Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-02-06
PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT
VETOES CENSUS BILL
CONTINUED from Page One.)

lected in accordance with the terms OF
tie Civil! Service law.
Mr. Frederick H. Wines, the Assls-
tant Director of the Census of 1900.
states as follows:
"A mathematical scale was worked
out by which the number of assign
ments' to each senator and Represen-
ta,ive was determined in advance, SO
mary appointments to Senator
smaller number to q Representative,
half as many to a Democrat as 10 q
Republican, anG in Democratic states
and cor gressional districts the assign
ments were made to the Republican
state and district committees. Inc as
slsnees named in the first instance
the persons to be examined. Ihey
were afterwards furnished each with a
list of those named who had passed
and reurested to name those who they
desired to have appointed. Nacan-
c,es We're filled in the same man.
ner. This system was thorough
IN satisfactory to the majority
of the politicians interested, though
there We're a few who refused
to have anything to do with it, The
effect upon the bureau was, as may
readily be imagined, thoroughly de-
mcralizng."
MI. Carroll d. Wright, who has had
charge of the Census Bureau after the
census Of 1890, estimates that S2,0O0.00O.
and more than a years time. would
have been saved if the census force
had beer brought into the classified
service, and adds:
n
Of the amount expended under my
own administration was absolutely
wasted, and wasted principally on ac-
coant of the fact that the Office was
net under civil service rules. In
| October, 1888, when l took charge OF
the Census Office. there was an office
| force of 1892 There had been con-
stant reduction for many months and
this vas kept up without cessation TIL
| the close of the census. There was
never a mouth after October, 1893. that
Tie clerical force reached the number
| then in office; nevertheless. while
these general reductions We're being
made and in the absence of any ne
cessitv for the increase Of the force,
| 3S9 new appointments We're made.
| This Of course meant the destruction
of economy and efficiency for purely
political considerations.
| In view of the temporary character
of the work, it would be We'll to waive
the requirements of the civil service
law as regards geographical apportion-
ment. but the appOintees should be
chosen by competitive examination
from tho lists provided by the Civil
Service Commission. The noncompetl-
tive examination in a case like this is
not only vicious, but is in effect
fraud upon the public No essential
change is effected by providing that 1t
be conducted by the Civil Service Com
mission: and to provide that the en-
ployes shall be selected without re-
gard to political party affiliations is
empty and misleading, unless, at the
| same time, it is made effective in the
Only way in which it is possible to
make il effective. that is by provid-
ing that the examination shall be made
competitive.
| I also recommend that if provision
is made that the census printing work
| may be done outside the Government
| Printing O1Iice. it shall be explicitly
| provided that the Government authori-
ties shall see that the eight-hour law
| is applied in effective fashion to these
| outside offices.
| Outside of these matters. I believe
| that the bill is. on the whole, satisfac-
tory and represents an Improvement
upon previous legislation upon the sub
! ject. But it is of vital consequence
that we should not once again permit
| the usefulness of this great decennial
undertaking on behalf of the whole
people to be marred by permitting it
| to be turned into an engine to further
| the self-intereSt of that small section
| of the people which makes a profession
of politics. The evil effects of the
| sIoils system and of the custom of
| treating appointments to the public
service as personal perquisites of rO-
fessional politicians are peculiarly evil
dent in the case of great public work
like the taking of the census, a work
| which should emphaticallv be done for
the whole people and with an eye sin
gle to their interest
Theodore Roosevelt
The White House. February D. 1909.