Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-03-12
The ARe-Lirnit Mystery.

ne ClOSeiy the proposed age-SdiSfy
limit provision In the legislative appropria-
ton bill is studied the more mysterious 1t
appears 1t is difficult to find logical rea
son for such an enactment. 1t IS hard to
avoid the conclusion that it is no less than
| an attempt to evade the basic principle of
the merit system by establishing an arbi-
trary scale OF salaries conditional upon the
age of the incumbent. regardless of ca
pacity or present compensation. That Is
to say. this conclusion is insistent unless it
be assumed that the appropriations com
mittee of the House has consented to be
used as a cloak to cover the shortcomings
and the moral cowardice OF administrative
officials.
The statutes require that the executive
officials rate their subordinates according
to merit. II this assumption is met there
Ia not today in the departments a single
elder clerk who Is incompetent to perform
the duties assigned or to earn the salary
paid. II this IS true. there Is no possible
need to enact into law such a provision as
that now pending II 1t is not true, some
of the responsible administrative officers
have failed to discharge their duties ao-
cording to their oath and the law.
In his letter of February % to the chair
man of the appropriations committee sub
hitting a statement of the number Of en-
ployes OF the Interior Department who are
sixty-five years OF age and over, Secretary
Hitchcock said:
"a calculation will show that the average
salary of those in the clerical and higher
grades Is e1,I28. those In the subcierical
grades 500 1t is also noticeable that the
total of All persons is about 10 per cent OF
the entire force. and that more than half OF
these. or nearly per cent, are in the pen
sion Office. 1t Is we'll known that the latter
bureau employs large number OF worthy
men who were soldiers In the civil war
and whom from every point of view II Is
proper to treat with Indulgence. but l beg
leave to repeat what l said to your COM
mittee. that 1t Is Customary in the pension
office as in the other bureaus OF this de-
partment, when employees found unable
through physical other incapacity, to
render adequate service, 10 reduce them to
a grade of salary which is believed to be
not greater than they can fairly earn.
Thus deserving clerks are at the same time
utilized and provided for in their declining
days without injustice to the government.
l am not aware that any employees of this
department are permitted to be apprecia-
bly, overpaid for any great length of time"
There stands expressed the true principle
OF good administration. 1t may be as
sumed that the workings of the Interior
Department are In no degree less effective
than good business requires because OF the
presence of All employees who are sixty
five or over. Does the same condition OBJ
tain in the other departments? It should
If the statutes are enforced. If they are
not enforced, why should the responsible
officials try to cover up their derelictions
by asking Congress to enact monstrous
injustice into law?
The other day members of the House of
Representatives, acting In their individual
capacities, rendered a purse of $1,000 to
one of the employees of the House who had
attained to a ripe old age and had passed
the fifteth milestone in his official career
tion of his faithful, competent services. 1t
was not accompanied by hints that the
man had become less valuable, or that his
pay would be decreased. or that he would
be ousted, because of his years Every
man who contributed to the purse uudoubt-
eddy did so with the feeling that fifty years
of faithful work had rendered this man ex-
ceptionally valuable. There was an implied
agreement that he was rated as an expert
because Of his age and length Of service.
Does the House intend to make golden
presents to Its own veteran employees and
pass out this Ubiquitous enactment to the
veteran clerks Of the department who are
in precisely the same category? Is there
something in the atmosphere OF the legis-
lative chambers which keeps a man young
despite the flight OF time. and something
else in the atmosphere OF the departments
that deprives a man after seventy of all
his capacity2