The times., 1899-06-14
Gage and the spoiIs System.

Gpge and the SpOiIs System.
Once more We must express our sorrow
| that Mr.. Lyman ]. Gage should so far Sor-
get natural desire to lead an easy life.
as to jump into the arena of strife created
by the Presidents order of return to the
spoils system, and so make himself a shin
ing mark for the shafts of criticism. He will
not emerge from the situation without feel
ing bruised and many people whose good
opinion he would like to have will think
that his eyes need the services of decora-
tive artist
The Civil Service Reform League has
| said some very unpleasant things TO Mr..
Gage. and promises to give them more in
detail. The decent press of the country
has rather excoriated him for an attempted
defence OF an indefensible, retrograde and
infamous thing, and, most recently, MIR.
Everett p Wheeler, for years Chairman
of the New York Civil Service Commission,
has called him to account.
One of the principal points made in Mr..
Wheeler's letter to the Secretary of the
Treasury is that the second section of the
Federal Civil Service act of 1888 has never
been repealed and the President is bound
TO obey it. 1t requires that the civil SER
vice rules to be promulgated by him shall
declare 'as nearly as the condition of good
government will warrant" for open COM
petitiye examinations for testing the fitness
of applicants for the public service. now
classified. or to be classified; and that all
places so classified shall be filled by selec
tions from those graded highest as the
results of such competitive examinations.
Mr.. Wheeler deplores the exemption of
ten thousand of the best places in the SER
vice from the operation and protection of
the merit system, but declares that this is
not nearly as bad as the rule allowing the
transfer OF persons appointed without ex-
animation to all places in the classified
service. He says:
This permits the transfer of persons appointed
as laborers in any department of the Government
10 any position in the classified service without
competition. This is the method which have re-
pcatedly seen employed TO eyade the requirements
Of the Civil Service act in the State of New York.
In many instances that drawn TO my atten
tion during the service TO which / have referred
the Commission Of which was member discov-
cred that appointments were made of persons as
lhDOTers. WITHOUT examination, anu lDAl Ilet
assigned to duty clerks or in other posi-
tions in the classified service, without any test
of fitness whatever.
This is not only a direct violation of the law.
but it tends 10 break down the whole morale OF
the service by letting it be distinctly understood
that merit docs not cut any figure in the selec-
ton of persons to fill public places, but that the
whole object OF appointments by the Government
is TO build mp a political machine or to crafty
personal preference. Our Commission
stanty on the alert to break up this misohievous
practice. That il should be legalized by
press order Of the President fills with
Constituent. / am reluctant TO believe that either
you he would deliberately favor 4 rule which
encourages violations of law and legalizgs, as far
as an order of the President do, the evasion
OF the express requirements Of statute. / cannot
suppose that this was the intention either of the
President or of yourself. But l can assure you
from personal observation that it will be SO
strued by your subordinstes. What you
poet from them if their chiefs adopt rules which
do in point Of fact permit an evasion of the ex-
pres. requirements OF the statute: II you DO il
in case, you may be sure they will do it in
others.
Secretary Gage, who is plainly incapable
of knowing when he has enough, has re-
piled to Mr.. Wheeler. What he offers is
essentially contained in the argument of
his unfortunate first attempt to defend the
spoils order. We shall not bother much
with his supplementary presentment. He
writes: Il have long been believer in
the merit system. After the most
careful study l am capable of giving it.
do not see that the new Presidential order
operates to break down in any essential
particular the present merit system"
Then Mr.. Gage does not consider that a
most fagrant outbreak of the spoils sys-
TEN in his own department. since the order
was issued, is to be taken as evidence that
It operates TO break down" the present
merit system! We have rather important
testimony on the matter, furnished by sew
eral Treasury employees who ought to know
the facts. According to our information.
twenty-six of the permanent classified
clerks have been discharged within the
past two weeks and about as many more
reduced. About fifty promotions from the
temporary force are said 10 have been
made within the same time. This tempo
rary force, it is alleged, has consisted of
the sons, daughters, cousins, chamber
maids, and buffers of the powers that be-
We are told that among the temporaries
maze permanent there are TO be num-
bered a boy who is the son of an Assis-
tant Secretary. a Chief Clerks son, and the
sen of an Auditor. 1t is also said that a
former domestic in the family OF an Off
cial is the only female clerk in the depart
ment drawing a high salary. The school
boy friends of the son of an ofiiceholder
are billeted upon positions worth from
sixteen TO eighteen hundred dollars year.
while there has not been a regular pro-
motion on lines of longevity of service and
merit for nearly two years; nor has an
appointment been made through the reg
ular civil service channel since the pres
ent Administration began" One of our
informants writes us that while we are
told everyone must pass an examination
it is notorious that there is one woman
in the department who works every exam.
pie and writes every letter for the in
competents, and makes money by do
ing it,"
oh. yes, certainly the Hon. Lyman j.
Gage is a believer in the merit system,
and most appropriate champion of Mr..
McKinley's civil service reform" order.
But it would have been better for him if
ne had abstalned from locking horns with
the Civil Service Reform League, Mr.
Everett p. Wheeler and the American
press.
Compulsory Arbitration.