Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-05-22
DENIAL BY BONAPARTE
TITLE OF BOSS IN
SPEECH AT BALTIMORE.

The annual meeting of the Civil Service
Reform Association OF Maryland, held at
Johns Hopkins University at Baltimore last
night, was addressed by Secretary Bona
parte, who at the annual election of officers
OF the association was reelected president,
and by Secretary of War Taft. Secretary
Taft said, In part:
II hope that at some time in the near
future we shall provide civil pensions for
those in the government service deserving
them. I know it is not popular to advance
such a proposition. / know of the obstacles
because of the pensions which are here pro-
vided for those who risked their lives for
their country. We have not, perhaps ar
rived at the period for civil pensions, but 1t
seems to me that IL the 'soulless corpora
lions can afford to adopt such a system be-
cause of the profit it brings, certainly the
government can afford to adopt it, We have
in Washington a body of capable faithful
and honest employees. l think we can afford
to adopt for these employees the system of
retirement prevailing in the army and
navy"
Secretary of the Navy Bonaparte made
the closing address of the evening He
spoke, in part, as follows:
The honor you have Just conferred upon
me SHOWS that the Civil Service Reform AS
ISOLATION of Maryland believes reformer
IS not necessarily damaged beyond repair
by accepting public office, and / may be-
therefore, pardoned IT. during my brief tres
pass on your attention this evening l shall
indicate in a few words what in my hum
Die opinion a reformer, and more especially
civil service reformer, ought and ought
not to do under such circumstances.
Duty of the Civil Service Reformer.
TT goes without saying that he ought to
obey and enforce honestly and heartily, In
letter and in spirit. any civil service statute,
ordinance or rule lawfully affecting the Office
he holds. In the first place, the supposed
reformer can't undertake to 'divvy' up office
and employments on the good old 'spois
principle; he must remember that a public
position exists neither for the good of its
hoIder nor for the good of any political
leader or worker but for the good of the
public and for the good OF the whole people
IN a newspaper clipping I saw recently
that, as an incident of the federal office |
hold, L had become the boss and datto OF
the republican party in Maryland l am not
so Well acquainted with tIte dattos as is the
Secretary of War, but if the two terms are
TO be considered synonymous and If the
bosship and dattoshp are really insepara-
Die incidents of cabinet position, then If
L retain the latter L have no business to
continue your president. The chief officer
OF a liquor dealers protective association
and the chief officer of a total abstinence
union may both be highly estimable mem
bers of society, but the same man ought not
to hold the two places at the same time l
propose, however, to hold on manfuIly to
these two places. at least for the time
being. for l do not deem the dattoshfp
Included In any official Job or duty con-
sidered in its wages"
In closing, Secretary Bonaparte paid a
high tribute to the late Carl Schurz
Resolutions on the death of the late Carl
Schurz were offered by Dr. Daniel G. Gilman
of the Rockefeller Institute and unanimous
ly adopted.