The National tribune., 1902-03-06
PROTEST AGAINST THE VETERANS.

That precious aggregation of prigs-the
National Civil Service League-is again
stirred up lest the men who fought for
the country should get something. In an
Appeal to Congress-, signed by Gen.
VIM. A. Aiken, Col Silas W. Burt (where
these gentlemen got their military titles
we are unable TO discover, and Richard
Watson Glider. representing the League,
it is asked that no further action he taken
as TO the Veterans Preference Bill, for
these reasons:
'FirSt-1'he effect of the new Veterans
| Preference act would he lowering of the
efficiency of the entire civil service, from
the fact that something besides fitness
would be considered in the making of ap-
pointments. and furthermore that those
who would be benefited by the bill are
now at the age when officers of the army
and navy are retired by law. The average
| business man Is apt to retire. voluntarily
or involuntarily, us early in life as this.
| The civil service is already threatened by
| approximation. and the proposed law
would increase the present embarrassment
and distinctly injurc the public service.
''Secund-Servicc of the country i'll Il
civil capacity should not he considered Il
! reward for Il selected class of citizens.
but an opportunity of public usefulness of
| feTed fairly and equally to all competent
citizens according to their individual ca
pacity and fitness, under system where
every applicant has fair field and no IA
vOr. each standing on his merits as he Is
able to show them by practical test This
is the system of which President RooSe-
welt has said. in his message above quoted,
that il is in its essence. as democratic
and American as the commOn-SchoOl SyS-
tenn itself
"Third-The good feeling across the
lines. long existing between the actual
fighters in the civil war. has contributed
to the present dignity and power of our
country in the eyes of the world. through
the thorough reuniting Of the sections, as
conspicuously shown in the late war with
a foreign power. As one result of this
good feeling the people of the Southern
States have borne, without protest, their
share of the tremendous expense of our
pension charges. though. of course. receiv-
ing no benefit from the disbursement of
the funds. There being comparatively few /
residents of the Southern States who |
could avail themselves of the preference, |
the new legislation could not escape the |
color. at this late day, of an ungraciouS |
act of sectional disqualification.
'Fourth-If the proposed bill becomes a !
law there would be an immediate demand /
to place all veterans of the Spanish war |
in the same privileged class, to the addi- |
tiOnal crippling of a service which needs |
to be improved in every way, and not used |
as mere source of reward for public |
services which should be otherwise COM
Densated. As a matter of fact, pressure |
in this direction has already begun"
All of these reasons are more or less |
specious and insufficient.
In the first place, it is not true that !
something besides fitness is considered. |
The fundamental idea of the bill is that |
the veteran shall be equally fit with the |
other competitors to perform the duties |
of the place. Being fit, he is entitled to
preference by reason of his previous serv
ice to his country.
This also diSposes of the question of |
age. There is no likeness to the retire
ment policy of the army and navy, be-
cause that is based upon rigid physical
requirements for the most strenuous ac-
tivity and endurance under exceptionally |
hard conditions. The army and navy also
reject men on account of loss of teeth,
stiff fingers, short-sightedness. and other
defects, which count for nothing in Civil
Service examinations. In contradiction to
the Civil Service theories. every official
will bear testimony that much the best
clerks in the Government service today
are the veterans, whose service in the
field laid q solid foundation OF severe
ideas as TO responsibility and duty.
. The matter of superannuation is one
that shall have to be met later, for civ
ilians as well as veterans. The man who is
fit for place now has n good many years
of efficient work in him yet.
As to the second reason, every civilized
makes it an essential part of its
policy to prefer for its civil service the
men who served under its flag. This is
not only right and just, but high policy.
The men who have the stamina TO sub
NIT to military discipline, and to fight for
the country, cannot help making better
clerks and other employees than weak
than memory enough to absorb the rudi
ments of an education and pass an exam
ination.
As 10 the third reason, the South has
always borne very little of the burdens
Of taxation. If the offices were distrib-
uted on the basis of the taxes paid she
would not have nearly as many as she now
has. The South has always gotten much
more ont Of the Government than she has
paid in.
As to the fourth reason, why should not
the Spanish war soldiers. and those of the
have substantial preference
over pastry-faced high-school graduates ,
who have done nothing for the country
and do not want to? !