Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-10-18
O|SMAY OF CLERKS
Protest Against Power of
Summary Dismissal.
THE PRESIDENTS ORDER
DEPRESSING EFFECT ON EN-
PLOYEs GENERALLY.
Officials Take a Different View-Com-
missioner Cooley Thinks Result
Will Be Beneficial.
THE PRESIDENTS ORDER

| government, protected by civil SER
vice, regret and condemn the order
of President Roosevelt Yesterday
giving the right to cabinet officers
| to dismiss employees without hear
ing and without notice, if deemed
best. There is little use Disgusting
| the fact that the order has created
CONSERVATION. 1t has been the talk
of rooms and corridors today, and
Will continue to be talked of for
many days, possibly years, if the
dire results predicted for it should
prove true.
| No employe of the government who was
| talked with today by Star reporters cared
| to have his name used, and few of them
| felt like giving their unrestrained opinions
| even with the knowledge that what they
| said would not reach officials higher up 1t
was a case of fright Not one employe out
| OF ten, however, gave the order his slight
| est approval, and those who did not feel
| inclined to talk with freedom shook their
heads in deprecating way. Everybody
|
| lyze the probable effects. The more il was
| analyzed the more pessimistic grew the ex-
| pressions of opinion.
| Older clerks and employees in the Depart
ments are particularly worried over the
| outlook. Some of them feel that 1t was
| especially designed to let great many OF
| them out of the service. Whats the use
| trying to bring about legal retrement?'
said one of them today. II guess a great
| many men and women will get all the re-
| tirement they are looking for before q
| great while
Opportunity for Favoritism.
One chief of division in the treasury
pointed out that the serious part of the
| whole matter was that it would give abun-
| dant opportunity for favoritism In getting
| rid OF men that their places might go to
| others. Politics likewise might play an
| important part in the transaction.
| ut seems to me- he said, that 1t has
| been a hard blow to real civil service. There
| is no question:" he went on, that there are
| many men in the government service abso-
| lutely incompetent, lazy, slovenly and indf-
ferent. There ought to be prompt method
to get rid of these men. but will they be the
| ones to be dismissed so long as they have
| political influence to hold them or have
| them transferred to some other place? VIII
1
who will suffer simply because decapitation
will not be accompanied by struggle? The
| rule would be splendid one If 1t could and
| would be applied to the strictly worthless in
| the departments. There is enough fayorit-
ism shown under existing rules, without the
| enormous power conferred by this new one
las the thing now stands a chief of divi-
| sion may report to the head of a depart
| ment that So-and-So is incompetent and
| useless in the department. He may give a
| few reasons. If the head of the department
III he n a lCr fGG tS
| without further ado. Suppose also, 1t hap
pens to be a man whose politics does not
! agree with the chief of division or with the
| head of the department? He is a good deal
| more likely to CO. isn't he than IL that chief
| of division knew that the man had strong
| backing of political nature? You see the
point, don't you? l know worthless clerks
| in this department whom the head of 1t
| would probably not touch, regardless of the
recommendations made to him, simply be-
| cause they are relatives or close friends Of
| Senator So-and-So Representative So
| and-So. Do you mean to say that the lazy.
| trifing clerk with the political pull is going
| to be the man who will get hurt, or will it
| be the poor devil of the same stamp without
anybody to help him?
| Il fear that some injustice will be done
| before it is all over. There are too many
| opportunities for politics and favoritsm to
| get into the whole thing.
| Another point Is that clerk will be
| continually intimidated and frightened ana
| will not feel like doing as good work as
| when he knew that false charges cannot be-
| trumped up against him without his hav-
| ing an opportunity to present defense. It
is too much like putting man on trial for
| his life without giving him the right to
| confront his accusers and bring out his
own side The right of defense has been
| the handspring of civil service laws up to
| this time. Now it is abolished. No. clerk
knows how soon secret inquisition
| may be made as to his efficiency and con-
| duct and the pink envelope come to him."
Sees No Need for the Order.
what don't understand" remarked one
of the clerks in an uptown department. 'is
| the special occasion for such an order.
| There has never been any real difficulty in
| wedding out the incompetents when the
| powers that be desired 1t, and 1t has been
| judicially established that the head of a
| government department may legally deter7
| mine the competency of any of his clerks.
| The right to remove incapable or offen-
| sive employe has been frequently exercised
| in the past and has never been successfully
| controverted.
"The main difference between the new and
| the old system is that formerly clerk
could not be dismissed except on charges:
| while now he may be summarily dismissed
at the pleasure of the President or the
| head Of the department without hearing.
$50 far as l have heard, no incompetent
or objectionable employe was ever retained
| In the service when the head OF the de-
| partment asked for his removal for the
| good of the service. All incompetents IN
| the service are there with the knowledge
| and concurrence of the officials. In such
/ cases it is mainly matter OF favoritism
or influence Although the head of a de-
! partment is sometimes restrained from Sc
| curing the dismissal OF an inefficient ems
| ploye, there was no doubt OF his power To
| do SO under the old system.
IT do not believe the civil service com.
mission has ever insisted on the retention
of an sempioye when the head of the de-
partment In which he belonged certified
that he was inefficient or detriment TO the
service. That is why / cannot grasp the
reason for the new order, unless 1t means
to open the door for arbitrary and secret
dismissals.
A Big Power to Grant.
'Tt.s big power for any man TO CONTROL
the official tenure OF thousands of others.
While this power is not likely to be abused
hy n srrod man n n ennv IA - nnH daxas