St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-01-16
Congressman Clements, of
Georgia, Talks a Bit on
Civil Service Reform.
He Wants to Get Partisan
Dead Weight Out of the
Departments.
The Forty-Five-Year Limit
He Also Regards as an
Improper One.
The Case Of Mr. Lamar to be
Given EARLY Attention by
the Senator's.

Special to the Globe.
WAsHINGToN,- Jan. 15.-COngreSsman
Clements, of Georgia, chairman of the
committee on reform in the civil service,
favOrs some changes in the present civil
service law. The committee has not yet
fairly got to work, and will not until
this week. 1t is quite probable before
the session closes some measure looking
to notifications and amendments to the
present civil service law will find its
way from the committee to congress.
Mr.. Clements talks freely about civil
service reform, and criticises fearlessly
|. what he considers grave defects in the
law in long interview published in the
Post here. He is reported as saying: II
am not opposed to civil service reform,
neither do l advocate sweeping and
radical changes, but there are certain
notifications which should receive con-
SideratiOn. The civil service commits
sion and it's methods look cumbersome.
There is too much machinery, too much
red tape, about it all. There is too
much hairsplitting, and too many fine
distinctions. The examinations are
more theoretical than practical. 1t does
testing the clerical ability of applicants
for places within the civil service might
be suggested"
''What do you think of the PROPOSE
ton to send the whole list of eligibles
to the appointing officer instead of
| fOur?' asked the reporter.
1T should be DONE" replied Mr..
Clements emphatieally. "The test ex-
animation might be made
MORE RIGID,
and the requirements more eXacting. if
they were at the same time made more
practical. and care taken to insure the
| good moral character of the applicant,
but the appointing power Shonld have
| a wider range of selection, more free
| dom. He should certainly have the
| whole list of eligibleS. Of course the
appOrtiOnment among the states should
be fairly made. \ ruling has been sent.
! understand, to the president, for his
approval by the civil service commits
sion removing the forty-fye-year limit.
This is right, and [ hope the president
will approve the rule. There are thou
sands of men who do good clerical work
till way past sixty, and they should be
allowed to stand on the same footing
with younger men. If you. 90 through
the departments you can find scores of
clerks above sixty who are doing good
work STILL"
''Have you paid any attention to the
subject of unnaturaliZed foreigners in
the departments"
81 have not, but it deserves atten-
ton and will receive it. / am informed
that here in Washington there are from
$50 to 200 foreigners outside the sclen-
tific bureaus who do not deem it worth
their time and attention TO even take
fYrr Iuaf -, l&l
policy and politics to leave them in their
snug places. If they haven't enough
decency or patriotism to swear allie
glance to the government that is feed
ing and clothing them, they had better
step down and out There is another
important point that will undoubtedly
receive attention. If you go through
the departments you will find $1,000,
81, 400, 81, 200 and 5000 clerks all doing
the same work, and often, usually, in
fact, the lower grade clerks do the best
dan most work. There ought to be re-
| classification and regarding of the
clerks should have to earn their
salaries or give place to those who
can. Perhaps the matter which has
| excited the most hostility among Demo
Gratis to the civil service law, has been
| the fact that it is based on the assump-
| ton that all the employees in Office at
| the time of the passage of the act should
| be retained. Mind you, ] am speaking
| for myself and not for the committee.
| The departments were filled with the
| workers and henchmen of Republican
made at every opportunity that these
| might be provided for, and the civil
service was loaded down
| WITH DEAD WEIGHT
| They were appointed. not because of
| their ability as clerks, not because they
were in any sense fitted for department,
work, but in payment of partisan serv-
] ice performed or to be performed. This
/ element reIaains practically untouched.
| There undoubtedly were hundreds of
good and efficient clerks under previous
administrations, but the element to.
which | refer forms large portion.
! More than that, there are hundreds of
| clerks accredited to states that they
have never seen. The South has been
! the greatest sufferer in this respect.
Hundreds of clerks are borne on the de-
| partment rolls, filling the Southern
/ quota, who have never been within hum
dreds of miles of the states to which
! they are accredited. This condition of
affairs should be changed. Again,
these same partisan appOintees filling
influential and important positions
seem to make it the aim and object of
their lives to complicate the government
work and surround it with an inpene-
trable veil of mystery in order that they
may say this is a very difficult class Of
work; it has taken years to learn the
| details. 1t wouldn't do to disturb us.
The whole business would be in con-
fusion immediately And yet there is
hardly a desk or clerical position under
the government, not technical, that can
not be learned by man of good intelli-
gence and fair knowledge of business
methods in less than two weeks. l am
in favor of true civil service reform, but
there can be no honest civil service re-
form while the departments here are
loaded down with partisan appointees
of past administrations
| THE WEEK IN CONGRESS. I.
Mr. Lamar's Case to Come Up
L