The Ogden standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1902-1910, 1909-02-06
VETOES THE
{ { N s i s
BILL
President Says Work Should
Be Done on Com.
pstitiye Basis.

Washington, Feb. 5.-"The evil ef-
fects Of the system and Of the customs
of treating appointments to the public
service as personal perquisites of pro.
fessional plans are peculiarly evident
In the case of n great public work
like the taking of the census. work
which should amicabIy be done for the
whole people and with an eye single
to their interest"
In these words, President Roosevelt
today summed up message to the
house returning without his approval
the bill providing for the taking Of the
census because the provision provided
that the appointments should be taken
on the basis Of non-competitiye eX-
aminationa.
The reference of the President to a
division Of the spoils without a fight
by the persons" provoked general
laughter.
After providing for reprint of the
census bill, as it passed the house.
the house adjourned, thus postponing
action on the message
The President says ne veroes the
bill with extreme reluctance, realiz-
Ing the value OF time In beginning the
census. but declares 1t is to high in
terest that II shall be conducted with
care. that 1t shall not be open to sus-
picion Of bias on personal or political
grounds. or to bring a waste Of the
peoples money or a fraud.
Section of the act" he says, PRO
vides in effect that appointments to
the census shall be under the spoils
system, for this is the real meaning
of the provision that they shall be
subject only to non-competitive eX-
animation. The provision is added
that they shall be selected without
regard to political part affiliations. But
there is only one way to guarantee
that they shall be selected without re-
gard to politics and on merit, and
that is by choosing them after COM
petive examination from the list OF
eligibles provided by the civil service
commission"
Continuing. the message says:
ITO provide that the clerks and 9th.
er employees shall be appointed after
non-competitive examination and yet
to provide that they shall be selected
without regard to political party af-
filiatlon. means merely that the ap-
pointments shall be treated as the per
quisites Of the politicians of both par
ties, instead of as the perquisites of
the politicians Of one party. / don't
believe In the doctrine that to the vic
tor belongs the spoils, but think even
less OF the doctrine that the spoils
eh l,rta a
professional politicians on both sides,
and this would be the result of per-
mitting the bill in It's present shape,
to become a law. Both of the last
censuses, the eleventh and the twelfth
were taken under provision of law
excluding competition; that Is, neces-
stating the appointment being made
under the spoils system Every man
competent 10 speak with authority be.
cause of his knowledge and familiarity
with the work of those censuses has
stated that the result was to produce
extravaganza and decentralization"
After quoting from official reports
on the support of his position, the
President continues:
In view of the temporary charac.
ter of the work. 1t would be well to
waive the requirements OF the civil
service law as regards geographical
apportionments. but the appointees
should be chosen hy competitive ex-
animation from the lists provided by
the civil service commission The non
competitive examination In the case
like this Is not only vicious. but is in
effect a fraud upon the public. No
essential change is effected by provid-
ing that It be conducted by the civil
service commission and 20 provide
that the employees shall be accepted
without regard TO political party ar.
fliatlons Is empty and misleading:
unless. at the same time, 1t is made
effective in the only way In which IL
is possible TO make 1t effective, that