The National tribune., 1906-03-29
THE GOVERNMENT CLERKS BILL.

| we nave not Deen seriously coHceTHed
about the passage of the bill to cut
down the salaries of Government clerks
as they advanced in age and discharge
| them wholly at 20. We had authorita-
| tive knowledge that if the bill stood
| any likelihood of passing, an amerd-
| ment would be incorporated exempting
] from its operations the veterans in the
public service and their widows. There
| fore we viewed the possibility of its
| passage with less apprehension. As a
matter of fact, the provision will not
! be incorporated in the Appropriation
| bill, and it is possible that its authors
| never had any real hopes that it would.
| Their main object was to call attention
| sharply to the condition of things in
the various Departments of the public
service. As we have previously said
while there is undoubtedly much need
! of reform, the need is not so great as
has been made to appear. 1t is part of
| the general TRADE against graft, cor
| ruption and inefficiency which has oc-
cupied the peoples attention for
| months and which has given whole
lot of mon with more zeal than knowl-
edge opportunities to write with the
greatest recklessness. The number of
aged and infirm clerks in the Depart
ments has been exaggerated beyond all
| reason. Age is not necessarily a dis
qualification, as we are personally ac-
quainted with many clerks in various
| Departments who are beyond the age
of 20 and are yet the most valuable
| employees in their various Bureaus
| We could make a list of these which
would far outweigh the list Of men
whose incompetence is due 20 senility.
! The younger clerks in the Departments.
and particularly those from the South,
are largely responsible for this ciamor
about old and infirm men. When a
| young man succeeds in getting an ap-
! pointment through the Civil Service to
q $1,000 position in the Government it
| is somewhat likely that his most stren-
Gous efforts will put forth, not in ac-
quiring a knowledge of the duties of
| his new position, but in trying to get
advanced to $1,000, and so on. If he
| is from the South he is only too liable
to view with more or less green and
| jaUndiced eyes the older men in his
Division, probably veterans of the civil
war and yankee soldiers" who are
receiving $1,000 a year. $500 a year,
$4,000, and even more, and devote much
gray matter to ways and means of get
ting rid of the Yankee soldiers" and
| having true sons of the South" enjoy
| their places and salaries. The men
whom he wants to displace are most
probably those whose efficiency he can
never equal. They came into pub
| lie employment well disciplined from
| their army service, which had taught
them grave lessons as to responsibility
and fidelity, and they have devoted
| themselves strictly TO acquiring o
| knowledge of their duties precisely as
| they devoted themselves during the war
to learning TO be soldiers. Many years
| of this close attention has given them
| q vast amount of practical knowledge
such as is not to be found in books and
familiarized them with details that
| they can make instant use of instead
of having 10 labociously study them
out. as he will with a possibility Of
making great mistakes. Undoubtedly
the Civil Service of the United States
is better than that of any other Gov
ernment in the world, and it has been
made so by the men who came bach
from years of service in the Union army
to accept civil places under the Gov
ernment as a reward for their military
! service This is undeniable, no matter
what the Civil Service reform tooters
may say.
Therefore, the amendment to the bill
eXenpting veterans and their widows
would not be n matter of charity but
one of exact justice and proper recog-
| milton of valuable men. The bill has
no chance of passing either House, but
it has probably done valuable service
| in awakening attention to the need of
a proper retirement system for aged
| clerks. Unless we are to have a rota-
| ton system in Office, against which the
Civil Service reformers have expended
so much vociferation, we must have
| the alternative; that is, provision to bc
/ Ildue III OIu age anu OecTeplluCe lOr
men and women who devote them
/ selves honestly, faithfully and intelli-
i gently TO the service of the Govern
ment. Nothing else can be thought of.
The question of how this is to be done
brings up wide differences of opinion.
| The experiences of other civilized Gov
! ernments indicate that the best way is
to have the Government deduct an
nually from the salaries of all the
clerks small sum, say, five per cent,
to form retirement fund for those
arriving at a certain age, or who shall
be found upon medical and mental ex-
animation to be untitled to perform
their duties. To this the Government
might or might not add a contribution
OF the amendment to the Appropria-
usual FOR the Government to add an
amount equal to that deducted from
the clerks salaries. This proposition
has been presented to the Government
clerks, but has been defeated by the
younger class, who sharply opposed
any reduction of their salaries, although
they are getting much more at their
start in the Government service than
they could possibly hope to get in any
private employment. The introduction