The National tribune., 1908-05-07
M PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT.


some energetic action towards protect
ing veterans who are in public en-
ployment, National, State or municipal
This subject is sore one and on'
that calls for the ablest minds tina
are assembled in the National En-
lcampment. Failure has attended the
efforts heretofore made to secure such
an amendment Of the laws as would
protect the veterans, and our whole
reliance is at present upon arousine
such public sentiment and securing
such attention from executive officers
as will prevent faithful and long.
serving employees from being turned
out in their old age and decrepitude.
| A visit to the President secured
from him the warnest expressions OF
appreciation of the claims the veterans
have upon the Government and an
assurance that no faithful servant OF
the Government should be put out in
| the cold on the plea that his failing
powers would not admit of his render
| ing the service that he had formerly
| given. If the man was incapable of
the highest duties, lower duties should
| be found for him which were within
his capacity. Undoubtedly the Presi-
dent meant all that he said, and so far
as his personal will can assert itself
these promises will be made good. But
unfortunately, the President cannot be
everywhere and cannot know of every
individual case.
In all public departments. State and
municipal as well as National, there
are young fellows pushing in who are
eager for the salaries and who have
little consideration for the men who
served the country or for what they
may have done in civil employment.
All that these young fellows want are
the places and salaries attached and
they are merciless in crowding out the
old fellows. We have earnestly wished
that some amendment to the Federal
law could be made which would give
the veterans as positive protection as
has been secured for them by the
Constitution and laws of New York
and of some other States. There has
always been constitutional objection
raised against this, and the veterans in
New York went about it in the right
way when the new constitution was
adopted of embodying protection to
veterans in the constitution itself. The
constitutional objection was an estop-
page in Massachusetts and in some
other States, but Massachusetts has
made her laws so that the veterans
will have protection. Despite the ef-
forts of energetic and able comrades
in other States this has not been Sc
cured 1t seems possible, however.
that something could be done in the
way of positive law, and still more in
the development of public sentiment
which will make the Presidents ex-
pressions and assurances have vital
force in all the Departments of the
Government and that this protection
will be extended to those who are in
State and municipal employ.
1t is a subject which the coming
with the greatest earnestness and de-
vote large portion of its session to it.
1t has not received the attention in
previous National Encampments that
1t should have done, but the matter has
come up in the later and hurried hours
of the Encampment and been dis
posed of rather impatientIy and cer-
tainiy hastily in order to make room
for other business. The National En-
campment cannot make better use of
half day during the coming session
than by taking up this matter fairly
and deliberately, canvassing it in all
its ASPECTS. and coming to some con-
ciusion as to what should be done. 1t
must be expected that great opposi-
ton will be encountered, since we have
in solid array against us all of the
Civil Service systems of the Nation and
the States and the flamboyancy of the
Civil Service enthusiasts, who insist
that high-school examination is the
sole sovereign test for capacity to serve
the Government. 1t is of little use tell
ing these extremists that their arbi-
trary standards of spelling, grammar.
arithmetic, astronomy and history are
far from being the whole thing in de-
termining the fitness of a clerk or |
other employee.
Practical experience, which they ig-
more, will show them that in every
Department of the Government en-
pIoy there are men of the highest abili-
ty as clerks, executives and administra-
tors. who cannot possibly meet all of
their tupenny tests. but who are worth !
more than a bakers dozen of the
clerks who can. In the great Depart |
ments Of Washington the very best
clerks and executives are the men who |
served their country in the army and |
navy and have since added to that
years of faithful service in their sew
eral vocations. They have acquired a |
of Government business |
and methods and have a sense of re- |
sponsibility that the graduates of the
Civil Service system are woefully de- |
ficient in. What is true of the Civil |
Service in Washington is equally true
of the Civil Service employees in every
State, County and city.
Beyond this it Is the worst of pub |
lie policy to turn out an aged and |
worn-out clerk. Every employee Of i
the public has most important inter-
ests confided to him, and that he dis
charges his duties with relation to |
them honestly and faithfully for a |
period of years gives him the strongest |
claim upon the public's gratitude and |
Oha,,I1 haunpd oll r.uay@ton oe.,..a IL.