The National tribune., 1899-04-20
WANTING TO SHELvE THE VETERANS.
The Boston Herald, which is worthy

Post as an organ OF the ciahses, as dis,
tinguished from the Masses" can never
bring itself to forgive the veterans fol
doing such a vulgar and plebeian thing
as fight for their country. 1t has begun
crusade against the State law giving
preference in public employment to vet
Grams. 1t says:
As the law now stands, the veteran must
he certified without examination, and under
such conditions he takes precedence over
everybody. His qualifications are not judged
of by any test that is of value, and as it
ordinarily happens that those seeking public
offices are those who have proved themselves
10 he incompetent or unsuccessful in ordinary
business ffe, the result is that our public
service is loaded down with men who cannot
properly do the duty imposed upon them,
and who would ordinarily not be employed
IN less important service by .sagacious busi-
ness men. The law OF exemption was passed
under an entirely mistaken idea of what
patriotic duty was, and its result is bemoaned
by nearly every responsible and efficient
public administrator in the State. The time
has come to repeal it. There would be no
difficulty experienced in finding all the evil
dence required to convince any disnteresteG
per on of the need of taking such action.
and if it is not taken it will be because senti-
mentality and political pressure. and not true
sentiment and high ideal of public duty,
control the minds of our Legislators
Without any special knowledge of
the f. cts, we know from the very nature
of things that this is absolutely untrue.
Here in the city of Washington the
veterans have been given the most
exhaustive trial as public employees,
and the testimony is overwhelmingly in
their favor. The actual conduct of
public business is very largely in the
hands of veterans, and has been ever
since the close of the rebellion. The
veterans have everywhere and in every
line of work distinguished themselves
for capacity, zeal and fidelity. The
Civil Service of the United States is not
surpassed and we believe is not equaled
by that of any Government in the
world, and it has been made what it is
to-day by men who served in the army
or navy in war time. In every Depart
ment, Bureau, or Division they are the
confidential, reliable clerks, the trusted
experts, the energetic executants. Ad
change, new men come in
as Secretaries, Commissioners, Chiefs of
Division, etc, etc, stay their terms, and
go out again; but the business of the
Government is carried on, without
change of policy or interruption, by
these veteran employees, who teach their
superiors what is to be done, and the
right way to do it. Even when Cleve-
land made his onslaught upon them, and
turned them out literally by thousands,
he still had to retain thousands. They
had knowledge, training, and special
abilities that the Government could
not dispense with, badly as their places
we're wanted for political heelers.
Much of the blundering of Cleve-
lands Administration was due to the
men who attempted to ell the veterans
places. The Civil Service cannot re-
place them. 1t can only give boy a
schoolmaster's marks as to the way he
has learned his lessons. 1t cannot give
him judgment, common sense, honesty,
fidelity, zeal, and that practical wisdom
which comes from the discipline of a
well-conducted life.
The testimony of numerous public
officials holding important places has
all been strongly in favor of the veteran
clerk as against the fippant, triaing,
sof-place-hunting boys supplied by the
Civil Service Commission.
1t must be remembered all the time
that these veteran clerks who have made
the Governmental service what it is to-
day did not come in through Civil
Service. They were appointed on ac-
count of their good record in the army
or navy, and the esteem in which they
were held at home.
The veterans in public employment
in Massachusetts, are of the same type,
and the Heralds assault upon them is
spiteful SANDER. The men who fought
under the Bay States banner during
the rebellion have since been her ablest
and most faithful public servants. 1t
would be severe loss to the State to
replace them with the Heralds kind of
men.