Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-03-13
NOT POLITICAL PRIZES
Commissioner Roosevelt Discusses Some
Bills Now Before Congress.
Most of Them Have as a Principle the
Return to the Spells
System.

Civil Service Commissioner Roosevelt
speaking with a Star man this morning
in relation to the bills affecting the civil
service which have been introduced in. the
House of Representatives during the pres
ent Congress, said:
Concerning Mr.. Fithian's bill to repeal
the civil service law, there does not seem
to be much necessity for speaking The
repeal of the civil service law means the
establishment of the spells system in all
those departments of government from
which it has been expelled. That bill is an
effort to reduce our civil service to the level
of the system existing in Morocco Turkey
and other barbarous countries. An act to
repeal the civil service law comes within
a category that would embrace acts to re-
peal laws against bribery for political pur-
poses and the like. The ends sought TO be
attained by Mr.. Fithian's BILL to require
certain employees of the government to pass
civil service examinations, could be better
attained by departmental regulation than
by legislative enactment. The proper course
to follow. is to provide for competitive ex-
aminations for promotions under the drec-
ton of the commission. Mi. Ffthian recog-
nlZes that competence can be tested by our
CIVIL service examinations.
ApportioninG Appointments.
The main objection to the bill introduced
by MIR. Henderson to provide for the ap-
pCrtlonment of appointments to congress
slonal districts is that 1t would enormously
Increase the expense of the commission. A
large item in the expense of the commission
Is to maintain the quotas of the different
states, and excepting under the commits
sion this effort has never been seriously
made in Washington. Under the spoils
system, the states that are far away from
Washington do not get half the appoint
ments to which they are entitled Great
delay and confusion would result in the
eTiort 20 apportion the appointments as
suggested in Mr. Henderson's bill.
Two Wrongs Not "a Right
MIR. Bynums bill to allow the reinstate-
ment of railway mail clerks dismissed be-
tween the 10Th of March and the LIST of
May 1881 proposes TO remedy a wrong
committed four years ago by permitting
another wrong now, and thereby affording
precedent for the possibility of commit
tins another four years hence. and so on.
1t Is true that this bill says that these
clerks shall only be reinstated when a va
cancy occurs, but Immediately upon its
enactment the greatest pressure would be
brought to bear to make the vacancies
occur About 200 clerks were turned out
IN the time spoken of in the bill, by the
republican administration, these 300 clerks
being democratic clerks who had been put
INTO oIflce under the SpoilS system by the
administration,
then republican clerks having been turned
out Tor their benefit. OF the 300 clerks
VINO took their places, but 800. are left in
the service, the others having been sepa-
rated from the service and their places
filled through civil service examinations
Most or the beneficiaries of the action have
LEFT the service and of the dismissed
clerks, the best are now undoubtedly at
work. 1t is a thoroughly bad policy that
considers any proposition looking to the re-
mstatenent of men turned out of office
before that office was classified. Adyant-
age was taken Of the delay in classifying
the railway mail service to turn out the
men for the purpose of these 1900 spolls
appointments This was highly discredit-
able wrong.
The Same Principle.
at is precisely what was done under this
administration by the postmasteis DIT To-
peka, Burlington, Kansas City, Galesuurg,
Plattsburg, Quincy, Athens and several
other places. In point of numbers the
wrong was not so great as that of 1882 but
in principle 1t was the same. The bill is
thoroughly mischievous. The commission
does not favor Mr.. Pickler's bill 20 aInerd
the clause of the Revised Statutes. giving
preference to soldiers for offices because il
is but natural that an old soldier who Il
the age of fifty has to seek employment by
the government is not apt to lie able to
render as good service as young man.
The old soldiers now in office often
among the most competent OF clerks
Other Bills.
Mr.. Wheeler's bill to amend the civil
service act called forth good leal of COM
ment from Mr.. Roosevelt, most Of it I'M
favorable. The requirement to resi-
dence. which the bill calls for, is weaker
than the requirement which the commisslon
now enforces.
Mr.. Martins BILL" continued ,Ir. Roose-
Welt, Ito limit the terms of office Of en-
ployes governed by the civil service rules
TO four years means to make he spells
system in its worst form obligatory inste ad
of merely permissive.
MIR. Aldersons bill to repeal the evil
service law is merely another bill to REIN
troduce the spoilS system.
The chief feature about the nil miro
duced by Mr.. Erdman is that ii proposes TO
divide all the people in office AMI all Sp-
pointments to Office between the tWc lar
ties which poll the most votes. Some of its
provisions are obscure. The plan would Re
quite hopeless to carry out. aside from the
fact that all populists, greenbackers social
lists. mugwumps. independents md labor
men would be debarred from taking part in
the service of the government. 1t would be
an odious discrimination.
Mr.. Stockdale's bill is of the same Ia
ture as that introduced by Mr.. Henderson.
The bill proposed by Mr.. De Armond, that
each state and territory shall he allowed
to select its own quota of employees. l.: diff
ficult to discuss seriously The employees Of
the departments are employed By the Unit
ed States and not by the states. The prop
osition to have the different states elcct at
irregular intervals small hordes of clerks TO
come to Washington and take positions for
which they would probably he untitled IS
not worthy of argument Mr.. IunterS
bill to so amend the civil service law to
provide for the certifca ton IF the entire
list of eligibles is one more tttempt To re-
establish the spoils system. The joint reso-
luton of Mr.. Stockdale to require Tie name
and residence of each employe Of the govern
ment in the District of Columbia, ing hit
have some value for the Information 1T
would give. The bill of Mr.. Everett 10 reg
ulate the appointment of fourth-claSs pest
masters is excellent in principle"