The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1907-09-02
THE SOUTH AND TIE CIVIL
SERVICE

: nennN, uetnOcTauC uppoluu't iV'" |
| Louisiana. has returned to Washing !
ton from the South and explains that |
his mission was to induce Southern
crs to enter the civil service OF the |
Federal government so that the |
quotas OF the Southern States might |
be filled The Houston Post says. |
In order that the southern quota |
may be- better understood 1t is ncces- |
sary TO explain that the States are
supposed to be represented In the
civil service OF the government &C.
cording TO their population, regard
less Of the party Affiliations Of appli.
uts. with the solitary exception Of
Virginia. no southern state has ap-
proximated its quota Of employees IN
the governments civil service. stat.
es like Ohio Maryland. Pcnnsy sylvania,
New York. Massachusetts, and New
Jersey are represented In the depart
monts by far more than their quotas,
which means that clerks from these
States are nlling positions which
theoretically belong to the southern
States.
The Southern people have not com
planned about II. but the fact that so
few people from the Southern States
/ ever connect with Federal clcrkships
/ recently caused an investigation and
the explanation was that the South
erners do not take the civil service
examinations and get upon the lists
| from which the government employ
IS are recruited. Mr. Mcllhcnny
wants the Southeruers to quan-y so
that the Southern quotas may ne fill
| ed
Mr.. Mcllhenny explains Southern
indifference In the promises as fol
lows: Among the greater part of
the Southerners the impression pre-
walls that the civil service is not for
them. that they can have no part In
the clerical administrative work Of
the nation. II is not In the least difti-
cult to understand why this impress
sion exists. This belief was once
fact. and not so long ago. II Is a
conviction based upon years OF exper-
ience. during which II was evident to
everybody that a Southerner was the
last man who could hope to get "A Fed.
eral position. Politics not only enter
ed this question, but permeated II.
There were Southerners. OF sort.
who held office under the govern
ment. but these were not Of the class
which ! have been trying To interest
In the service. And II was largely
because persons Of character of
which little need be said-though
much could be said-succeedc In OBJ
tanning and holding office that desir-
able citizens came to the conclusion
that all avenues were closed against
merit and respectability."
II MIR. Mcllhcnny had investigated
further, he might have discovered
that the Africanization of several
branches Of the public service has
operated to discourage Southern in
torest In the public service. In nearly
every important city of the South. the
II has been the settled purpose OF
canizcd and It is not difficult to un-
70 derstand why many Southern young
men and women do not care To work
side by side with negroes. In the
Western division of the railway mail
service. the white clerks are bitterly
: complaining because they are forced
! to work with negroes. and not long
ago there was considerable disorder
In the office of the supervising archi-
tect because OF the employment of
negro draughtsmen. II has been
charged by so reliable newspaper
as the New Orleans Times-Dcmo.
crat that there is systematic at
tempt being made to Africanize the
mail service and II seems 10 be true
So long as such conditions exist. the
white people of the South are apt to
give the civil service a wide berth
The North can take II and welcome