The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1905-06-17
More Civil Service Reform.

Next 70 the victory Of civil service
reform over the spoils system, the
creation by the President of board
to inquire into the methods of the ex-
ecutfve departments is the most i'm
portant step yet taken toward the
establishment of those departments
upon right business basis. If that
board were merely to investigate and
nothing more be done the undertake
ing might well be regarded as waste
Of time. But the Presidents charac-
ter is full warrant that il the board
does its work well, especially if it
responds to the instructions in his
letter. much red tape will be abol-
ished, much duplicate organization
obviated, much unfairness in the ap-
portionment of salaries corrected, and
possibly even a business-like and
encouraging system Of promotions
established
1t is no more than characteristic of
the President that he has organized
board of young men. But there is
special significance in the facts that
among these young men not one has
been long enough in the departmental
service to be caught in its grind, and
that while it includes two represent
tatives OF the Department IF Com
merce and Labor, and one each from
the Treasury. Postofice, and Agricul-
tural Departments. there are no rep
resentatives at all from the Depart
ment Of State, the Department of
War, the Department of Justice, the
Department Of the Navy, and the
Department of the Interior. Many
men, we'll informed on affairs in all
the departments. have said that those
departments which the President has
failed to include are particularly the
departments which suffer from too
much routine and REORGANIZATION
The paragraphs Of the letter of in
structions which seem likely to affect
the departments most radically are
these:
isterial approval, expert knowledge of
actual conditions affecting or affected by
such decisions should govern, as distin-
guished from a knowledge Of the record
alone.
Salaries should be commensurate with
the character and market value of the
service performed. and uniform for SINH
Lar service In all departments
los
are required to meet emergencies or for
immediate use in the field, should be
standardized and purchased through a
central purchasing Office.
OF these three principles the second
touches the body of clerks most init
mately. Practically every room in the
service offers the spectacle of many
clerks at the same work for different
pay. OF course there will always be
differences In capability which ought
to entail differences in salary, but
they ought also to entail differences
in employment. At any rate. whether
this radical Encouragement can be
accomplished or not-and probably it
cannot be accomplished for several
years-the number and degree of the
abuses which now exist can be greatly
lessened.
Among the other principles stated
that touching the 1etter-writing bu-
reaucrat will evoke the broadcast
smiles. As man who has served as
Commissioner of the Civil Service,
Assistant Secretary of the Navy, and
colonel of a regiment in the field, the
President wrote this out of personal
experience:
In the army and navy the increa Sc of
paper work is Serious menace to the
efilciency of fighting officers, who are
o1ten required by bureaucrats to spend
time in making reports which they
should spend in Increasing the efflciencv
OF the battleships or regiments under
them.
But these citations should not cloud
the general purpose of the inquiry.
which is to investigate methods and
suggest improvements in methods:
not TO discover irregularities or critf-
else particular persons. The DEPART
meHts are 10 De adjusted to the prac-
teal lines of non-governmental or
ganization- Pay is to be allotted
according to work done. Routine is
to expedite business, not to delay it
The departments are to cooperate.
not to interfere Where several bu-
reaus must obtain the same supplies,
Or contracts be let for similar SER
vices. or use be made of -sinilar ex-
pert knowledge. they are to work
together for the Governments ad-
vantage. This is the only right spirit
To improve the departmental service.
and with that spirit the President
will find no heartier sympathy than
that of the 10000 clerks whose INFER
ests are most vitality involved.