The Kinsley graphic. [volume] (Kinsley, Kan.) 1890-1940, 1893-10-13
INTERESTING RkAolNo.


II
What an InSeceigAtl6n Of the DepartmSnta
II Bringing 70 Light.
WAeH1NGroN, Oct 1L-Ths Dockerv-
Cockre1 joint comn,fssion, which is id.
vestigating the executive departments
to see how the service may BE inn
proved, is gathering s.s.iz surprising
information It is usually considered
that ole member out of q family Ii
enough at the public crib The coli:
mission finds 500 people with rela
tives drawing salaries in the depart
ments at Washington. Five officials
have eight relatives apiece on salaries
with them. Four have seven relatives
each in government service. Ten havt
six apiece; twenty-six have Ave apiece
ninety-six have four apiece; no have
three apiece, Lose have two apiece,
and 4S1 have Due apiece. There art
1889 persons in the departments a,
Washington. and 5,6lO. or one.third Of
them, have relatives similarly favored
In thirty.ssven cases both husband
and wife are drawing government tal
aries.
In one case. husband, wife, brother
,, and SOD, and one other relative are on
TIE pay roll
In another, a husband, wife, sister
and five other relatives are provided
with places
There are ss7 cases OF brothers in
service and 627 cases Of sisters-
One woman clerk has her husband
two brothers and one sister drawing
salaries with her.
Two officials have four brothers
apiece in Office, besides three other
relatives each.
The parents employed who have ser:
IN Office number 1888.
Fifteen officials nave both sons and
daughters in Office.
This wholesale nepotism in the de-
partments, the length and breadth OF
which nobody imagined until the com
mission unearthed the facts, will be
the subject of legislation OF a radical
and stringer. character.
There is very strong sentiment in
this country against a civil pension
list Yet the commission finds what
amounts to the same thing prevailing
on large scale in the departments,
Men and women who have outlived
their usefulness are being carried upon
the pay-rolls because their superiors
are too sympathetic to dismiss them.
They do next to nothing There is one
person over 80 on the payroll. Thee
are six between IS and 90 years of age;
thirty-three between so and IS years
thirty-six between 10 and 80, and lbs
between 20 and rs years. The number
between 65 and 20 Is 1856. The number
in the departments is over 60, which is
thought to be the limit of efficient ser.
vice, is LAB, which is nearly one-hal1
the entire departmental force in Wash.
ington. The great defect in the gov.
ernment civil service is that there is
not limit of age or service. There is
no way of getting in fresh blood. There
is much truth in the old saying, that
government officials seldom die and
never resign.
Cne person how in Office at Washing
tch has been drawing government pay
for sixty years. Eleven have been on
the payroll forty years. One hundred
and nine have records Of thirty years.
Those who have held their official posi-.
lions twenty years or over reach the
number of 2, 065, or one-eighth of the en-
tire force. Nearly half of the 1885
officials in the departments have had
ten years or more of the good salaries
and easy duties which make these posi-
tions so highly coveted.
Women now hold h6Sy places in the
departments. They number one-third
OF the entire payroll.
Most of the persons in Office in Wash:
inpfOp uOf in 1yitb6nt boy{nr 70 ,oa &C
any civil service examination. They
were in before the law went into opera:
ton ten years ago, or they escaped the
formality some way. It appears from
the investigation of the commission
that there are only 1875 officials now
in service who have passed the civil
service examination, just one-fifth OF
the entire number drawing pay.