases filed since
Sune 80, 1850, and now pending,
Ef1ich must receive attention as cur
TBat business, but which do not
. 7sEwoIVe the payment of any arrears
s. Sevand that of the date Of the filing
5Ye. claiaa. OF their number it is
sstIn ated that IS per cent. will be
EEIowed, and it has been stated that
{ 9Th the present force of the pen
gT0E bureau, 675 clerks, it is eSti"
mated it will take six years to dis
rose OF the claims now pending. 1t
* stated by the commissioner of
pensions that by an addition of go
-ssaGrks, increasing the adjudlcating
r zzszree rather than the mechanical
EGEble the amount Of work could be
accomplished, so that these cases
zsBEs1d be acted upon within three
E8zrs. Aside from the cOnsidera-
Ie1s Of justice which may be urged
dar & speedy settlement Of the claims
ZBW on the files of the pension Office,
LIS no less important on the score
81 81 economy, inasmuch as fully one
= fEErd Of the clerical force Of the
sK1ce is now wholly occupied in Civ
s zGg attention to correspondence
F-gEEGh thousands Of claimants whose
Uses have been on rile for the past
~zEgateen years. The fact that sum
10 enormous may be expended by
x E&.e government to meet demands for
zExearS of pensions is an admonitiOn
Sc Congress and the Executive to
Eve cautious consideration to any
3zz1uar project in the future. The
great temptation to the preSenta-
NON Of fictitious claims afforded by
ne fact that the average sum OBJ
1EEned. upon each application is
800, leads me to suggest the pro-
Eiety Of making some special APP
Ns9priatiOn for the prevention of
fraud.
INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS.
.~E advise appropriations for such
IZternal Improvements as in the
>7rSsd0m of Congress it may deem to
acE$a of'public Importance. The neces-
Sly of improving the navigation of
@ze Mississippi river justifes a spe-
@1&l allusion to that subject. 1 sug-
s-ysgtsthe adoption Of some measure
t12r the removal of the Instructions
which now impede the navigation of
Eat great channel Of commerce.
CIVIL SERVICE.
IN my letter accepting the nomin-
3&3en for Vice-preSident, I stated
~-z23t in my judgment noman should
80 the incumbent of office the duties
III which he is for any cause unfit to
EerfOrm, who is lacking in the abil-
zsy, fidelity or integrity, which a
5U9per administration Of such Office
demands. The sentiment would
doubtless meet with general acqui-
4sence, but opinion has been widely
divided upon the wisdom and prac-
liability Of the various reformatory
schemes which have been suggested,
2@d certain proposed regulations
oEerning appointments to public
s2Ence. The efficiency of such regula-
s2nS has been miStruSted mainly
because they have seemed to eXalt
-Znere educational and abstract tests
&p0Ye general b iSineSS capacity,and
t-sVen special fitness for The particular
y SIX III hand. 1t seems to me that
she result that should be applied to
Slle management of the public SER
vice may properly conform in the
main to such as regulate the condi-
aon of successful private bust
iEess. Original appointments should
aS2e based upon aScertained fitness.
EEhe tenure of Office should be stable.
Positions of responsibility should,
ssgo far as practicable, be filled by the
presence of worthy. efficient officers.
The Investigation of all complaints
* and the punishment of all official
misconduct should be prompt and
thorough. The views expressed in
the foregoing letter are those which
s-Will govern me in the administration
IF the executive Office. These are
e doubtless shared by all intelligent
and patriotic citizens, however
divergent in their opinions as
50 the best methods of putting
Nthem into practical operation.
For example, the assertion that
original appointments should be
based upon ascertained fitness is not
open to dispute, but the question of
laGW in practice such fitness can be
most effectUally ascertained, is one
- (which has for years excited interest
and discussion. The measure which
with slight variations in its details
has lately been urged upon the
attention of Congress and the execu-
tive, has as its principal feature,
the scheme Of competitive eXamin-
alton. With certain exceptions,
which need not here be specified,
ne plan would admit to the service
only to the lowest grade, and would
accordingly demand that vacancies
in the higher positions should be
filed by promotion alone. In these
particulars it is in conformity with
Che existing civil service of Great
Britain, and indeed the success
which has attended that system