Industrial freedom. [volume] (Edison, Wash.) 1898-1???, 1898-06-11
EDISON, SATURDAY, JUNE II, 1898
SOCIALISTS AND CIVIL SERVICE.

The commonest objection to the
public ownership and operation OF
the railways, is that it would add
500 900 Offices to the civil service, in
creasiug the amount of political
''spoils" by so much.
To this objection socialists make
two replies-pubic ownership would
take the corporations out of politics
and civil service reform would keep
the 100000 employees out of politics.
Let us look at the replies in detail:
Public ownership would take the
corporations out of politics. The
corporations are now in politics.
They furnish free transportation to
their friends, thus packing" couven-
tions of all parties: they corrupt leg
islatures: they furnish passes to
Judges and other public officers, thus
corrupting our courts: a large per-
centage of legislators, representa-
tives and senator's are Incorporation
attorneys like Thurston of Nebraska,
who represents the Union Pacific
rather than the people of Nebraska
in the U. S. senate; they rob the pee
pie by having congress pass laws Civ
ing the railroads Is times as much
for carrying the mails as they charge
for carrying express matter the same
distance. Under public ownership
there would be no railroad corpora
tions. There would, therefore, be no
railroad corporations to enter poll
tics.
Civil service reform would keep
the 5000 places from becoming
spoils. Each sort of position would
have different sort of examination.
For d clerkship the examination
would, of course. be clerical. For
engineers the examination would be
about the same as it now is for that
trade. For section foremcn there
would be one kind of examination:
for switchmen the examination would
be altogether different. The exami-
nations are all different, but all APP
plicants are graded on a scale of l to
100. These gradings are kept on file,
and when a vacancy occurs, the place
is given to the man who stands high
est on the list, and not to a ward
heller or one with pull While
men may, at any time. be removed
for cause, experience has proven
that, as the superintendent knows he
cannot put in his own son or other ia
vorite, but must put in Smith, because
he stands highest on the list, there
will be no removals except for cause.
Under the spoils system most reno
walls are made simply to prepare
places for favorites. When, there
fore, the superintendent knows that
his favorite will, in any event, not be
appointed to the place, there is no
object in removing good men, and so
faithful workers are assured perma-
nent position regardless of changes
of the administration.
Up to 1853 British Offices were
used as spoils. Today, with all Offices
filled by competitive examinations, a
change of party means a change of
only - to 25 officials.
In this country we now have about
10000 out of 240,000 national offices
out Of politics. Let each socialist
write to his congressman urging an
extension Of the reform. and so get
the remaining 100, Offices out Of the
dirty pool Of politics and there will
be little popular opposition to the ma
tionalization Of the telegraph. the
express and the railroads. These
won. the cooperative commonwealth
viii be at hand.