Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1908-04-14

NJ
road and Warehouse Board, Mining
Board, Labor Bureau, Free Employ
ment Agencies, Pure Food Commits
sioner, Fish Commissioners, Food In
spectors, Factory Inspectors Court of
Claims, Board of Architects, the West
Chicago Park Commission. the Lincoln
Park Commission, the Northern Peni-
tentfarys Commission, the Southern
Penitentiary Commission, the Pontiac
Reformatqry Commission. ETC.. and all
their employees.
I'm fact. under the present civil serv-
ice reform administration, only the
seven insane asylums and ten homes
and schools, purely charitable, are UNI
der civil service reform, and thirty
more or less, departments, bureaus,
boards, etc, are without it. Approx
mately 1900 little places are covered.
while over LOCO big places are not: Re-
form with vengeance, isn't IT?
/ Evasion Of Laws Spirit
There is one thing / would 40. II
elected. In the interest of the civil serv-
ice reform. / would examine Gnd test
: every employe appointed to office in
any Of our charitable institutions on
the night between the 31st day of De-
tober, 1905, and the 1st day of Novem-
Der. 1905. 1t is a matter OF public no.
J toriety and of undisputed fact, that on
that nightsevery board af trustees, with
possibly one exception, of our state
charitable Institutions was in session.
and received orders by long distance
telephone ito discharge employees and to
appoint certain other employees in their
stead. This was because the new civil
service reform l-w was to go into eff
| feet at qnidnigh>. After that hour any
| employee still retained would enjoy the
| beneficent. benignant, blessed protec-
ton of the new law. When the law
was passed and signed, every person
having a loved one in one of these asy-
lums or schools had every right to ex-
pect that from the hour of its going
into effect, every attendant newly en-
! ployed would have to stand a proper
examination as to experience, ability
application, disposition and dtlara cter
1t was everywhere expected that every
| new enploye should excel in all these
particulars to such an extent as to pass
| a good examination. This was wha
was expected. DO you know what hap
pened? Can you imagine the scene
IL is half past eleven or a quarter be.
fore twelve O'clock at night. Seyera
men are assembled in the Office of ta'
Governor of a great State. A clerl
says, 'Kankakee is on the long distance
wire. Governor Then ensues this con
Versation:
rs this I.incoln? Yes. sir Is thi
the superintendent Yes, sir We'll
tell your board / want John Smith dis
charged and William Brown appointed
discharge and appointment to take eff
feet at close of business today; Go yoi
understand Yes. sir That's all
, good by
'.And SO on. HAw do you like it?
Cared for Henchmen
EFT is possible the Governor saw tn
, necessity of caring for his own littl
4, L.
S henchmen in and out of the Legislature
and thought that il was better to do
all at one fell swoop,' on that on
: night. than to spread the work of dis
/ charge and appointment all along frog
July first, the time the law became
Z law. until November first, the time !
: became operative. But does that sho'
a disposition to give retention in offiC
4 for merit alone-7the main war cry an
e dogma and principle of civil servic
D reform? - ~
: Who Was Benefited7
), "Is II necessary to ask anybody. wit
! three grains of common sense, wheth,
the public service was benefited
such a performance? Does not ever
/ man in~the State know that il was III
K the State or the public service that
v was sought to. benefit, but S-mply AN
n merely one thing aud one thing onl
: does all this mean? Why, il simp
n means that this was the method
= which the new civil service reform Co
e ernor of this State of Illinois threw OIL
= of office scores and scores of appointe
y and employees IN your charitable inst
e tutfons, and filed their places wi
e others at the last minute, just befo
e the striking of the hour of low twelve
e Have these new employees ever be,
a examined? Has it ever been demo-
e Strated by an examination that thu
n have the experience and ability III
n application and disposition and cha
d acter which you supposed We're goiI
lie to be thrown around your and my f.
S. low countrymen and fellow citizens?
=: don't know. Do you? But if tn
,t have. what becomes of the main pri
IT ciple of civil service reform, namel
N that rneritorious men and women shou
% not be discharged to make room f
ii political appointees?
= The Humanity Question
l. "Let JUS Judge of the benefits acer
te ing and let us think for a moment
he the humanitarian side. Never in t
r. history of this State or of any 9th
1t State has there been so much inh
70 manity as has occurred during I
ID lperiod since this alleged civil seryi
ie law took effect.
n, And never before, within my rec,
IN Election. has such brutality prevailed
lie our charitable schools and asyiums
Or to induce Republican House of Re
If. resentatives TO order an Investigate
s. by an investigating committee of I
ne House. There have been newspaper &
,y tacks, and even nov and then Sol
er complaining speech on the floor of o
house or the other of the General A
sefnbly, but never before was the stu
T ton so grave that the whole House
IN Representatives should deem 1t nect
rrs sary to order an investigation.
I7o ''As this investigation has proceed,
NJ partisan. because carried on by
a committee composed of three Republ
~, ans and three Democrats. and the VIII
10 State has heard from day to day I
AZ long calendar of abuses, the only a
-, swers have been unfair Investigate,
hv and more money
"a Have you ever noticed that when
s- efficiency is at the helm, and crftici
81 is aroused, the reply is, more none.
nh Was a boy beaten at Pontiac until
died? Yes. but if the legislature h
n appropriated more money, it would
%. have happened Was boy at Linco
- through neglect. allowed to lose
,aI right arm in q laundry machine? Y
r. but more money would have prevent
or IT. Were persons drowned since
I'll in the reservoir on the grounds of
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