Middletown transcript., 1905-09-23
WASHINGTON LETTER

THERE is no little CONSERVATION in
Washington because OF. the investlga-
ton now being carried on i'll the various
federal departments by the so-called
keep Commission" the organization
which the President called into existence
and charged with the duty OF investiga-
ting the methods of all the departments
of the government with a view to recon-
mending more business like methods and
with the hope of effecting saving in the
transaction of the business OF the govern
ment. The commission has not COM
pleted it's investigation or formulated its
report, so that 10 one knows what rec
concentrations it will make, but the anx-
iety OF employees in the several depart
ments seems to afford evidence that the
commission has found in numerous in
stances condition of affairs which calls
for radical changes with the probable
pruning OF considerable dead timber.
Some employees of the Government ex-
press no doubt that the commission will
inform the President of the advisability
OF materially curtailng the work force in
numerous federal offices. Assuming that
such recommendations will be made an as
sumption doubtless based on knowledge
that they are needed, these employees are
filled with fear that their services will be
dispensed with, or the force may be cut
down, and that they will have to render
an equivalent in work for the salaries
they draw The fear is also expressed
that the Commission will suggest the re-
ducing salaries paid to men who perform
the most ordinary class of clerical work.
~
To the uninitiated it might he liflicuIt
to understand the necessity for reconl-
mendations of this character but word
will suffice to explain. Before the days
of civil service reform, when members OF
Congress dictated the appointment of
government employees, there was never
any disposition toward economy. On the
contrary, when member OF the Cabinet
advised an assistent member of Congress
that he had no place in which to put the
member er'sindignant sister-in-law or broth
er-in-law or protege, the member promptly
took steps to have such place created,
regardless of whether all additional en-
ployee was necessary to the proper per-
formance OF the government work or not.
Salaries, moreover, were adjusted not &C.
cording to the value of the work per.
formed but according to the political in
fuence of the employee. For instance if
it became necessary in the judgment of
politician to find place for negro inca
pable of reading or writing at a;comfortable
salary, in order to carry doubtful con-
gressional district, there would be created
a place as messenger" at 500 month
and the negro would then sit outside OF
some chiefs door and run two or three er-
rands day-the class of work entrusted
to So a week Office boys in business
houses-as long as his Influence" re-
mained in Congress, perhaps longer.
When civil service reform was extended
to include all the employees of the federal
department there was made no attempt
to reduce salaries or change the personnel
of the employees. In fact, the only way
that the reformers managed to induce
members OF Congress to vote for such re-
form was by pointing out to them that it
would insure their relatives and proteges
from being disturbed in the event of a
change of administration or waning Of
their own political influence.