The Saint Paul globe., 1902-07-12
IMPERIALISM IN OFFICE.

A remarkable announcement comes
from Washington regarding the future
administration of the treasury depart
ment. 1t is, in a word, that Secretary
Shaw has decided that the usefulness
of any and every officer of that Depart
ment who has served four or five years
in succession is so seriously impaired
thereby that he should be removed.
AS a corrollory of this, it is officially
declared through the recent civil ser
vice order of the president, that the
making of formal charges against an
the classified service shall not be nee
essary to his dismissal.
What does all this mean? If it has
any meaning at all it is that existing
officials of the treasury department.
after they have served four or five
years, however ably and acceptably
are to be summarily removed if it
suits the purposes, of the head of the
department that they shall be remov-
ed, and that the fact that they are
included in the classified service will
not protect them against the arbitrary
dismissal from the service.
With such a beginning where is the
end to be looked for? Was ever a more
unreasonable or more arbitrary rule of
official conduct laid down in the service
of any nation, however absolute the
recognized authority of it's head? No
ukase from the czar was ever more far
reaching in it's effect on the official ex-
istence of his subjects. No bolder at
tempt to re-establish the spoils sys-
tenn in all its most offensive and dan
gerous operation has ever signalized
American politics. 1t is evident that
under the new plan personal preference
is to take the place of political effort,
or personal fitness, and that the only
test hereafter to be recognized in the
treasury department, and ultimately,
we assume, in the other departments,
of fitness for official place is the one of
superior personal acceptability to the
man at the head.
This is the newest exposition we
have had of the operation of imperial
ism in official life. If the limit of four
or five years is to be set to the time
during which public official can rem
der efficient public service, what is
there to prevent the reduction of the
nPriO6 N fnYJrs he
idential ukase the main requirement
of civil service reform, the one of Sc
curity of tenure in office during good
behavior, is to be wiped out of ex-
lstence, why not wipe out the system
itself by the same process? What is
the need of legislation when the ends
OF legislation can be effected with
such simplicity and directness?
Secretary Shaw's policy as to ten
ure of office in his department, we are
told from recognized Republican
sources, is not restricted to the officials
Immediately subordinate to him. hut
extends to the minor officials of the
department. So that on the personal
say-so of the head of the treasury
department, any official who has been
in office over four or five years may
be removed at will by that head, or
through his order. What an admira-
bic device for the promotion of the DO
litical fortunes of any ambitious poIit-
ical leader, especially if he happens
to have the appointment of the heads
of the several departments, to fill the
various offices of the general govern
ment with those who will help to ac-
complish his purposes, and to turn out
OF office those who might be either
unwilling or unable to offer such help?
1t will be quite interesting to watch
the immediate developments of the in
auguration of this new imperiaHstic
principle of rotation in office.