The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1907-10-18
INQUIRY IS NOW AT AN END
All Departments Have Been
Under the Glass.
SIZE UP OF UNCLE SANS SALARIES
Some inequalities Are Shown Up,
Defects in Governmental Sys-
tenn Revealed, Results.
Especial correspondence.l

Especial Correspondence
Washington, Oct. l3.-One of the
most important undertakings of the
present administration has been car
ried on during the past two years
without attracting any public atten-
tion. Nevertheless, the work of the
Keep commission is of great conse-
quence to the taxpayer and many of
the reforms due to its investigations
are such as to intimately touch the
interests of the masses.
In June, 1905, the president select
ed five of the younger and more pro.
gressive officials of the government
service to enquire into departmental
methods and suggest improvements.
The committee drew to its assistance
seventy young employees from the diff
ferent bureaus and divisions and
formed them into committees.
These and the original appointees
gave their services gratuitously and
performed the work in spare time.
The entire cost of the investigation.
which has just drawn to close was
something less than $1,000.
Was Quite a Task.
The task involved such an exhaust
i've inspection as the government ma
chinery in this, nor any other country
has never before been subjected to.
The inquiry embraced every phase of
official business in the executive
branches and the inquisitors subject
ed every question to the severe test
of comparison with the standard rec
ognized by latter-day commercial
corporations. The committee probed
with out fear or favor and reported
frankly and without prejudice. Their
findings and recommendations are
now in the hands of the president and
will be extensively referred to in his
first message to the sixtieth congress,
The effects of the labors of the Keep
commission can not, of course, be
stated in definite terms but it is safe
to say that they will include material
economies to the extent of many mil
lions, of dollars every year and
greatly increased degree of efficiency
in the government service.
One of the most interesting of the
committees reports is that referring
to personnel promotion, salaries, etc.
From this it would appear that the
government employees who have been
most clamorous recently for increase
of pay, that is the men in the lower
grades, are already overpaid, judging
by the standard wages for, similar
work obtaining amongst business
houses. On the other hand, the SAL
aries received by the higher grades
of public servants-such as heads of
divisions and bureaus and technicians
are very much lower, as rule than
they could command in open mar
ket.
Result of the Condition.
The result of this condition of af-
fairs is to draw to civil service two
distinct classes of men. Of by far the
greater Importance, through very small
numerically, is the class composed of
men of exceptional ability, who devote
their talents to the country's service
from motives higher than that of Pc
cuniary profit. They may be actuated
by public spirit, by hope of political
preferment, or by an appreciation of
the exceptionally wide fields offered
by certain public employments.
One of the most striking encour-
aging features of our latter-day gov
eminent is the splendid work we are
getting out of young, energetic men,
free from the trammels of hoary ira
dition and the laisez-faire tendency of
the old-time official. Take Clifford
Pinchot as an example of class that
includes, Newell, the Smiths Otis and
nox-Winthrop, Woodruff, Bacons,
Neill, Metcalf, Garfield, and score or
more of others. Pinchot left Yale
rich man with an ardent love of trav-
ell, sport and all that makes for life
of clean and healthy pleasure, He al
SO had a strong sense of his duty to
his fellows and to his country. He
believed that he was put into the
world to accomplish some good and he
determined to try. This was twenty
odd years ago. We had no forestry
schools then nor, indeed, single first
class forester. Pinchot went abroad
and learned all that the foreigners
could teach him about the care and
culture of trees. He came back and,
ten years ago, took charge of the pet.
ty forestry division of the agricultural
department. In his hands it has grown
from one of the smallest and least
useful divisions of the government in
to its best organized and administered
bureau, charged with the conservation