The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-05-16
FIRST REQUISITE
Of CLEAN SERVICE e
President Extolls Civil Service
Law III Speech to Representa-
tives Of Commission.
POLITICS .|' AND POSITIONS
Intrusion Of Fori,1cr Always Does
Damage When Considering
Appointments.
(By Agsociate(1 press.)

4e3a E (By Associated Press.)
WASHINGTON May 16.-Preslden
Roosevelt delivered an address at "
White House this afternoon to Representa-
tives Il several state and municipal ctvl
service commissions nnd OF the natoha
civil service reform league, who met her
to-day for conference with the con,
Of the GENERAL government Will
a view to considering questions for tn
betterlncnt of civil service throughout tn
country. The President sald
8"I have grown increasingly to feel
= every year that have spent X public
life the Importance Of the movement
which you gentlemen here represent.
It Is important that tho friends Of the
movement, that those like you who
stand in the public eye as symbollzing
It., shall make It evident beyond possl-
bility of misunderstanding that you
(; are ANXIOUS to see conmon-sens busi-
ness methods obtain In the handling
Of the law. The enemies Of this move
rnent for reform IRE always on the
watch to find some imperfectlon which
d they can dllate upon and enlarge out
4 OF all proportion and Insist that It
Is representative, Of, the movement.
"For that reason 1t is particularly
: incumbent upon you who are engaged
law, ma tional, State or municipal, to
make 1t clear so that no one can fail
to see that you are concerned chiefly
4 In securing the effective business adj
ADMINISTRATION OF the public service.
One Of the gratifying things of recent
years has been the rapid spread OF
4 interest Tin the whole movement, and
because Of that interest 1t Is peculiar
5ly incumbent upon YOU to see that
there Is not q chance for opponents
to say that 1t Is not practical. The =
efficiency Of the service, with honesty
as, Of course, the keystone OF eff
cheney, must be the prime test Of
what you do.
AFTER considerable experience In
almost every kind Of governmental
work, I have never yet found any
position or any branch Of tho Ser
vice MS regards which the intrusion
\ OF political reasons In making APP
pointments does not do damage. HE
result Is always bad when the APP
pointmcnt has to be complicated with
the question Of politics. It Is true 4
at present that 1t is impossible to
disassociate certain classes Of ap- :.
pointments from such considerations,
and as yet no way has been devised
Ito secure such association. YETI
it remains true that, whether avoid
able or unavoidable. the intrusion of
political considerations into the
choice Of men whose duties are purely
ministerial is always detrimental to
the service. E4.
II am naturally. brought into rela-
lions with n great .nurlber OF import
ant offices In different branches Of the
government throughout this country
and l continually AYE to constder tho
they are handled. Practically with
out exception I find that m office in
which there Is laxness i'm the adj
ministrntion of the civil service law,
where there Is an effort to circ1lmvent
the law, where there Is effort to get
around it, Is an office In which poor
service Is rendered The chance for
speculation, for dishonesty. IS always
greater in such TN office than In tho
office where tho law Is well and faith
fully observed
III the Appointing officer adlninis-
ters the civil service law In q spirit
of hostility to IT.. If he tried t. evade
it or violate 1t, 1t has been my ca
perienCe that IN tho great majority or
cases nenciency and corruption are
1t is true that the mere observance OF
the civil service law can never re-
suit in thoroughly efficient admins.
traton of any Office, yet am inclined
more and more to feel ties >.-le OBJ
servance in letter and spirit of tho
civil service law is the first requisite
in obtaining clean, decent, efficient
governmental service in any brach or
bureau of the government