The National tribune., 1906-08-16


for contempt of court. He was SEN
fenced to pay fine and be imprisoned.
| He took an appeal to the Supreme Court
! Of the United States. which was granted
| some time ago by Mr.. Justice Brewer.
II was announced from the Norfolk
| Navy Yard, Aug. 6, that the battleship
| Louisiana would be fitted out for the
special mission of conveying President
| Roosevelt to Panama. All. alterations
in or additions to the appointments of
| the ship necessary to the comfort of the
| President will be made.
The President will occupy the Ad-
mira's cabin aboard the ship. and the
| alterations made for him will be of a
permanent nature. The President. it is
said, selected the Louisiana for the trip
when in Portsmouth on Memorial Day.
A Rough Rider can always be de-
pended upon to keep in the limelight-
not all of them, but a good share of
| them. By the way. how many million
| Rough Riders were there. anyway? This
last one Harry War;. distinguished
| himself at Carson City, New. the other
day by leading to the altar a woman
who was dressed like himself. in a full
| leather hunting suit-a mans suit, not
woman's-and then they got mad be-
cause at the hotel where they went for
| dinner in this garbage they were hooted
and laughed at. War; was a member
| of President Eooseyelt's regiment, and
when the President visited the West
| War; called on him, and the President
promised him an appointment. A few
| months ago War; was appointed Chief
Ranger of the Forest, with headquar-
| ters at Tahoe.
A great howl has gone up in the vari-
| Gus Government Departments over the
| recent law that a clerk under the classi-
| fed service shall remain in the place
appointed three years before asking for
promotion. and three years in the next
grade, and so on. The clerks do not
| like 1t a little bit. They think they
should be free to go to Il higher salary
| just as soon as partial chief Is willing
| to advance them, no matter what the
! length of their service. That was why
the law was passed making clerks stay
where they were put. 1t pleases men,
| bers of Congress very well. indeed. They
| declare that they no sooner got man
OF woman in Government employ than
those same people Immediately began to
| importune them for an advance" in
| position and salary. This got to be such
nuisance that the President announced
| that Influence must not be used to
advance clerks, and that where it was
| found that a member of Congress or a
Senator was trying to get a clerk ad
vanced that clerk would be fired, that
he would Was he? No. indeedy. He
stayed right there and he usually got
| the advance. the President to the con-
| trary Notwithstanding. That rule proved
the deadest kind of a dead letter.
For years and years advancement has
been by partiality almost entirely
Clerks ingratiated themselves with their
chiefs in one way and another and were
promoted right above the hebds of more
deserving ones, yet sat at the same old
desk and did the same old work-or
less-while those at lower salary were
given more work and of a higher grade,
| though drawing the salary of the lower
grade. This has been done right straight
along. and 1t Is being done now.
Gen. John c. Black, President Of the
Civil Service Commission. says of the
new order: HG
1T is too early yet to determine
whether it is a good law or a bad one,"
said the General IT believe In carry
| ing out the law, instead of stopping to
debate its merits or dement's. That
doesn't matter to US Just nov. The law
was passed, and it is our duty to live up
to it, If it's bad, 1t wild work its own
cure through the people;aif good. Vt Will
be considerable complaint on the part of
the clerks. and 1t may work hardships.
That remains to be SEEN"
Commissioner Cooley says:
There are more than $4,000 Civil
Service employees in Washington alone,
and about 175. 900 in the classified SER
vice outside, which, including the small
er army of unclassified people, makes
latx all tp1I pnfn he
law was passed anyone could obtain
transfer as soon as he was put on the
permanent list, which was six months
after entering the service on probation.
Now. they will have to wait until they
have learned something and made
| themselves capable Of being of use
where they are assigned. "A rolling
stone gathers no moss is an old saying,
| but 1t seems to apply fairly well to the
Government clerk who is never satisfied
and would change with the moon, year
after year, if we should permit it,
One man expresses himself that the
law will work to keep bright young men
and women out Of Government employ.
Now, II. a young man or woman Is very,
very bright, neither of them will have
to take a Government position at $40
year with the expectation Of working
very bright young men and women feel
that there is not much future in the
employ OF the Government and try
something else. II they fail-well, in
that case you couldn't call them very.
very bright. you know. And as for the
lack Of material from which to draw,
| that is all tommy-rot. The lists are full
all the time of "availables," but the
trouble is that they are no good after
"discovered' and appointed. They
couldn't earn 1856 a year at anything
else, but are able to make a fair aver
prove their unfitness. Then it is that
life becomes a burden to the NJ. c.. who
represents that particular district Dis
missal for unfitness, for temper, for gen.
eraI disagreeableness awaits the ap-
pOintee in that particular position, and
he must move up or move out. By in
| fiuence" he manages now to move up.
Under the new law there will doubtless
service more fit and fewer incompetents
will remain in 1t.
lowing letter to William butcher. the
President of the Audubon Society:
Mrs. Roosevelt and myself sympa-
thize particularly in your efforts to stop
| the sale and use of the so-called
herons." yc
Mrs. Roosevelt has never worn these
aigrettes. She prefers the long, heavy
plumes of the ostrich, wearing two
and three Of them on the big
yafntII Oh 81, nffa