Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-10-18

the nfSt step IN lnefncfe0t clerk taxes Wnen
he In informed that his head Is In danger
Is to notify his senator or representative In
Congress, and the Office is oyerrun with in
iuential personages who endeavor to have
the clerk retained or the papers held up.
Attitude Of the Cabinet.
In number of cases matters went 50
far that the President himself was asked
to interfere and keep an employee in his po-
sition. The annoyance of having his Office
overrun with politicians who came to boil
ster UP the chances of useless employees be-
came more than the heads of the depart
ments felt they were called upon to stand.
They were frequently interrupted in inn
portant work to receive such visitors, and
these visitors usually were of so much i'm
portance themselves that it was not posi-
BILE to turn them off, as ordinary visitors
would be done. The cabinet officials there
fore felt that they should be relieved and
IT is believed they appealed to the Presi-
dent. with the order of yesterday as re-
suit.
1t is claimed that under the new ruling
the dismissal of undesirable clerks is SIM
ply expedited. Instead OF asking the clerk
for an explanation. which was invariably
unsatisfactory, the head of the department
simply dismisses him from the service and
files his reasons with the order of dis
missal
The civil service commission was not
asked to prepare the order, as Is usually
done. The President sent for one Of the
commissioners, 1t Is stated. and announced
his intention to issue the order. That was
the first the commissioner had heard Of 1t
except In the way Of gossip.
Commissioner Cooley's Statement
The members OF the civil service commits
sion are much amused at the extensive edi-
torial comment on the order They de-
clared that the order means practically no
change In the present civil service rules;
that the head of an executive department is
held to just as strict an account for the
due observance of civil service rules as he
was under the old system. Commissioner
Cooley made statement in which he out
lined his opinion of the order. 1t Is not an
official opinion from the commission, be-
cause there has been no request for such
proper authority, but 1t is in line with
statements of both the other members of
the commission and is what would prob
ably be put In an official statement il such
was prepared. 1t Is pointed out that should
advantage be taken of the order to dis
miss persons for political reasons the head
OF the department would gain nothing, be-
cause he would be compelled to fill the DO
sitlon from the eligibles furnished by the
civil service commission and might get an
other clerk as offensive a partisan as the
one dismissed
The morning papers, in commenting on
the order OF the President in regard TO re-
moVals all seem to overlook the fact that
the substantive rights of employees In the
government service are practically unaf-
fected by the order-the change Is merely
In the procedure Mr.. Cooley said 'The
heads of departments have always had alb
soiute right of removal but under section
two of rule twelve they have heretofore
been required to give to the person sought
to be removed a copy of the charges
against him and allow him 8 reasonable
time In which to make reply The head
or department was always the sole judge
as to the suffciency of the explanation Of
fered by the emDlOVp The civil
commission never had any jurisdiction
Whatever except to see that the procedure
required by the rule was followed.
The recent order of the President re-
quires the heads of departments to flo a
statement in writing for the reason for all
removals. but 1t does not require any no
tice to the person sought to be discharged.
An exception to this Is made where mis-
conduct is committed in the view and pres
ence of the President or head of an execu-
tive department; in such case no statement
of reasons for the separation from the
service need be filed.
Expects Beneficial Result.
while the new rule is not so far-reach-
ing or so important as many people seem
to believe. am firmly convinced that the
result of the amendment will be altogether
beneficial. The defect in the government
service today is not that there are too
many, but that there are too few removals
This Is due in part to an inherent defect
In the government service; the head of o
bureau suffers no pecuniary loss for ineffl-
cheney, and Is therefore rather inclined to
look leniently on shortcomings OF his en-
ployes. 1t is In part due to the fact, which
every bureau chief in Washington can
testify to, that inefficient clerks invariably
have the greatest amount of political infiu-
ence. Lastly 1t Is due to the fact that I'M
der the old rule heads of offices sometimes
felt that so much red tape was involved
In getting a clerk out of service that it was
easier to do nothing. 1t Is this last defect
that the Presidents order will remedy"