The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1897-10-26

80 ~ nt,.,i nension may not come in
| the present generation, ana ~ may III
come at all. Congress may even go
the civil service laws and go Dach 70 tn'
conditions which existed in the Grant ad-
ministrafion But II civil service reform
develops on general lines, ~ VIII ul.lIn3.'
be necessary TO pension clerks WIZ NJ.
come superannuated IN tne ,,ens,o,s a.,
Gage saws he Is in favor OF penslonIhS
clerks now. but realizes that pubic sen
timent Is against a.
The problem Of the Superannualfd ctih
IS one which confronts every SaDlnsl OH,
Ger in Washington. There are many on
clerks I'm the government service whose
incapacity Is a clog on pubic business.
Most OF these old men are WITHOUT Tor
tune, and age has incapacitated them TOT
earning living: they are Nlrlual'y oaHm
pensioners now. No Cabinet officer mas
had the cOurage-or the cruelty-to clear
out this weak timber. Secretary Lamont
got rid of some OF 10 In the War Depart
ment but not all. Most of the heads OF
the departments have met. the dlHicuity
with proposition TO authorize an assess
ment on the clerks for the creation or
pension fund Speaker Reed fayOrs that
plan ana bills TO carry IT out have beer
introduced In the House and Senate from
time TO time Secretary Gage. too. says
that he would create a pension fund by
pruning the salaries OF the clerks.
why not cut down the salaries OF the
clerks now3' | suggested | was sitting
opposite the Secretary IN his old office
in the First National Bank building. lie
was taking his first vacation since last
March and his idea OF resting apparently
was TO Visit his Old headquarters an"
talk business with his old associates.
1t might be done 10 Advantage sald
the Secretary renectively. THE govern
ment pays good salaries, and perhaps II
pays some people too much. nave no
dOub, IL does. ! am not in favor or Il nor
iZOntal reduction Of salaries however.
The reductions. n made. should be mace
10y a commission after thorough ihNeSu-
cation. A..
II have made an attempt 10 solve tho
question OF supcrannuated clerks III am
otner way continued Mr. Gage. ne
change Is only tentative. II VIII Ue
some time before we know how II Is going
10 work have established roll OF
honor to which are 10 be transferred al
clerks who have grown old and infirm IN
the service. They Will receive the lowest
clerical pay, and we shall require OF
them work commensurate with what we
pay them. The question OF superannu1ted
clerks was suggested to US By one OF my
auditors. lie Is a good man-in tact, the
whole corps of auditors and their assist
ants IL frat-cass. | am surprised that
the President was able to findi so fine a
set OF appo.ntees Well. this auditor came
to me and said that he wanted 10 raise
the standard OF his office but he did not
see how he could do It when he had SO
many Old clerks under him. They were
|
and they blocked the path Of promotion
for others There We're. in that one bu-
reau of the Treasury. eighty-seven clerks
over fifty years of age, and one or them
was seventy-fve. There were some ola
men who actually had 20 be lifted on their
stools. II was decided. as | said, to Gre
ate q roll Of honor for clerks VINO had
grown old in the service. They are 70
have the record of their services spread
on the rolls OF the department in honor
able recognition Of their faithful work.
They are to receive $500 year. and we
shall require OF them only labor COM
mensurate with their pay. What we
shall rely upon and value most mighty VIII
be their experience and their memories.
How this plan will work remains 10 De
seen or course. In some cases. N Is GONG
to reduce a mans pay from 500 10 Sso'
and that will be hard, because govern
ment service seems 10 develop in a man
the habit OF spending each year the full
amount Of MS income But. then. III
these clerks are very Old they presum-
ably have no families to care Tor, and
their transfer to class + will give a chance
FOR promotion 20 younger men VINO nave
greater responsibilities.
The coming session Of Congress Will
probably see the most serious assault on
the civil service law known i'm many years
I'm the executive department the law VIII
have no firmer Supporter than Secretary
Gage.
I'm first APPLYING n. When the net was
thrown over the employees Of the gov
eminent, every nan I'm IT'S meshes shouId
have been made 10 pass the eNamlfal lpN
now required OF applicants for appoint
ment. Ii might not have been convenient
Ia examine all of them NJ once, but TWEEN
ty per cent. could have been examined the
first year. twenty per cent. the next year
and so on. III a standard for the civil ser
vice IS set up. it should be made the
standard for an alike.
"Is ID practicable 10 do that now
1--WE are doing something like IL In the
Treasury Department We are not going
through the department examining every
one. hu, where We have any reason 10
question the efficiency Of "A mans Work,
We are sending him before board TO be
examined in competition with some one
else IL has happened IN several cases
that We have been advised that a division
chief was not so efficient as his assistant.
ana We have ordered both OF them up Tor
competitive examination. Ihen II mas
happened that the chief has come 10 me
and said that he did not want TO be eN-
amined-that he would rather forego the
examination and exchange places with ms
assistant: but he has been told that this
would not be permitted. Then he has
said: Suppose ! am examined and rail- be
hind the other man-shall L be permitted
to take his placer And 10 that We have
replied that he would be permitted 70 oc-
cupy the place for which he showed HIM
self III.
'Twenty-four law clerks were ordered
20 examination 20 prove their ftness. one
man came to me and said: Here Is my
resignation. | can't pass the examina-
ton. | have never studied law and 81
should fail on the first question | asked
him how he came 10 be occupying the po-
sition He replied that he was appoint
ed TO Il, and when he said that he knew
nothing about law they told him he would
soon pick up all the knowledge that was
necessary. He told me that he had read
some law since his appointment. but ne
was really not qualified for the position
he held and as he realized this from the
first he had felt that he was In raise
position. He was glad that the examina-
ton had been ordered. because he could
not reconcile his position with his con-
science.
we did not accept his resignation. but
we found for him a place for which ne
was fitted His salary was cut from s. ,z0
10 81 200. but he was PERFECTLY satisned.
"a great many people. both IN and OFT
of the government service. have lost sight
of one thing IN the civil service law ana
in the last order OF the Presdent-that %
Is not the individual which the civil SER
vice law protect-it is merit only. Let no
employee Of the government lose slght OF
that fact The clerk who does efficient
work will receive protection and earn pro-
motion. but the clerk who Is lazy and IN
efficient will earn discharge. There j.
nothing In the Presidents order wnlcn
protects a clerk whose work Is unsaus-
factory. All that the order requires -
that the chef of division recommending
The mans discharge shall state IN writ.
inc his reasons. and furnish copy or
The charges 20 the clerk The clerk mas
the right to file an answer me papers
are then laid before the head or the De-
partment and he determines whether 'ne
man is to go ,,.,...,... d..