Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-04-10
TAFT'S SCHOOLING"
Senator Bailey Considers 1t
Not Right Kind.
THRUSTS AT ROOSEVELT
Predicts Lively Times Unless Presi-
dent Avoids Precedent.
HITS AT CIVIL SERVICE SYSTEM
Rumor Of Threat to Veto Census Bill
Inspires Attack by Texan.
Defended by Mr.. Lodge.

w HiIe making a vigorous attack in the
Senate today on the civil service system
as applied TO employees of the national
government Senator Bailey of Texas de-
clared that mo man ever attended a
worse school in which to learn to be
President of the United States than the
present occupant of the White House."
Mr.. Bailey had just referred to the
rumor that President Taft had threat
ened to veto the census bill II il should
he passed in the same form in which it
was presented to former President Roose-
welt. and vetoed by him on the ground
that II threw the census Office open to the
old "spoils system instead of putting it
within the scope Of the civil service.
If the President so early in his admin
istration," said the Texan, has under
taken to coerce Congress by threats l pre-
dict that We will have a worse time than
was had during the past seven years. the
present President is worse fitted BY the
experience he has had TO hold that high
President He went from the federal
bench where in the very nature of things
men learn to be tyrannical. to the phil
ippines. where he held sway without re-
straint of law. Then he went to the War
Department, where he had absolute con-
troll. at least with very little restriction
of law. over the building of the great
canal to the south OF us.
His "schooling" Bad.
II repeat that no man ever went to a
worse school to learn to be President of
the United States. / hope he has been
strong enough to keep free from the in
fuence of that school. but that hope will
be quickly dispelled If he is sending mes
20 threatening
gress with a veto unless 1t does not DO his
will.
81 take the responsibility to say that
he has not indicated by any threat that
service out of it: but whether or not he
has, took my oath to do my duty as
saw it. and l shall abide by that oath.
and leave him to do his"
Senator Lodge of Massachusetts, who
was MI. Roosevelts spokesman in the
Senate, took the floor to reply to Mr..
Bailey. He started cut by saying that he
had the highest regard for the Texan and
his forcibly expressed ideas. He hau
learned by an experience of twenty years,
he said, to hear such arguments with pa
thence. Still he favored the civil service
as much better comparatively than the
old patronage system, on the grounds that
it meant better clerks. the spending of
less government money and freedom from
disagreeable duties for members of both
branches of Congress.
II have no earthly authority to speak
for the President" said Mr.. Lodge. But
I don't believe he would threaten to veto
this bill until 1t was before him. 1t is
not possible. however. to overlook what
he has said and done with regard to the
civil service. He established in the
was much more rigid than that we have
here"
The debate then proceeded on the mo-
ton of Senator Bailey to strike out the
section of the bill which places the ad-
ditional positions under the new census
within the classified service
Defends "Spoils System"
Mr.. Bailey explained his reasons for
moving to strike out the civil service
section at considerable length. He de-
MED that a better class of clerks was
secured by the civil service examina-
tons, saying that there were not ten
United States senator's who could pass
civil service examination with a
good average tomorrow morning. He
also denied that the so-called SPOTS
system was a bad thing.
Il am not one of those who believe
in taking the government employees out
of politics." said he. Il am not one Of
those who think politics is so bad.
believe in stimulating interest in the
government of the country"
Mr.. Bailey read with fine scorn from
former President Roosevelt's veto mes
sage. in which Mr.. Roosevelt referred to
professional politicians
See what he calls you" he smiled
1t was then charged by Mr.. Bailey that
Mr.. Roosevelt himself repeatedly violated
the civil service law to put men in Office
for personal reasons political reasons
Senator Bacon of Georgia at this point
said he had heard that Mr. Roc seve sus-
pended the civil service law three hundred
and fifteen times. and said it was done
without any authority. :
Mr.. Bailey's chief objections to the civil
service system were that it creates an
Iofice-holding class. means life tenure. and
Eventually civil pension list. All of these
things he believed were incompatible with
ideas Of free government.