Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-10-26
Mr.. Roosevelt Would Divorce Politics
and the Civil Service.
TERSE And TIMELY TRUTHS SPOKEN
The Object Lesson Presented by
the Railway Mail Service.
AN INTERESTING INTERVIEW

Inc extension OF CIVIL service ana lhe gem
eral political assessment cases were dis
cussed today by Civil Service Commissioner
Roosevelt
Every fall as the election comes the need
Of a radical and sweeping extension of the
classified service becomes more and more
apparent" said the commissioner. "At the
present time all of the government service
not under the protection Of the civil service
law forms vast bribery chest. by means
of which is gained an unhealthy stimulus
to political activity Of that very class in a
community which we should be most sorry
to see interested in politics. The enormous
bulk Of officers have really no connection
whatever with politics. Their duties are in
no respect political. and they should be ap-
pointed wholly without regard to political
situations and kept just so long as they do
their duty well. 1t is mere nonsense and
dishonest nonsense. to say that better SER
VICE can be obtained by having in subordi-
nate positions men who are of the same
political party as the head of an admin
istration.
Citing a Strong Case.
"The railway mail service can be cited as
proof Of this" he continued. mo depart
ment of the government gives greater salts
faction to the public at large, yet the great
bulk of railway mail employees now are men
who were appointed during Mr.. Harrisons
presidency, or in Mr.. Cleveland's first term.
All Of those OF the present administration
were drawn from our lists, as has been the
case during the last five years. Those en-
terlng the service under the civil service
form the bulk of employees, including repUb-
licans, democrats. prohibtionists populists
and mugwumps, all wholly without regard
to politics and all kept on the one considera-
ton of efficient service. 1t is not OF the
lao Conrn xurht lob >f 81,
believe in protection and which in free
trade; which for free coinage and which
against free coinage of silver. AS a matter
Of fact, nobody can tell anything about
their views on the subject. From the per-
fOrmance Of their duties no one could tell q
republican from a democrat. The rigid en-
forcement Of the civil service law is the
reason why there has been no deterioration
In the service In the changes Of admins
tration.
POstmasters and Politics.
1.-The rest of the government service
should be treated in just the same way"
exclaimed Mr.. Roosevelt Not only all
post office employees, but postmasters them
selves should be appointed without the least
regard to politics. The internal revenue Of
flee should be classified and all its men ap-
pointed regardless of politics. The Indian
school service is another object lesson of
non partisan service. Hitherto, after every
sweeping changes in the school service at
Indian agencies for purely political con-
sideratton5 Sat this las not been so I'm
the last ten years, because the civil service
law has been enforced in that service, and
because recently that law was administered
by Supt. Hailmann with desire to obey
in the spirit as well as the letter.
What has been going on recently in
Pittsburg shows the iniquity of the spells
system. There one of the congressional
candidates has actually sought to levy a
political assessment, amounting to
months entire salary, on the employees Of
the internal revenue Office"
Blackmail and Nothing Else.
1T is a mere piece of blackmail and just
as If gained by knocking down clerks on the
1t seems hard to understand why
an intelligent community will tolerate so
gross an abuse, where a man deliberately
plumbers a set of public servants that he
may get funds wherewith to debauch voters.
The commission recently had before it the
case Of the recorder of deeds-Taylor-and
during the investigation it was proved that
wherever the civil service law did not obtain
in Washington condition Of actual terror
existed in the public service and that jani-
tors, porters and all other employees were
forced to pay politicians for places and pay
to retain them. Anything more degrading,
more servile more vicious cannot be i'm
agined.
1--WE have had great many public men
attack the merit SYSTEM" continued the
but there has never yet been
any argument advanced against 1t or in
favor of the spoils that was both honest and
intelligent. There are honest men who are
yet too prejudiced. too ignorant or too unob-
serving to understand the fruitful evils Of
public service administered in a
spirit Of base partisanship.
There are plenty of dishonest politicians
both shrewd and unprincipled, who. for
their own base ends, clamor against the
fnvrn and tn vnft Too
against 1t. But there is not a single Amer
lean, honestly desiring the welfare of the
who can look for moment at
the two systems and consider the prin-
ciples for which they stand without be-
coming a hearty ally and believer in the
new methods.
Civil Service Reform PrO9ressinH.
1.-The law is steadily making headway.
The classified service is extending all the
time. The commission, however, Is neces-
sarily required to be active In supervising
the extension Of the law. This Is notably
the case in the newly classified post Offices
where there is always a hitch, it being diff
hcult to get the law well observed at the
outset Take Indiana, for instance. In
has been classified for many
years. There was practical failure in
having the law absolutely enforced during
the beginning Of Mr.. Harrison's admin
istration a rigid observance Of the law
had been accomplished On the other hand
during the present administration there has
been great difficulty in n number of smaller
Indiana post offices, in which postmasters
have made every effort sometimes SUCCESS
fully, to evade and nullify the law Several
of these cases are now under considera-
ton.
Watching Political AssessEients.
THE commission Is not only now investi-
eating what is being done In some of these
Offices" said Mr.. Roosevelt In conclusion,
but 1T Is also keeping a vigiant eye on
political assessment matters. The law un-
Is not strong enough. 1t ought
to be strengthened, so as to prohibit any
one from making q political contribution
to a government official The latter would
then be left free to contribute entirely of
their own accord. At present the demands
from high officers of important committees
are often compiled with by clerks because
they know these officials are in the same
party organization with their own inferior
officers.
THE commission has some amusing ex-
periences with certain chronic opponents
There are certain men In the Senate and
lower house who delight in making charges
where there is no chance to answer, but
who never take up any challenge of the
when it convicts them of mis-
and who, when making mis-
statements, avoid the issue by simply fail
ing to respond to any letter of correction
from the commission"