The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-12-06

men, travellers and the like Of other na-
 tions. Our laws and treaties should be
 framed, not so as to put these people
 in the excepted classes, but to state that we will admit all Chinese, except Chinese of the coolie class Chinese, skilled or
 unskilled laborers. There would not be
 the least danger that any such provision
 would result In any relaxation of the
 law about laborers. These will. under all
 conditions, be kept out absolutely. But
 1t will be more easy to see that both jus
 tice and courtesy are shown, as they
 ought to be shown, to other Chinese, if
 the law or treaty Is framed as above
 suggested. Examinations should be com-
 pleted at the port of departure from
 China. For this purpose there should be
 provided more adequate consular ser
 vice in China than we now have. The appropriations, both for the offices of the
 consus sad for the office forces in the
 consulates, should be increased.
 As people we have talked much of the
 open door in China, and we expect and quite rightly intend to insist upon, justice
 being shown us by the Chinese. But we can not expect to receive equity unless we do equity. We can not ask the Chi
 nese to do us what we are unwilling to
 do them. They would have a perfect right
 to exclude our laboring men if our labor ing men threatened to come into their country in such numbers as to jeopardze l
 and asmutatis mutands. these were the conditions with which Chinese immlgra-
 tlon actually brought this people face to face, we had and have a perfect right. which the Chinese government in no way contests, to as we have acted in the mat ter of restricting coole immigration. That this right exists for each country was ex- plicity acknowledged in the last treaty between the two countries. But we must ha Chinese ayp1a
 business man in a spirit of the broadest justice and courtesy if we expect similar 1 treatment to be accorded to our own peo- pie of similar rank who go to China. Much trouble has come during the past summer from the organized boycott aganst American goods which has been started in China The main factor in producing this boycott has been the resentment felt
 by the students and business people of China by all the Chinese leaders, against the harness of law toward educated Chinamen of the professional and bus mess classes.
 This government has the friendliest feel ing for China and desires China's we'll being. We cordially sympathize with the
 announced purpose of Japan to stand for the integrity of China Such an attitude
 tends to the peace of the world.
 The Civil Service.
 The civil service law has been on the statute books for twenty-two years. Every President and vast majority of heads of departments who have been in office during the period have favored a gradual extension of the merit system The more thoroughly Its principles have been un- derstood, the greater has been the favor
 with which the law has been regarded by administrative officers. Any attempt to carry on the great executive departments lpff fha
 inevitably result in chaos. The civil ser l vice commissioners are doing excellent l work; and ther compensation Is in- , adequate considering the service they perform.
 1 The statement that the examinations are not practical in character is based | on misapprehension of the practice of
 the commission. The departments are in- variably consulted as to the require i mcnts desired and as to the character of | questions that shall be asked General 1 invitations are frequently sent out to ] all heads of departments asking whether any changes in the scope or character of examinations are required. In other words | the departments prescribe the require
 ments and the qualifications desired and
 the civil service commission co-operates with them in securing persons with these l qualifications and fnsuring open and inn 1 partial competition. In a large number | l for trades positions) there are no educa- :, tional requirements whatever and per- 1 son who can neither read nor write may ] pass with high average. Vacancies in | the service are filled with reasonable ex- ] petition and the machinery of the com | mission, which reaches every part of the l country, Is the best agency that has yet
 been devised for finding people with the
 most suitable qualifications for the various ] offices to be filled. Written competitive 1 examinations do not make an ideal meth cd for filling positions, but they do rep
 resent an immeasurable advance upon the ''spoils'' method, under which outside 1 politicians really make the appointments
 nominally made by the executive officers, 1 the appointees being chosen by the poli- ticians in question, In the great majority 1 of cases, for reasons totally unconnected 1 with the needs of the service or of the i public.
 Statistics gathered by the census bu- reau show that the tenure of office in the government service does not differ ma l terially from that enjoyed by employees 1 of large business corporations. Heads 1 of executive departments and members i of the commission have called my atten- | tion to the fact that the rule requiring | filing of charges and three days mo- tce before an employe could be separa ted ! from the service for ineffcency has ' served no good purpose whatever, be- cause that Is not matter upon which d l hearing of the employe found to be in- l efficient can be of any value, and in prac- 1 tice the rule providing for such notice and hearing has merely resulted in keep 1 ing in a certain number of incompetents 1 because of the reluctance of heads of de-
 partments and bureau chiefs to go ! through the required procedure. Expe- rience has shown that this rule is wholly ! ineffective to save any man. if a superior l for improper reasons wishes to remove 1 him, and Is mischievous because it some i times serves to keep In the service irl- competent men not guilty of specific i wrong-doing. Having these facts in view l the rule has been amended by providing
 that where the inefficiency or incapacity
 comes within the personal knowledge of l the head of a department the removal
 may be made without notice. the reasons i therefor being filed and made a record removal rests where 1t always has rested, ] with the head of a department; any lim-
 itation of this absolute right results in l grave injury to the public service. The ] change is merely one of procedure; 1t i WIS much needed: and it is producing good results.
 ] The civil service law is being energeti- ] cally and impartially enforced. and in i the large majority of cases complaints 1 of violations of either the law or rules i are discovered to be unfounded. In this {! respect this law compares very favorably with any other federal statute. The ques- i ton of politics in the appointment and
 retention of the men engaged In merely
 ministerial work has been practically i eliminated in almost the entire field of