The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-10-20
WOULD MUzzLE
THE NEWSPAPER
President Forbids His Official
Family to Talk With Core
sponderts in Washington.
ADOPTS THE RUSSIAN SYSTEM
Order Relating to Civil Service
Is Practical Repeal Of That
Law-Effect Surprising.
ADOPTS THE RUSSIAN SYSTEM
From Our Regular Correspondent

Y
N'rom Our Regular CORRESPONDENCE
WASHINGTON, .. c., October TO-
While the public Is laughing at the effect
OF the order Issued by the President on
the eve Of his departure empowering Cab
met officers to discharge from the civil
service, summarlly, clerks he personally
knows to be inefficient or guilty Of con-
duct unbecoming an employee Of the gov
crnment, the department clerks them
selves are in u state of CONSERVATION bor-
dcring on the pathetic. They realize to
Of the order. 1t just means that, In spite
Of the civil service laws and regulations,
II is now possible for a Cabinet officer to
dismiss from the service any man OBJ
jcctionable. In any way. 1t will be only
necessary for Incompetence to be alleged
by the official at the head of depart
ment, and off goes the head of the Oh.
jectionable clerk, and, that, too, without
recourse to the civil service commission.
The great bulk OF the outsiders, that Is.
people not in the employ of the govern
ment, are inclined to think the order
wise ono. 1t does nullify the civil service
law to a very great extent, but tho
friends Of the law, save those who hold
Jobs under It's protection, have become
Interestingly few. The leading members
OF both parties in Congress have de-
nounced 1t no longer ago than the last
session Of Congress- 1t has not worked
like It was thought it would work..Tfte
statement is frequently made that the
standard OF service rendered since tEe
civil service reform law went into effect
about twenty years ago, has not been
higher, IL as high, as 1t was before the
law was enacted, and appointments were
made under the spoils system.
Presidents Inconsistency.
Mr.. Roosevelt, who was for several
vears = member OF the Civil Service Com
mission. was the most jealous advocate
OF the law at the time OF Its enactment
though young man, and While ne was
on the commission, indicated by thou-
sands OF acts that he was a thorough pc
lever in the system. He has said on
every occasion possible that ne "'sheo "
see the law upheld. and that 1t was Tor
tho best interests OF the government SCI
vice.
The Inconsistency OF the President IN
issuing an order which, to all ntents ana
purposes. repeals the law, is manifest
But it can scarcely be doubted that the
order is in the interest OF the service.
Opponents OF the law have always con-
tended that department official Should
have the authority to dismiss an incom-
pstent. It has also been 3scontended that
the party in power should have autnorlty
to run the government with men OF the
same party. That was the cornerstone
OF the fabric Of the argument of the ad-
yocates OF the spoils system. MIR. Roose-
welt has always opposed that view. His
or5o ad
the same thing
Occasion of the Order.
The occasion Of the order is involved
in some doubt 1t is said that recently
government employee, operating an auto
mobile owned by the government per-
sisted in keeping In the way OF the Pres
ident's carriage in an offensive manner,
until taken In charge by bicycle police
man. There was no way in which the
man could be discharged from the SER
vice, though he is said to have admitted
that he ran his auto as he did for the
purpose Of having fun at the expense OF
tho President OF the United States The
President is said to have issued the order
so that the man might be dismissed.
There is another story to the effect that
q clerk In one Of the departments had
been guilty og gross immoralitics, and
when confronted by tHe tlettu ol Tue de-
partment and threatened with dismissal
he claimed the protection Of the rules OF
the civil service.
',We'll change the rules exclaimed
the Secretary. holly, righteously indig-
nant.
The order was issued. the rule was
changed, and the clerk was dismissed,
according to tho story
There can be no doubt that deter
mined effort will be made at the coming
session Of Congress to repeal the civil
service law. This has never been at
tempted. A senator from Northwestern
State told me last winter that he was
thoroughly opposed to the law; and that
some time 1t would be repealed without
notice to the country, and after but very
short debate.
Adopts Russian System.
just before his departure for the South,
directed Cabinet officers to make no
statements to correspondents Of news
papers. In strongest language the Presi-
dent directed the. members of his official
family from talking to correspondents,
and ordered them E to issue through the
Of the press associations
any statements intended for the public.
This is precisely the system which is in
use in Russia. The representatives Of the
A ssociatpd Iorass In ST. Petersburg is