Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1895-04-04
TnEoDoaes HOBBY.
Cornanlssioner Roosevelt Wants to See Ctvn
SERVICE Greatly Extended.

Commissioner E00aeyef wants to ~ee SfTn
service Greatly Extended.
wAgHrxGIox, April 4-CEyI Service
Commissioner Roosevelt is thoroughly
committed 10 the doctrine of intending
many more Offices under the civil serg-
ice laws: Speaking ca this subject, he
said:
We have got TO have civil service re
form, not only in the nation, but ia the
state and municipality, and we have
got TO have il, not only a. II now APP
plies In the nation, out - very many
other officers that are not properly pc-
ItlcaI In character. Our people have for
10 years been educated q regard the
sySoils system al part of the natural order
Of things, 70 that they are wholly inca
pable Of understanding a. yet that a
postmaster, for instance, has nothing
whatever 10 do with politics il he at
tends to his daty, and that there Is no
more need Of filing the ~fourth-class
postcfices with people who s~ympatnize
with the views u the administration
for the time being, ON the questions Of
tariff ard currency, than there would
be { n having the express or telegraph
business Of the United States admins
tered by protectionists or free traders,
accordingly a. one party or the other
triumphs at the elections.
Not SO I'm England.
In England postmasters are appointed
by promotion from within the ranks,
except in the lowest grade, where they
are appointed directly from the outside.
They are v removed for political
reasons. Ia our country, IL would per
s,aps be difficult 70 allow a system OF
transfer from Office 3 Office, through
ont the nation at large, but such trans
fer could be certainly made within the
borders Of a state and the postmasters
in the big cities. at the largest offices
should be appointed, whenever a "a
cancy occurs, from within the ranks Of
the postal service Of that state.
Nominal Head a Figure Head.
A curi0us result Of the pr sant sys-
tenn il that the nom ma iead Of N
Office il OF no consequence whatever II
the administrator o the oh -. La a
great many Offices ,~hrougno1 the oal.
try the work is done Dy me &, l,la-t
postmaster who - permane lily re-
tanned. He could do his work quite as
well if there were not a postmaster.
The decent people OF thus country are
greatly interested III political Gu st.ons.
and they are also great y Interested III
such non-political questions as honesty
and efficiency OF the pubic servants,
but they are not interested in seeing a
lot OF little politicians get office.
Merely Ministerial.
The question of tariff, the question of
currency, the question Of our foreign
policy, are all Of immense concern to
all American citizens who have the
welfare of America at heart, bus these
questions are fixed by the actions Of the
peoples representatives in congress. by
the president and tho cabimt. There
VIII be no need Of changing more than
q hundred officials In the treasury de-
partment, to make a complete and rad.
ical revision in the rariff or financial
policy Of the government. Almost all
the government employees perform du-
ties merely ministerial in character.
The enormous majority of them do not
have to deal with political questions at
all