The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1893-10-20
INTERESTING READING.
What an Investigation of the Departments
Is bringing to Light.


Is bringing to Light.
WASHINGTON, Oct. 1.-The Doclxery-
Cockrell Joint commission, which is in
vestigating the executive departments
to see how the service may be i'm
proved, is gathering some surprising
information. 1t is usually considered
that one member out of family is
enough at the public crib. The COM
mission finds 5,610 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 have
six apiece: twenty-six have five apiece;
ninety-six have four apiece; 2I9 have
three apiece; 1,036 have two apiece,
and 451 have one apiece. There are
II, 500 persons in the departments at
Washington and 500, or one-third of
them. have relatives similarly favored.
In thirty-seven cases both husband
and wife are drawing government sal
aries.
In one case, husband, wife, brother
| and son, and one other relative are on
the pay roll.
In another, a husband, wife, sister
and five other relatives are provided
with places.
There are So cases of brothers in
service and 62I 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 sons
| in office number 1913.
Fifteen officials have both sons and
| daughters in office.
This wholesale nepotisn 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 n radical
and stringent character.
There is a very strong sentiment in
this country against 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 1Pon
the pay-rolls because their superiors
are too sympathetic to dismiss them.
| They do next to nothing. There is one
person over 90 on the payroll. The e
are six between So and 30 years of age;
| thirtv-three between so and So years;
thirty-six between - and so, and 1S2
between 30 and as years. The number
|, I'd &c no
| in the departments is over 60, which is
| thought to be the limit of efficient SER
vice. is LAB. which is nearly one-half
| the entire departmental force in Wash
ington. The great defect in the gov
eminent 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.
One person now in Office at Washing
ton 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-
tions twenty years or over reach the
number of LOGS. or one eighth of the en-
tire force. Nearly half of the 1888
officials in the departments hsve had
ten years or more of the good salaries
and easy duties which make these posi-
tons SO highly coveted.
| Women now hold 5,637 places in the
departments. They number one-third
of the entire payroll.
Most of the persons in Office in Wash
ngton got in without having to pass
any civil service examination. They
were in before the law went into opera
ton ten years ago. or they escaped the
formality some way. 1t appears from
the investigation of the commission
that there are only S,G15 officials now
in service who have passed the civil
service examination, just one-tifth OF
the entire number drawing pay.