Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-10-20
TOPIC OF The CLERKS
Continue to Denounce Sum-
mary Dismissal Order.
POWER OF OFFICIALS
IT Is DECLARED TO BE AS GREAT
AS AN AUTOGRAPHS.
Asserted That Heads Of Departments
Will Have to Depend Upon
Fallible Subordinates.
POWER OF OFFICIALS

Although still afraid to openly express
their honest opinion on the subject for pub
lication, there is an Enthusiastically strong
undercurrent of fear and anxiety in all the
government offices in regard to the Presi-
dents recent civil service order authorizing
summary removals. 1t continues to be the
main topic of discussion among the clerks
whenever they get together, and especially
during the lunch hour. Star reporter en-
deavored to get some of them to express
their views on the subject, and succeeded
| in only few cases, where he was personal
| ly known and gave assurance that he would
not betray the speaker.
ITS like this said one indignant clerk.
| THE order pleases all the superiors and
frightens all the subordinates. 1 always
thought the civil service rt.es were designed
| to improve the personnel of the government
civil service and to protect the employees in
their tenure during good service and be-
havior, and at the same time prevent their
dismissal without a good and sufficient rea-
son. The main effect of the new rule is to
simplify and make easy the method of get
ting rid OF employees expeditiously and Sc
cretly. Otherwise there was no need of the
order
The Old Rules.
THE old rules provided broad and COM
prehensive rules for the dismissal of in
capable and d'sreputable employees but then
1t was necessary to state the cause The en-
tire matter was in the hands of the head of
the department. He ordered the dismissal
and determined the sufficiency of the stated
cause, as well the sufficiency or INSULT
cheney of the explanation. In other words,
If the Secretary pronounced clerk ineffi-
Client he was inefficient for all purposes Of
punishment, and there was no appeal from
his judgment. And furthermore, the Sec
rotary was always sustained by the civil
service commission and the courts. ! don't
recall case, and don't believe there ever
was one, where an employe was retained in
the government service when the President
or the head of a department directed his
dismissal and did not thereafter willingly
cancel the order. Efforts to override such
dismissals have been frequently made but
in no case We're they successful. This state
ment of course, does not apply to cases
where the head of department has re-
voked his own order at the request of
friends of the employe.
Because 1t has been always possible to
remove undesira BILE employees on short no.
tice-only three days-I confess fail to see
the necessity of authorizing dsmssals with
out a hearing at the discretion of an official
who may have no personal knowledge of the
facts in the case and acts simply on the ad-
vice of a bureau or division official"
The Vital Point at ISSUE.
Permit me to express my sincere ap-
probation of the thoughtful and timely
editorial in Wednesday evenings issue of
The Star on the latest civil service or
der an old clerk said. with earnestness,
to a Star reporter. That some of the
ca binet officers should approve it goes
without saying. When have men not loved
power? They should reflect, however
that neither the time at their disposal
nor the character of their duties gives
70 LOFT
their own knowledge the qualities of the
clerks of their respective departments
They must in such matters be guided by
the reports of heads of bureaus very
largely, and these in turn by heads Of
divisions and chief clerks. Now. IL 1t is
admittedly So difficult to secure men of
ability and spotless character to fill the
few high offices In the land how much
more difficult will it be to select men for
the vastly larger number required for the
subordinate places, equally blameless and
able, equally unlikely to be swayed by
passion or prejudice? For 1T is to these
latter that, in the last analysis, the ques-
ton as to whether an employe shall be
retained or discharged will go. Is this
last rule IN accordance with our funda-
mental idea of justice that no man shall
be convicted without an opportunity of
being heard, or the yet more universal
principle that 1t is better that hundred
guilty ones should escape than that one
innocent should be punishedT
Ao1h GhCSt u tIc OTOer.
Il don't believe" said another old gov
ernment clerk today, that the Car ei
Russia has more power over the life and
property Of his subjects than the Presi-
dent and the members of his cabinet now
have over the tenure of government en-
ployes To my mind the main effect of the
Civil service rules as now amended will
be to make 1t extremely hard to get into
the classified service and even more diff
cult to remain in. The reason given for
the new order Is that there was too much
red tape in securing removals under the
old system. The fact was that 1t took at
least three days to dismiss man and
some correspondence. Three days does
not seem long to the victim and his fam
lily, who have been deprived of their
means of livelihood and as for the CORE
spondence, that is not done by the Sec
retary, but by his assistants: of whom he
has many. 1t is true the Secretary has
to read the letters prepared for his sig
natures. He also has to listen to the
friends of the victim-if he has any-but
that is something that cannot be avoided
even by the new order. The difference
will be that whereas heretofore impor-
tunitfes of friends came before the order
of dismissal was effected, they will now
come after it has taken effect All the
influence discharged man can WELD will
be employed In securing his reinstate-
ment just as it would have been used
formerly to prevent his removal after 1t
had been ordered.
A Bad Feature of the Order.
I'm my opinion one of the worst features
of the new order is that 1t will enable chiefs
of divisions and bureaus TO secure the re-
moval of employees with no more trouble
than is necessary to secure the assent of
the head of the department He will natu-
rally accept their Judgment as to the mer-
its of their subordinates and will have no
tirya tynIf 20
the merits of the employe. The latter is
dismissed by order of the Secretary for
some stated cause, but will not know II I'M
til he is out. 1t would not be so bad If the
Secretary had personal knowledge of the
clerks inefficiency or bad habits, but how
can that be when he only comes in con-
tact with less than dozen out of the
thousand employees in the department? He
necessarily has TO accept the report of the
heads of the various subordinate Offices
Well. what's the use of kicking? The
authorities evidently want to enlarge their
powers and they have done So They may
not abuse their new authority and 7 hopa