The Critic and record., 1891-04-09
SECRETARY TRACY.
HE MAKES AN IMPORTANT SPEECH
ST A BOSTON BANQUET.

poirtmcnts In the Navy Yards
Merit To Govern and Machine Politics
to he Relcgatcd to the Rear.
Secretary Tracy attended the banquet
of the Republican Club Of Massachusetts
at Boston last night and made a most inn
portant address. That the Secretary would
attend this banquet and make this address
was published first IN Tm Critic, which
outlined a new policy concerning appoint
ments i'm the navy yards of the country.
II was in effect that politics would no
longer have any influence in the selection
of skilled or unskilled labor and
THE WARD bosses
would be politely but firmly asked to
take q back seat.
The banquet took place last uight, and
how near THE CWrIC came to the truth in
prophcsyiug what the Secretary would
have to say about "bossism' in the navy
yards is modcstly left 90 the reader
After giving detailed account of the
work in which the Navy Department is
now engaged, the Secretary said:
zone last point in naval affairs remains
TO be considered-thc question of the cm-
ploymcnt of labor at the navy-yards.
For fifty years tins has been the one
weak spot in naval administration. What
ever the party i'm control of the Govern
ment, 1t seems hitherto to have been
pOworlCss to exclude political influence in
The employment of nayy-yard labor. 1t
Is not enough, apparently. that the me-
chaniCs and workmcn in the Government
shops should be Republicans or Demo-
Gratis; they must wear the collar of the
ward bosses who run the local political
machine. The practice is source of
Generalization 10 any party that attempts
to use It,, destructive to the Government
service and debauching local and national
politics. IL is am ulcer on the naval
administrative system, and ] propose to
cut II out
BOSTON MUNICIPAL LABOR.
my attention has been directed for
some time past to the system adopted
here in the city of Boston for the selec-
ton OF labOrers employed upon the city
work. have caused an exhaustive
study to be made of that system by which
you have largely succeeded in eliminating
politics from municipal labor, and ! be-
lieyc that by an extension and modiiiCa-
ton of it the same result can be made
reasonably certain in the Government
Navy Yards. The details of the system
which ! propose TO adopt are now being
prepared, and in a short time will be In
full operation. Its essential features, as
applied 10 the Navy Yards, are:
u. The appointment at each yard Of a
registration board to register all applicants
for employment i'm the department of uu-
skilled labor to be selected as required, on
the principle of first come first served,
preference only given to those who have
had experience in the class of work for
which they apply, to those who have
served in the Army or Navy, to those who
have families to support, and, where all
other considerations are equal, tn those
possessing superior physical qualifications.
GRADED ACCORDING To MERITS.
"2. The registration of all applicants
Tor positions Of skilled labor who can give
| evidence of experience at their trade, TO
| be certified In the order Of their applca-
| ton under the same rules of preference,
| and their employment on trial for pc
| riod of probation; after the necessary test
| Of proficiency, to be ultimately graded or
| discharged, according TO their merits; and
-. The selection of foremen upon a
| competitive examination, 50 conducted as
| to bring out their fitness and Qualiica-
| tons for the positions they seek, open to
! all cCmers who can show the requisite eX-
| perience. The boards will consist of olli-
GERS of the Navy engaged in conducting
! the work of the yard.
81 propose in carrying out this new sys
| TEN so to regulate it that three ends shall
| be secured.
First, free and open competition; sec
| Ond, employment upon grounds of merit,
to be determined by non-partizan experts
engaged in and responsible for the work,
and third, absolute publicity of every de
tail. And having begun in the way
| have indicated do not propose to stop un-
| I'll the principle of efficiency and worth
is the only test of navy yard employment.
REMOVAL or MACHINE POLITICS.
81 am satisfied that such system will
be in the interest not only of the work,
but of the workingmen; that it can be
carried out so that it will remove not only
| all machine politics from the navy yards
but all suspicion Of machine politics; that
| the economy and efficiency of the work
will be promoted, while the community
will be sure that a navy yard in its mids
instead Of being focus Of local political
intrigue, is the place of employment of a
body of independent and self-respeCtiug
workingmen, whose only road to promo
ton lies in good work and in whom slack
ness, incidence or bad habits will surely
| lead to discharge.
"Whether the present Civil Service Law
is the best that could he devised to i'm
prove the civil service of the country Dc
not know. But this do know from per
sonal observation in my own Department
NAV NHS pcioollo uIlpolHlcl HIlucI tllc SSs
TEN are unquestionably more efficient a
whole than those selected under any sys
tenn of pure patronage; and now furthe
say that no Republican charged with tn,
responsibility of administering one o
the great executive Departments of th'
Government can be true to himself, t
the faith of the Republican party or Il
the people of this great nation whose ser
want he is, if he fails to employ any AM
all means within his power TO elevate
service of the country"
Secretary Tracy was warmly applaude
throughout his speech, and at its close hi
allusiOn to Secretary Blaine was thesigna
| for lOnd nnnlanSe.