Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1896-12-07
0FFICt SEEKERS.
Their Woes Many--Few Plums
Left for the Hungry.
Civil Service Rules Int-rfere-- Still
More Offices to Be Added.
A Pension and Retirement Scheme = Mutler
ings OF Discomfort Heard.

~~e~NT viz AiutlSAA iEo Va AioSOAtShV NAS
heard among the office seekers Their
chief complaint is that there is nothing
left for them. Nearly all the government
places have been put under the civil serv-
ice, and the dreams of appointments to
posts with fat salaries attached, which SO
many partisans of the successful ticket in
the late campaign have been indulging,
are found to be nothing but dreams after
ALL In the national capital there is prac-
tically nothing left for the rank and file
OF $4,000 or $4,000 employees Of the gov
eminent in the District of Columbia only
few hundred will be filled by the Repub-
licans when they come into power. These
are cabinet offices, heads of bureaus, pri-
vate secretaryships, few chiefs of divi-
sions. 1t is true that the only patronage
which Il cabinet officer now has directly
under his control is a private secretary
and chief clerk.
Purely Civil Service Basis.
The same thing is true throughout the
country. President Cleveland has placed
the internal revenue and customs en-
ployees under the civil service rules, and
what with the letter carriers, postoffice
clerks and railway mail men already I'M
der the protection of the new idea there is
precious little remaining for the spoilsmen
to get hold of. 1t is practically settled
that President Mckinley will not undo
anything that was done by his predecessors
in the way of promoting civil service re-
form. He SO declared in his letter of ac-
ceptance and has SO expressed himself in
number of his speeches. The truth is,
though 1t takes great many people q
long time to realize it, that the United
States government has actually approached
q purely civil service basis. The day Of
spoils seeking ut every change Of party in
power is at an end. Only one great class
of government employees remain to be
brought under the projection Of the civil
service. These are the fourth class post
masters. There are now nearly 10000
postotfices in the United States, and of
these IS, 800 are what are known as non
presidential-tha is, the salaries of the
postmasters amount to less than 81, 600 per
year, and appointments are made directly
by the department. OF these some 60, 900
are fourth class offices.
There has been Il great deal of agitation
in favor of having these offices all put I'M
der the civil service before President Cleve-
land retires from Office. 1t was thought
by some that IA president has not the moral
right to issue such an order after an cleo
ton which has retired his parry from
power, but the best answer to that argu-
ment Is that such thing was done by Mr..
Cleveland himself just before going out of
office eight years ago, when he issued an
order placing all tho railway mail en-
ployees under the civil service rules.
Fourth Glass Postmasters.
Tho understanding in Washington is
that President Cleveland had about made
up his mind to issue an executive order re-
moving the so, 600 fourth class postollices
from the reach of hungry place hunters.
but that an obstacle was met in the civil
service commission itself. The orders is
sued by President Cleveland last spring,
placing the internal revenue, customs and
other employees under the civil service,
proved to be as much as the commission
could stand. That order cntailed such an
enormous amount of work that the COM
mission is not now prepared to tako on its
shoulders the task of arranging for care of
the go, 900 postoffices, and hense the pres
ident was compelled to abandon the idea.
While tie general argument in favor Of
permanency of service for tried and trained
employees seems to hold good in tho case
best men in the postoffice department do
not favor the change. They say that the
department should be free to make these
appointments direct and without going
through the cumbersome routine Of a civil
service examination. 1t happens in many
cases that the only person in u little village
or at a country crossroads who is compe
tent to take charge of the postoffice is the
If ho tyanpra1 If hp has tIA
office, the people are conveniently supplied.
If, through competitive examination, some
other person gets it, there will be great
doubt as to the ability of the new post
master to maintain the office in Il conven
lent place. There is doubtless some force
in this objection, but the general senti
ment is in favor of putting all postoffices
of this class under the civil service, and
doubtless the change will be made during
the coming four years.
The Pension Plan.
Now that the United States government
through extension of the civil service ma
chine has built up n class of permanent
civil employees, another step remains to
be taken to make the system perfect That
is the institution of civil pension and re-
tirement scheme Here in Washington we
see the practical workings of civil service
very clearly. 1t does tend to make en-
ployees feel sure of their places as long as
they properly attend to their duties. 1t
does substitute merit and usefulness for
the old way Of seeking retention through
political influence. On the whole, it sure
" improves the quality of service rendered.
But the trouble is that once in office al
WAYS in Office has become the rule.
Beyond certain age government en-
ployees, like private employees, become
less and less useful. 1t would be inhuman
to turn them out in their old age, when
thew would find it almost impossible to