The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1898-02-01
EFFICIENCY A TRUE TEST
Advantages of the Merit System
Told by Mr.. John Joy Edison.
ALSO By Mr.. FRED. l.. SIDD0NS
A Hea rim. Before the House Com
mIttce III civil Service The Re-
form Has served to Keep Gnod
Men in office and Make Them
Thrifty aud Attentive TO Duty.

The House committee on civil Serv-
ice today held Il hearing at which seV.
eral witnesses appeared. Mr.. John
JOY Edison, the president of the Wash
ington Loan and Trust Company. and
also Of the local civil Service Reform
Association. was the first 10 give the
committee his views, and declared he
was emphatically in favor of civil
service reform. He referred to the
very few defalcations that take place
as remarkable, considering that there
are so many employed in positions of
trust. He declared that in his belief
Government employees should hold of,
flee while efficient and of good behaV-
ior. and that when they became old
and incapable they should be dropped
from the service.
In his opinion there should be no
civil pension list and Government en-
ployes should be treated the same as
they are in private business. He be-
lieved the classified service ought to
be extended to include watchnen and
others in the lower positions. and that
such extension would give an ideal
service. He did not claim for the
present civil service reform that il
was q perfect system, but he was not
sufficiently familiar with the details of
the service TO point out the difficulties
with which the Commissioners have to
contend.
Mr.. Lands inquired if it were not a
fact that clerks invest in property in
the District.
Yes. it is; you viii find that not
only clerks now buy property and make
their homes here. but Senators. Repre-
sentatives, Cabinet officers and others
in the employ of the Government. Be
fore the classified service became eff
fective, hundreds of Government en-
ployes at the end of each Administra-
ton became stranded and the citizens
here were called upon TO assist them to
get home.''
Mr.. Edison referred to one case that
had come under his personal notice. An
applicant for the place OF Assistant At
torney General under the Hayes Adj
ministration was reduced TO the neces-
sity of finally taking "A position as mes
senger in the Pension Office, which he
filled until he could earn money enough
to return to the position in life he was
fitted to fill.
He said that many employees of the
Government attended law school, but
he did not think that interfered with
their duties.
Mr. Lands said he knew of a case
where sixteen out of seventeen ap-
pointees of one member of Congress
were attendants at normal colleges
That may be true, but you wouldn't
discourage education?" inquired Mr..
Edison.
''Oh. no. replied Mr.. Lands.
Il think" said Mr.. Edison, that one
of the best things resulting from the
present law is that it encourages ed
ucation.'
Continuing, Mr. Edison. said that in
his judgment, under the so-called spells
system such a good class of employees
are not obtained: that the men who Sc
cure positions are political strikers
looking for reward for political SER
vices. He said his idea was that peo-
pie who fill offices should do so from
purely patriotic motives.
Mr.. Frederick l.. Siddons. secretary
of the District Civil Service Reform
Association. followed Mr.. Edison, and
said. in reply to a question from Mr..
Pearson of North Carolina that there
were 80. 100 persons In the employ of the
government in the District, of which
number a. 900 secured their positions
without the merit system and exami-
nations entaiied by it.
Mr.. Lacey interjected that, in his