The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1905-06-01
TRUE CIVIL SERVICE.
Indiana's New United States Senator
Practical Reformer.

and that better way to secure COM
petent, efficient men in all the depart
ments would be to have them UNDER
stand that industry and efficiency
would be recognized and rewarded,
but that no clerk would be retained in
the same position longer than eight
years unless there were special reas-
ons for his retention.
| said at that time that the pro-
posed plan of civil service would
prove demoralizing to the public SER
vice and to the employees as we'll, be-
cause it would build up a civil PEN
sion list and keep out of the employ
of the government hundreds of am
bilious, deserving young men who
could and would infuse new life in all
the departments.
How to get rid of the dead tim
ber' i'll the departments at Washing
ton and the federal service generally
is now a serious question.
Senator Hemenway, who has had
excellent opportunities to observe the
work in all the departments, says ff-
teen per cent of the men employed
in the services of the government are
incompetent, and many of them are
drones, who will not work, but go on
unblushingly year after year taking
large salaries for which they give no
adequate return. He says there are
many clerks drawing s1,sOO a year
who do hardly any work and are alb
solutely living off the government.
If Senator Hemenway can have his
way the coming congress will provide
law for wedding out the depart
ments and putting them on business
basis. He says:
Il believe that | am a better civil
service man when | advocate
change from the present condition
than are those who go on adding to
our list of incompetents and loading
down the Government with an ever
increasing civil pension list There
is but one way, in my judgment, to
get rid of the worthless timber and
that is to change the law so as to re-
quire the heads of departments once
in FIVE years to take affirmative act
ion. mean by that to give them au-
thority to reappoint all of the old
clerks they may desire to remain in
the service, but also to furnish the
| opportunity to get rid of dead
weights. Let it be understood that
every person in the Government civil
service holds for FIVE years unless the
head of his department sees fit to re-
appoint him.
Il think this law would have won-
derfully good effect. 1t would stim-
ulate lazy clerks to quit loaing on
their jobs, to. use popular express
sion, and it would give the heads of
departments chances to get rid of
drones and superannuates which they
never would do if it were necessary
to fle charges against them.
"Of course sentimentalists will say
that it would be cruel to turn out of
! their positions aged clerks who have
no other means of earning liveli-
hood, but the Government is nos a
philanthropic institution. Since the
] Government pays its employees of the
clerical grade higher salary than they
could earn anywhere else, they have
only themselves to blame if they find
themselves without positions in their
old age and with nothing saved up
for a rainy day. The man who fights
his own battles in the competitive
walks of life does not ask the Gov
ernment to insure him against want
in his declining years"
Senator Hemenway has also put
himself on record as opposed to the
departments anticipating revenue and
declares that the remedy for the de-
fcit lies in reduction of expendit-
| ures
1t is evident that Indiana's new
senator is practical reformer and if
the press and the people will stand
by him as they should, they will soon
be able to win majority OF congress
men to his way of thinking.
Incompetents can be weeded out OF
| the departments and more than a
hundred million of dollars can be
saved the government annually, and
every department be made more ef-
] icient if the people will give their
/ congressman to understand that ex-
j travagance and ineficiency in gov
j ernment affairs will demand the ell
ection of senators and representatives
in congress who will reform abuses
and give US better public service with
out increasing the expenses of the
:. government.
]. w. SIDERS
New Suit.