Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-11-20

secured against further outrage at the
hands of bloodthirsty oppressors.
BY your excellency's energetic action in
this protest and appeal in the case of hui
manity, the blessing OF heaven Will descend
upon your excellency In the prayers and
gratitude Of a stric ken nation, and last
ing honor will rebound to the name OF
United States. as well as to your excel
lency's administration.
The Board of Trade md Civil Service.
To the Editor Of The Evening Star:
1 have read attcntively the remarks of
The Star, Commissioner Proctor and the
several communications on the above sub
ject, and desire to make few remarks on
the subject.
In the first place. / agree with The Star
that the "spoils SYSTEM. az pracuced In
District appointments is great evil. and
an outrage upon our tax-paying citizens.
as 1t is used by members and Senators to
secure places for their impecunious con-
stituents, without reference to their quail
fication for or knowledge of the duties to
be performed. and to the exclusion Of bona
fide citizens Of the District.
Everybody knows that the Commission
ers are constantly beset by members and
Senators to appoint men from their states.
and as the District is wholly dependent
upon Congress for It's legislation. even to
the permission to the taxes paid by
It's own citizens, the Commissioners sell
dom dare refuse to make the appointments
demanded by these parties. This, We all
agree, Is wrong.
As 1 understand 1t, 1t was mainly to
remedy this evil that the resolution was
adopted by the board Of directors. But, as
shown by Mr. Pardon, IL these appoint
ments under the civil service law or rules
are to be thrown open to the whole United
States. It Is clear that this evil or injustice
instead of being remedied would only be
increased; and that Is why i, with many
other members, voted to lay the resolution
on the table, and not for the reason given
by Mr.. Wilson, and since by Mr.. Wake.
The ideas advanced by Commissioner
Proctor do not, in my opinion, do away
with this objection, for there are always
more than enough non-residents who, hav-
ing lost their positions In the departments,
or failed to secure an appointment, fill all
the positions under the District govern
ment, and who. having gone through the
civil service examinations before, would
pass every time and secure the position as
against a citizen who had not had that eX-
perience, even though the citizen might be
better qualified for the place. / do not
agree with those who oppose action on the
ground that 1t is a political question:" nor
with The Star in its statement that 1T
would be extremely improper for the board
Of trade to indorse the candidacy of an
applicant for office" AS L understand 1t,
the sole object of the existence of the
board of trade IL to promote the prosperity
of the District; and there certainly can be
no more eneCtlVe means OF securing that
result than by securing the appointment
Of the best and most efficient men for all
positions, from Commissioners down to the
lowest. Surely, If by it's Endorsement, the
board could secure the appointment of
good and efficient officials, as against bad
or inefficient ones. 1t certainly ought to do
II. 1t should not, however take any action
for or against any candidate because of his
should be eliminated from all municipal
government. 1t Is the curse of American
municipal government throughout the
United States, and Is the main source of
all the frauds and corruption in municipal
affairs, of which New York and now Chi
cago are terrible Illustrations.
/ agree with the statement Of "A Member
Of the Board" in Saturdays Star, that
the citizens Of Washington are over
whelmingly In favor of an honest govern
ment. based on business principles" &c.
His argument that such government
would be secured by the adoption OF the
civil service rules carries with 1t neces-
sarily the inference that at present we
have not such government, for If we
have. why make the changer On the other
hand, the Commissioners and all heads of
bureaus or divisions of the District govern
ment, in their official reports, speak in the
highest terms. of the efficiency and integ-
rity Of the present force. and have for
years past. as any one can see by reading
their official reports. l shall not enter in
to a discussion as to the fact one way or
the other, but leave that for these parties
/ have no hesitation, however, in saying
that in my opinion our local government
can be greatly improved in certain respects
not by the adoption of the civil service
rules, but by action of Congress. As that,
however, is foreign to the subject under
discussion, / will not at this time attempt
to show how or wherein. / believe fully in
home rule, and, as stated by distinguish
ed public man, that 1t is the very founia
ton Of our system of government, both
national and local II now, the advocates
of the resolution will secure an act of
Congress. which will confine the appoint
ments wholly and absolutely to bona fide
citizens Of the District, 1t would remove
the main objection to the adoption Of the
resolution. 1 voted with others to lay it on
the table. simply because. instead of con-
filming the appointments to our own citi-
zens, II only opened the door still wider to
non-residents.
There Is also another amendment which,
in my opinion, ought to be made, and that
is that there should be a definite fixed
term for all appointments made under
civil service rules, with the power in the
head of the bureau or department to reap
point for fixed term any one who, during
his first term. manifests special quaIfica-
ton for and efficiency in the performance
Of the duties of the position. BY that
means we would secure the best possible
service, and at the same time avoid the es-
tablishment of an exclusive class of lifelong
officeholders, and its natural sequence, of
a civil service pension list, for which al
han In n