The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-08-15
MkINLEYS CIVIL SERVICE HUr1BUG.
Hearing" Provisions Made to Shield the Removing
Official From Criticism.

clerks appointed through competitive
examinations TO the extent of 1 per
cent OF the entire force now protected
oy the rules Government clerks do
not resign voluntarily, and the appoint
ments made through examinations are
so rare that II an applicant asks the
civil service commission as to the pros
pect of an appointment after passing
the examination he would be told in
yariably that the effort is a futile one.
overlooking
That is the spectacle that now con-
fronts the American people. BY repeat
ed extension of these rules has been
oullt up privileged class, numbering
perhaps 100000 throughout the country.
VINO are secured in their positions to
such an extent that a capable young
man or woman, when seeking an exam
nation for appointment, is told that it
VIII be a waste of time to attempt il.
because the vacancies are so few and
Iar between While the object of the
law was TO secure for the government
service employees whose fitness has
been tested by examination after Is
years OF its operation it prevents those
passing the examination from getting
IN, because the places are all held by
those who have not Passed the ex-
animation.
A REMEDY.
The remedy for this growing evil
would De simple one. BY fixing a rea-
sonable term of Office for government
employees. say of six or eight years
and by appointing only after a thor
ough test Of merit, in a few years the
lncompetentS who got in under the old
system would be dropped out. Avenues
would be opened from time to time
through which the people could enter
the civil departments of the govern
ment, and new and energetic blood
would be at intervals infused into a
service that pa1pably is in need of it.
Such plan would open the doors annu-
ally to $4,000 competent and deserving
and these, entering the SER
vice with a prospect of but one term
of office. would not suffer unexpected
at it's end. The youth
of the country would have a chance TO
spend six years at the national capital.
with time and opportunity to take a
collegiate course while employed: could
save suff1cient from q government sal
airy TO enter a profession. and there
would be, in short. a degree of fairness
Of rotation in office and distribution of
federal favor. The holding Of federal
office for life and the building up of a
class of favorites. and especi-
lilly of favoriteS whose fitness has not
been tested. is not only a humbug: it is
! system that offends every sense OF
Justice and decency; it is. in plain
words. an outrage upon American citi-
senship.
McKinley's order putting a couple of
hundred employees who have not been
examined under the protection of rules,
md taking others from that protection,
s in no sense a reform His order re-
luiring a written charge to be fled
Lgalnst a clerk, so as to square" the
'fficer who removes him, is not a re-
Orm. There is but one method in
which a reform can be made-that is to
ret out all the fossils that have been
,ept in office, whost fitness never was
ested. and then fl their s1laceS by per-
ons whose capacity has been tested,
nd then limit the terms of all en-
'ioyees to about six years
To show the kind of government
Jerks kept in office for life by the law
f 1888, it is only necessary 10 refer to
he names in the official register. In
he Washington departmental service
on Will find, for instance, IL Fosters. "A
hermans, IS Logans,. etc. 1 do not
lean to assert of my knowledge that
lese are all relatives of the Republican
,aders of those names. My belief, how
yer, is that they are relatives. either
ear or remote. Under the old days it
sed to be a standing report in Wash
lgtOn InaI JOnn A Logan 5 friends
nd relatives got One-third of all the
epartmental appointments: the state
Ohio one-third, and other Republican
osses. like Platt of New York. and
latt of Connecticut. the balance. If
he will glance at the names in the blue
ook of the present day he viii find
mple reason TO believe that this state
rent was not far from true
And it is the system that makes their
flee tenure perpetual that we are told
a reform.