The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1905-10-25
THE CIVIL SERVICE.
TIE VAST ARMY IN THE GOVERN
MENT EMPLOY.
They Have Short Hours, Easy Work
Many Holidays and Big Pay.
Some Inside Facts.
Special 20 The Daily Item.

States government differs from the
governments of other great powers in
that its civil service far exceeds in per-
sonnel its military or any other great
power. With them there are far more
soldiers bearing arms than clerks
welding pens and the United States
government is further peculiar in its
extensive employment Of women in
clerical work. In no other coun-
try except Russia is the civil service
establishment so much in need Of re-
organization and reform. A great re-
form was doubtless effected when ad-
mission to the service was made de-
pendent on competitive examination
requiring certain educational attain
ments. The service under Roosevelt
is decidedly better than 1t was under
Grant. But the fact that a man or
woman has proved by an examination
that he can spell, write and knows
something Of arithmetic does not
prove that he is willing to work or
will not take advantage Of the many
opportunities to neglect and shirk his
work. The departments are incum-
bered with employees who have been
placed there on account OF their polit-
ical services or on account Of their
relationship to senators Or senator's
wives or mother-in-law. They have
held fast through many administra-
tions successive cabinet officers rs
heads Of departments hesitating to dis
place clerks so respectable, so venera-
bic and of such formidable antece-
dents. These clerks so we'll entrenched
have a most demoralizing influence.
They have long drawn pay doing little
or no work, and are adopts in all the
arts Of sinking work and making thu
most of their sinecure. The president
and the cabinet officers have long been
cognizant of this state Of affairs and at
a cabinet meeting just previous to the
presidents departure for the South it
was decided that the president and
cabinet officers should be entitled to
the right to dismiss peremptrotly any
civil service employee known to be in
efficient, sor obstructive to the govern
ment service. In such a case the dis
missal should be final and the dis
charged employe without recourse or
appeal. The howl that his arisen in
the departments in Washington de-
monstrates better than anything else
could the number Of heads that should
fall. The efficient, honest and indus
trious clerk has nothing to fear from
the order and it is conservative to es-
innate that thirty per cent. OF the
government clerks are shaking in their
shoes at the present moment. It IS
not TO be supposed that thirty per cent
Of the civil employees will be dismissed
nor that third of even that proper
ton will go, but every man and wo-
man with a. guilty conscience IS con-
scious that he or she is in range Of the
lightning that may strike at any mo-
ment. The government clerk does
not have a hard time. He is asked to
work seven and a half hours six days
in the week. He has thirty days ar.
nual sick leave and thirty days annual
vacation. He has as many holidays
as a patriotic people can devise rea-
sons for or find dead heroes to honor,
including Labor Day. During three
months Of the summer he is dismissed
every Saturday at noon. And for all
of this he gets a salary higher than
would be paid by any private corpe-
ration and paid with a regularity that
nothing can interrupt. And does he
in exchange always give efficient and
honest services? Not by any means.
The majority actually steal from the
government in time, service and sup
plies more than they are worth to 1t,
and the manner and diversity Of their
evasions and speculations would take
book to describe. In the small in
cident Of receiving visitors during Of
fee hours it is impossible to compute
how much of their time the govern
ment loses. Some clerks are permit
ted to receive visitors until o'clock
of each day and it is no common
sight to find the toilet room for the
women clerks filled with the clerks
and their guests until that hour. Ev-
cry bureau has messenger who is
there for the better communication of
the different bureaus. 1t is no un-
common thing for him to act on occa-
sions as the ianitor, butler or coach
man of the bureau chief whom he is
afraid to offend for fear of losing his
place. Hundreds Of clerks are en-
gagged in literary work which they do
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