Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1893-10-14
INTERESTING READING.
what an Investigation OF tho Departments
Is Bringing to Light.

Is bringing 10 LsghI
WASHINGTON, Oct. 1.-THE Dockery-
Coclxrell Joint commission, which is in
vestigating the executive departments
to see how the service may be inn
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,eiO people with rela-
tives drawing salaries in the DEPART
ments ut 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; go have
three apiece; 1,O36 have two apiece
and 45l have one apiece. There are
1880 persons in the departments ut
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, husband, wife. sister
and five other relatives are provided
with places.
There are Ss7 cases of brothers in
service and or 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 SS3.
Fifteen officials have both sons and
daughters in Office.
This wholesale nepotisin 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 radical
and stringent 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 a large scale in the departments.
Men and women who have outlived
their usefulness are being carried upon
the pay-rolls because their Supporters
are too sympathetic to dismiss them.
They do next to nothing. There is one
person over 30 on the payroll. The &c
are six between S. and 30 years of age:
thirty-three between so and S. years;
thirty-six between IS and so, and IS?
between 20 and IS years. The number
between G5 and 20 is 1856. The number
in the departments is over 60. which is
thought to be the limit of efficient SER
vice, is 1,4l3, 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 2.OG5, or one-eighth of the en-
tire force. Nearly half of the 1889
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 1857 places in the
departments. They number one-third
of the entire payroll.
Most of the persons in office in Wash
ington 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 1878 officials now
in service who have passed the civil
service examination, just one-fifth of
the entire number drawing pay.