Arizona republican., 1905-12-06

! ] evitably result in chaos. The civil ser vice commissioners are doing excellent
 work; and their compensation is ad- equate considering the service they perform.
 The statement that the examinations are not practical in character is based on misapprehension of the practice of the commission. The departments are invariably consulted as to the re- quirements and as to the character of questions that shall be asked. General 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 pre- scribe the requirements and qualified tions desired and the civil service com mission cooperates with them in secur- ; ing persons with these qualifications
 and insuring open and impartial com petition. In Q large number of eXami- nations Gas, for example, those for trades pOsitions) there are no educa
 tional requirements whatever, and d person who can neither read nor write may pass with high average. Va cancies in the service are filled with reasonable expedition and the ma
 chinery of the commission, which
 reaches every part of the country, is
 the best agency that has yet been de-
 vised for finding people with the most suitable qualifications for the various
 offices to be filled. Written competitive
 examinations do not make an ideal
 method for filling positions, but they
 do represent an immeasurable advance
 upon the "spoils" method, under which
 outside politicians really make the ap pointments nominally made by the ex-
 ecutive officers, the appointees being
 chosen by the politicians in question,
 in the great majority of cases, for reas-
 Ons totally unconnected with the needs
 of the service or of the public
 Statistics gathered by the census
 bureau show that the tenure of office | ih the government service does not
 differ materially from that enjoyed by
 employees of large business corpora tions. Heads of executive depart
 ments and members of the commits sion have called my attention to the fact that the rule requiring filing of l charges and three days notice before an employee could be separated from
 the service for inefficiency has served
 no good purpose whatever, because that is not a matter upon which hearing Of the employee found 10 be inefficient can be of any value, and in practice the rule providing for such notice and hearing has merely resulted | in keeping in a certain number Of in- competents. because Of the reluctance of heads of departments and bureau chiefs to go through the required pro-
 cedure. Experience has shown that this rule is wholly ineffective to save any man, if a superior for improper 1 reasons wishes to remove him, and is | mischievous because it sometimes ! serves to keep in the service incom- potent men rot guilty of specific wrong doing. Having these facts in view, the rule has been amended by providing that where the inefficiency
 or incapacity comes within the per- sonal knowledge of the head of a de- partment the removal can be made
 without notice, the reasons therefor being filed and made a record of the department. The absolute right of re-
 moval rests where 1t always has rest ed, with the head of a department; any limitation of this absolute right
 results in grave injury to the public
 service. The change is merely one of procedure; it was much needed; and l IL IS SOOu IGSullS-
 PURE FOOD REGULATIONS. recommend that a law be enacted | to regulate interstate commerce in misbranded and adulterated foods drinks, and drugs. Such law would | protect legitimate manufacture and | commerce, and would tend to secure
 the health and welfare of the consum- ing public. Traffic in foodstuffs which have been debased or adulterated so
 as to injure health or to deceive pur-
 chasers should be forbidden.
 NATIONAL PARKS
 I call your attention to the generous act of the state of California in con ferring upon the United States gov ernment the ownership of the Yosem- l ite valley and the Mariposa Big Tree
 Grove. There should be no delay in accepting the gift, and appropriations
 should be made for the including
 thereof in the Yosemite National Park,
 and for the care and policing of the
 park. California has acted most wise | Iy as well as with great magnanimity I in the matter. There are certain
 mighty natural features of our land
 which should be preserved in perpe- tuity for our children and our chil- LII Cll S ClllluI III ny JuuSliSul llc | Grand Canyon of the Colorado should be made into a national park It is
 greatly to be wished that tae state of
 New York should copy as regards Mi
 agara what the state of California has
 done as regards the Yosemite. Nothing
 should be allowed to interfere with | the preservation of Niagara Falls in
 all their beauty and majesty. If the | state can not see to this then it is | earnestly to be wished that sle should
 be willing to turn it over to the na- l tional government, which should in
 such case eff possible, in conjunction
 with the Canadian government as-
 sume the burden and responsibility of
 preserving unharmed Niagara Falls. THE INDIANS.
 During the year just past the phase
 of the indian question which has been
 most sharply brought to public atten-
 tion is the larger legal significance of the Indians induction into citizenship
 This has made itself manifest not only
 in a great access of litigation in which
 the citizen Indian figures as a party
 defendant and in a more widespread disposition to levy local taxation upon