Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-07-27
THE POLITICAL ASSESSMENT ISSUE.

ticians on the subject, it involves fatal
fallacy. 1t is all very well for the head of
a department to say that it will make no
difference to auy OF his employees whether
or not they pay political assessments but
the truth is that the head of department
cannot admit the principle of political as
sessments without eonsenting to the exer-
else OF improper influence upon his en-
ployes. The real mischief of the political
assessment system is that it cannot be so
employed as not to seem to convey a
covert menace As matter of fact and ex-
! perience it has always been used with
that distinct understanding. at first sp.
| plications have been made by circular to
| the employees. Then, if these were not re-
| sponded to, the head of the office was APP
piled to; and finally he was given list OF
those who had failed to pay, with an urgent
request that he would see to it." Now
| it is quite useless to maintain that there
was no undue pressure under this system.
For in the last resort it was clearly implied
that the head of the office should compel
obedience to the call for assessments by
exerting his power over his subordinates.
1t has been stated recently that the
Government employees are coming forward
as usual with their " voluntary contribu.
"tions, and this proves that, no matter
what the political managers may say, the
employees themselves consider it necessary
to pay without wincing, and do SO because
they are under pressure. Nor is it at all
doubtful that they regard these payments
as means of retaining their positions /; in
fact as sort of blaekmail paid to the poll
ticians for not turning them out. The
attitude Of Secretary Folger is merely
blind, though we do not say that he is at
all insincere in what he says. 1t is quite
credible that he may believe it possible to
| put these assessments on the same basis as
Church contributions. But it is not pos.
sible that they should be really free con-
tributions. II Civil Service reform was
established this perhaps might become
possible, because then every employee would
know that he owed his position to his own
capacities, and that the politicians had no
power to remove him for partisan rea-
sons. But so long as offices are filed by
| political influence, and without reference
to the capacity of the appointees, they
must continue to feel that they are de-
pendent upon the goodwill of Congress
men and Senators, and they must be under
a sense of obligation to those persons which
will control their action whenever such
question as this arises.
Political assessments are part and parcel
! of machine" politics, and while the lat
ter lasts the former will probably endure.
The discussion which has lately arisen
concerning these assessments, however,
has done much good by directing public
attention to the immortality of the system,
and has thus been instrumental in educat.
ing public opinion up to the point of re.
bellion against the existing abuse. No
matter how the heads of departments may
view the matter, however, we think it
certain that the majority of the employees
will take their cue from the members of
Congress to whom they look for support,
and that therefore they will consent to be
blackmailed. The only way by which
the true nature of the assessment system
can be kept before the public in the mean
4 ,r Nv Nrof he f,11,o,, 80 Ill
the pretenses employed to cover up the
element of coercion which characterizes
it. The fact that the Congressional COM
mittee has undertaken to prove that there
really is no coercion, shows that the prin.
ciple of coercion cannot be defended even
by those who use it most freely. II, there
fore, it can be made clear that there is no
such thing as voluntary contribution
in this connection, the cause of the Con-
gressional Commitsee will be lost and 1t
not at all difficult to make this showing.
OF course it should be apparent that be.
hind all these considerations is the even
greater evil of converting the civil service
into a mere party machine. This is an
abuse of a very grave kind. 1t is in fact
nothing less than serious usurpation.
The civil service ought to be the national
service. In theory it is so. In fact it is
an appendage to one party. Half the
American people are thus ignored. It is
true that they are not forgotten when the
taxes are to be collected The Democrats
are not permitted to escape because the
money which they pay for the maintenance
of the Federal Government is perverted to
the support of the Republican party But
this is what the system now in use amounts
to, and it is time the people realized it.
Nor can there be any reform until it is
made penal offense to solicit Government
employees for contributions to political pur-
poses of any kind. There need be moth.
ing to hinder them from pleasing them
selves, as other people do, in the matter of
really voluntary contributions but in
these cases the only possible voluntary
contributions would be those which were
unsolicited.
The Congressional committee may escape
legal consequences, but it is safe predic.
ton that the result of calling attention to
their immunity under the law will be TO
create demand for such change in the
law as will deprive them of that immunity.
For it is perfectly evident that so long as
they are free to levy assessments it cannot
protect the official class to prohibit the
heads ofdepartments from doing this tits in
fact more necessary to prevent Congress-
men meddling in this matter than any
other class of persons, for under the exist.
ing system they WELD more influence than
the heads of departments, and can there.
fore exert greater pressure upon Govern
ment employees. If they were once stopped
from levying assessments the whole system
would come to an end. So long as they
are free to send out their circulars the
Matchmaking will go on. The Civil Service
Reform Association, however, will doubt
less refuse to abandon the fight against this
crying abuse either because the Attorney
General has delivered an opinion, or be.
cause Secretary Folger has written letter.
The fight in fact will be carried on until
the political assessment system is elimi-
mated, no matter how long this takes.
!
ARAB LOSING TIME.
H.. - - L.,