The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1886-08-15

nished 10 the public. Recognizing the uncer.
tainties attending business Of this character,
Great Britain, where capital is more plenti-
full than in any other country in the world,
and where the rates Of interest on money as
well as the average annual percentage Of
gain on other investments Is lower than in
any other mercantile community, has fixed
the annual profit on gas investments at
ten per cent. But Senator Spooner Ia wiser
In his generation than the conservative Eng.
lisbmen. He has reported to the Senate,
confessedly without any evidence to sustain
Thousand feet and give the Washington
company sufficient profit topay seven per cent.
dividend on its present capital stock. Per.
hars this may I've so. A careful reading Of
Senator spooner's report and the so.
called evidence accompanying 1t, however,
fails TO show any testimony TO sustain the
assertion. BE this as II may the bill to ,e-
strict the company TO seven per cent. on its
present capital in any one year assumes an
arbitrary rate, and does not provide for years
in which no dividends may he earned. Thus
the company might earn this year fifteen
per cent. and next year nothing. Under the
bill they could only pay seven per cent. for
the one year and nothing for the other. This
would work unjustly and unfairly. Again
the Spooner bill is so crude that II does not
provide for any increase of capital for the
extension Of plant, which is annually neces.
sary, and which, under the bill, could not be
made out of the profits Of the company. Take
II all in all here is one Of the rawest pieces
of legislation ever attempted. That 1t will
fail is pretty certain. It will not stand dis
cussion. What the people want is legisla.
tion which will last, not mere crude and tenn
porary enacments, TO be altered In the inter.
est of the community or the company as
by varying influences.
The desire Of the Civil Service Commission
to control promotions within as we'll as ap.
pointments to the Departments only proves
that its members have more ambition than
discretion. Civil service reform ia a very
good thing, but reform which depends en-.
tirely upon system Of pedantio examina-
tons is liable to be overdons. The commits.
sion was created and the system Of competi
tive examinations devised to cure a specific
evil. That evil was the forcing into the De-
partments Of unfit or incompetent persons,
and at the same time the forcing out or dis
missal of competent and faithful civil ser.
wants to make room for the admission of DO.
litical or social favorites. In this direction
much good has undoubtedly been done; but
the selection Of candidates for admission into
the service and the control Of promotions
are totally different things. Heads of De-
partments and bureaus naturally find some
in being so totally deprived
as they now are Of the power of choosing
their subordinates. No one can help seeing
that this a distinct fault in the system. No
person engaged in private business requiring
large number Of employees would ever con.
sent 10 have them selected for him in such
manner. But this obvious fault in our new
system can be borne, since it rids us of
the greater evil, for it is better to
have appointments made by competitive
examination than to have them made by
''infuence." But when wstake from heads
of Departments the control of promotions
among their clerks We have shOrn them of
a power which is almost essential to ad-
efficiency. No persons outside
the Departments can judge of the efficiency
Of clerks as we'll as their Immediate supe.
riors can, and to take from those superiors
the power Of promotion Is unsound in prin-
oiple and will prove pernicious in practice.
1t Is natural, its members being human,
that new board or bureau like the Civil
Service Commission should seek to enlarge
its powers and magnify its Importance;
but wise men in such position wonld seek
the public interest rather than personal az.
Civil service reform will pros
per better If the o'erlsaping ambition Of its
official heads is curbed and :hey are con.
fined to their legitimate duties, while leav.
ing to other public officers the powers which
are necessary to enforce discipline within
their Departments aud to make their subor.
dinates labor to earn promotion by faithful
and capable service.