The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-12-31
Reasons Why It Should Not Be
Abolished.
sEsT PLAN or GOVERNMENT.



vice system are being freely discussed
throaaxfsout the city. Among representa-
tive business and professional men there
seems 20 be q settled and practically
unanimous conviction that the appissaA~
ticn of civil service rules to municipal ad-
n1tnistratjUu has been Of great benefit 20
fhs city End that It's advantages VIII m
crease ~ time brings about better sa-
5ustment Of conditions not only new, but
taA1ca1iy different from the old.
The memberR Of the city council were to
have met N committee OF the whole last
01~Al % consider the matter Of submitting
~ pepul4r vote the proposed charter
N0&unnsenta atoilnhing evil service, but
t44ro Vas no quorum. only six members
bo1ug present, ard the matter goes over
untfI Monday afternoon. for which Tune
Chairman McArdIc has made another call
4or the committee. There viii then remain
euly three more days In which to submit
the amendments.
Y Poet-InteilixeHfee reporter yesterday
3utarvioWed 4 number Of people on this
&nh1ocl. They we're people Of VARYING
nIHQ1o d po1Jtlca3 faith. people In differ
10&Rnlks at NE. and In professions whose
9Q{mtp Of vteN are widely separated. The
HI q nAna6n wax not seiected with view
~ securing 0dly opinion favorable to civil
oerv3cG; yet without single exception
themselves openly and positively In It's
4avoR. Not one declined to be interviewed.
Among thsse expressions are the follow
ine:
Capt. Frederick g. De wolfe-As a mer,-
ber Of the charter commission. j gave my
unqualified support to the civil service
system In Observation-Disclosures OF municipal
&0airS. I have seen no reason whatever
since that time TO change my views. On
-
might be profitaoly extended 20 as I,
cover every public office not only I'm the
city. hut In the county. My ohseryau m
Ct the working OF the equity Offices
convinced me that II would he Infinitely
better from every point OF view save THAI
OF the seif-seeker and the partisan poll
ticlAn to have all our county Offices placed
uncer civil service rules. OF course It
may be that In the abortion of a system
which rs 30 radically different from ali
that has gone before |, there Will be found
certain rough places which cause friction
Let these be modified or oiled down, bat
do not let us give up good system mere
" because Of a few minor flaws.
Il. G. Gilmau-I am enphatscally I'm fla
vor of civil service and think that 10
abolish II now would be IA step backward
N municipal government.
Leo Hart. Democrat state commlitse-
man from King cou1sy.1 refused to sian
the petition which had for It's object the
abolition of the civil service IN eont,ss,~
tIon with the city government. I stated 10
those who asked for my sisnatt.ro that /
had always been for civil service was ssiIi
fcr II. and for that reason did not bali.ye
IN submitting II To the people secani
time. They voted on IL two years ago
rfssi th.ra car be no good reason for .iolr
doing so again ST the comirg election /
have no hesitency In saying that | aflsya
AZ an ardent supporter CT civil service
DIR. George v. Calhoun nm heartily In
tnvar Of a sensible administration of mu-
nscinai AFFAIRS under civil sefsiee rates.
There are ons or two offices which I thfnk
should he directly app0lntiye T., The
mayor. such as the chief o. police. chief
of tho fire department and possibly the
park commissioner or superintendent II
We ara ever tc have a system, If mark ia
SEATTLE. l take This view because think
the MAYER shoesld be held directly resra.i-
ribie for the conduct of affairs In these
departments. III. for Instance. he should
nnd that the chief af the fire department
was drunk let uw say. Just ri the time
when general alarm was turned ia
mink Re ought tn have the power n 1is-
c'iarge that officer on the spot with,,t,
waiting till next morning OF for th., ~
tape OF an Investigation 50 II ha @,,,,Ia
find the chief az police tn the act az ;as,iY,s
3 hrttsa OF eNtnfunE hlsCkman. hut ehaf-
ever defects or imperfectionS there ar,. a
the civil service rules these car and a,,..lt
In be modified Experience In my ~.
profession has convinced me nf tho W..
dom of such system. I was a n,e,f,b.
OF the fifst medical examining hoard r.
This state We very soon found II of.,es.
sary 20 divide the applicants who no.
rearcd before us Into two general clase5.,
viz. old practitioners ara reccn, .;..1r,
atea. Old practitioners were men ,xhn "a
been engaged in the practice ~ their r~,,
fess'on fo~ five Years or longer Re~..,.
graduates were those who had left III,
medical coilegs sinco shat time H. La.
examinations at the latter ne gave f-r.,,.. !.
weight 10 the rsare technical hfans,h-- =
Tho curriculum speh H. chemistry, --,-
terra nlediea. rhysiolcgy and a r,t7s,,.l,,s,
or weight TO general practice In tha .,,ze
Of The did practitioners wc ,ust ,v...,,,,
reversed tfia u candidate a. this e., -.
hreke down almost completely A., s..
tcShnid'te ne modern chs m5strv an1 ,...
Sustained himself we'll In geucsal p~,..,..,
IN the ayinafc1ns 81 disease in rathot. 81.
M the diseases If womgp ar.} yhii1r,. 80
pesscd him, In somewhat siy,iler ,.,y
] believe that ten Gdndasstra -la-, 80 ..t,.1
service ras'.S can guasd MI the iut..,. e-s
or the pablo nv dsspiavins a uttIe ..,.,,-
mon sense. For example let The eN, min.
ing ccara. which has the power u, ~
the percentages - values TIA, sN,,I e..
fari To the different eienirrts i,t ar \
Al ~ y 81 kN