The National tribune., 1908-02-27
GIVE THE OLD MEN A CHANCE.

A lamentable thing is happening here
in Washington, and it has its counter
part in every place of public employ
ment in the United States. A lot of
young men are crowding into the Civil
jService who are consumed with nat
ural desire for advancement in position
and an increase in salary. This is a
llaudable ambition if it is prosecuted in
a sensible and proper manner. I'm
fortunately, however, every young man
lcomes into the service with a consum-
ing belief that the public business has
not been managed in a proper manner,
and that it is his duty to change every
up-to-date. This is another creditable
spirit if properly exhibited, and leads to
progress, but unfortunately the young
men do not stop to carefully study what
their predecessors have done and the
merits of existing methods before they
attempt reforms.
The method of doing business in the
public offices has been carefully and
studiously elaborated for more than a
century of hard work by men quite as
earnest, as philosophical and as able
as the youths who are now coming upon
the stage. There are thousands of
things which have happened in the past
which have been rectified and guarded
against thru rules and methods deduced
| from experience. OF these the youths
or new generation know next to moth
| ing, and are indisposed to learn. The
natural result il that when they en-
counter an obstacle they want to sweep
it out of the way offhand, without stop
ping to think that the remedy may be
worse than the disease, and the diff
Guilty encountered may be far less seri-
Gus than other difficulties which it pre-
vents
The result of these rash and uncon-
sidered changes of methods has been
very serious, and the public business is
in more unsatisfactory state than for
years. In every Department the new
methods have unsettled the course of
procedure, and brought about entangie
ments which are greatly to the preju
ernment's great business. The younger
clerks are making mistakes and getting
into pitfalls from which it requires ex-
ira labor on the part of the older ones
to extricate them.
A feature of fragrant evil and injus-
tice is the general disposition on the
part of the younger clerks to think that
the older ones are old-fogyish and slow,
with a general movement to rid the
offices of the embarrassment of their
presence. This is not only unjust to
faithful clerks and the employees of long
service, but it is exceedingly detrimen
tai to the public service. The older clerk
of ripe experience will dispose accurate
ly and finally of dozen pieces Of bust
ness without the least friction or I'M
certainty. while a younger clerk is
spending his time running about the
corridors asking questions and getting
misleading impressions in the disposal
of single case.
While the Civil Service has been put
ting into the Departments some very
| excellent material, yet the high school
education which they have received and
which enables them to pass the Civil
Service examinations is only the begin
think, the end.
| After getting into the Departments
they have quite as much to learn as
they had to acquire to pass the exam
nations. 1t is this instruction that they
are too impatient to receive. They feel
that they know it all from the first, and
this is of much embarrassment to the
service, as they make mistakes and
open up closed avenues for errors and
| frauds that a more experienced clerk
would never do. Those who are not in
immediate charge of the work, the sec
ton chiefs and heads of divisions I'M
derstand this thoroly, and try to retain
their old and experienced clerks, while
the younger element and too frequently
the heads of Bureaus and Departments
are trying to get rid Of them.
still worse feature is that the Gov
eminent is setting a bad example in its
discrimination against old and expert
| eHCcu men. HIS Is thc only country III
the world in which age is not treated
with proper respect, and too little at
tention is paid to the accumulation of
knowledge that comes with years. In
other countries it is assumed that the
longer a man has been engaged in the
public service the ripper and more cer-
tain is his knowledge and a more val
liable employe he becomes. In Wash
ington alone is found the assumption
that a man is most valuable when he
first enters the service and steadily de-
teriorates with years of service. The
Government is therefore forced into a
false position which it will have to
change. While it is shameful from a
! sentimental point of view to treat vet
) Grams as of less account than recruits,
) it is false public policy, and in opera
ton will be highly detrimental to the
public service. 1t should be the policy
of the Government to treat ripened
manhood as superior to raw and untried
: youth. If We do not, our whole struc-
ture will speedily tOpple, and the Gov
eminent. above all other employers.
should set the example of giving that
1 esteem and confidence to elderly en-
ployes which their long service and
their mature judgment deserve.