Daily capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1896-1899, 1897-08-24
Editorial.

order has teen issued, and all the
hopes of the spoilsmen have been dis
appointed, and all the hopes of the re-
formers have been realized. Indeed,
the reformers have gained beyond
their hopes. The only mobilization
made in former ciyil service orders is
one exempting from the CLASSIFIED
service certain internal revenue and
custom-house deputy officials, whose
duties toward their chiefs are partly
of a confidential character. Even
here the new order requires that the
appointees shall pass examinations
provided by the Civil Service Commits
sioners, to insure their intellectual
qualification for all the duties OF
their posts. The head Official ap-
points subject to veto from the Com
mission appointing, instead OF the
commission appointing subject to the
veto of the head official. With this
exception, to the justice of which
civil service reformers assent, the
scope Of the reform is slightly widened
by the addition of ssixty-fve small
custom Offices to the classified service,
and greatly deepened by giving all Of
ficers within the classified service the
protection of the following order;
No removal shall be made from any
position subject to competitive exam
ination except for just cause and upon
written charges filed with the head
of the department, or other appoint
Ing officer, and of which the accused
shall have full notice and an oppor-
tunity to make defense.
This order does not take from the
heads of various offices the full power
to remove their subOrdinates, but 1T
obliges them to state the reasons for
a removal, and to hear the defense OF
the subordinate before the removal is
made. Further than this the legal
protection nf subordinates ought not
10 90. II removals could not be made
except upon charges preferred and
sustained before an outside tribunal,
the Federal offices would become nest
ing-places for incompetency. The
responsible official In an office has still
full power to maintain the efficiency
of his corps of subordinates, but he
can no longer discharge 'subordinates
except on the ground of their inefiici-
ency. Ifhe discharges them for par
tisan reasons, evidence of this will
accumulate with each discharge made,
and public opinion can demand his
removal for obvious violation of the
spirit of the law. The present order
means great restriction OF
the SPOTS of Office, and great
extension of the independence
OF federal officials. President
Mckinley Is faithful to the spirit of
the law. We believe the law is vitally
defective in not limiting the tenure
OF office. We do not believe in life
long tenures of Office of any official,
unless rendering peculiarly expert SER
vice. such as delivery or mailing clerks
in postoffices, letter carriers, rail way
postal clerks, or any similarly techni-
cal service, upon the skillful perform
ance of which the welfare Of the
country, the business interests, or the
accommodation of the public depends.
A few such offices should not be lin
tied as to tenure. All other offices
should be limited to four, six or eight
years at the longest. If men remain
too long IN office we raise up an Of
fetal class, an Office holding aristo-
cracy who become Indifferent to the
wants of the people. After term of
public service, as above limited, such
officials should go out OF Office and go
back among the masses of the people
to come In contact with them in their
daily struggle for existence. That
would Americanize them and keep
them from getting above those whom
they are expected 10 serve.