The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-05-21
PANAMA RESERVATIONS.

The latest important resignation
from the government service at Pan
ANA is that of David w. Ross, general
purchasing agent of the canal commits
sion. Of course, the resignation of Mr.,
Ross is not as spectacular as some other
designations from there have been. At
the same time, it illustrates very fairly
the proposition that civilians who can
command good positions and good sal"
aries elsewhere do not remain long in
the government employ. The reason is
obvious, aud it is especially applica-
BILE at Panama. In the government
service a man is subject to all sorts Of
querulous complaints and to summary
and arbitrary dismissal for no reason
connected with his work. The result
is that the government employee, and
especially the government employee at
Panama, In any responsible position
takes the earliest possible opportunity
where bettcrment to his personal for
tune is offered, to resign incontinent,
and get away.
The chances in the commission and
In the supervision of the canal work,
so far as the direction and its per-
sonnel are concerned. have been so fire.
quent, so sudden, and so inexplicable,
that any employee there may be par"
doned for taking care OF himself when
he can, not knowing what day may
bring forth. The ridiculous expostu,
lation made by Secretary Taft on the
first important resignation there was
so obviously ill-placed that it was inl-
possible for the public to feel any, par
ticular sympathy with the administra-
tion view. 1t was recognized that the
administration for its own purposes
might at any time (and in fact had al"
ready done SOY change the whole make
up of the commission and of the execu.
tive officers working either in conjunc,
ton with it or under it's direction,
without notice or redress. The EN-.
ployee right to take care of himself
was instinctively felt by the public
from the first. 1t was all we'll enough
for the government to say to Wallace
that he was in honor bound to stay by
the work until it was finished; but in
what way was Wallace to counter and
honor bound to stand by and support
him until he had finished the work
How could he enforce the reciprocal
view, that the government had no right
to say to him that he must do SO and
so, must stand by the work entrusted
to him, and must be faithful, diligent
and true, and at the same time be
ready to dismiss him summarily, with.
out causeG He could not ask it to forego
the right Of bouncing men on short no.
tice or no notice at all, refusing to be
responsible for what men do, haling
them before commissions of inquiry
from time to time, harassing their
work and delaying it by so-called in
vestigations, and on every hand making
the position distasteful and obnoxious.
To insist upon these things, and then
to insist upon a man staying, without
guarantee to him, is the height Of alb.
surdity.
The government employ in response
bic position where the employee or off.
cial is subject TO summary and arbi-
trary removal is an employ that no one
can afford to hold to, to the extent of
throwing overheard a good offer of |
other service. Mr.. Ross, who has lust !
resigned, as above stated, is offered the
presidency of a large manufacturing
concern in Chicago, Naturally, he ac-
cepts. His employment will be a pure
ly business employment. He will know
what he is to do; he will know what
he can depend upon; and he will not be
subject to jealous and political at
tacks nor foolish Investigations by
Congress or by any public boards. No
committee will feel
obliged to make out case against him,
and no back fires will be set to his dis
advantage for political reasous.
His case may serve to illustrate what
has been the case with Wallace. with
Stevens, with Shonts. 1t will be SO
with anybody else from civil life. OF
course, the chief engineer now in
charge at Panama is not in position
TO resign the work unless he resigns
also from the army. because he is All
army officer and under orders. Ar tho