The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1909-07-31
CABINET MEMBERS
PULLING WITH TAFT
Plan Is Dismissal of Drones
and More Pay for Re-
SponSible Heads.
Continued from First PAGE

+ d
Of every Incompetent empIoye, and this
applies to the higher officials as well
as to IT, clerical forces. In the Depart
ment Of Commerce and Labor. Mr..
Nagel has his reform we'll under way.
In the Treasury Department. the sra
cial committee Of the three assista Mt
secretaries is at work determining
where dismissals viii be made and
economies instituted in the management
Of offices and bureaus.
When Secretary of the Interior Bal
linger returns from his trip in the West
he will so to work housekeeping in
vigorous manner. The other depart
ments are preparing to follow suit.
In brief, the Taft policy toward Coz
eminent clerks is:
Pay for good service-toierate no bad
servants.
Greatest Housecleaning.
Never in the history of this Govern
ment have the clerks been subjected
to any such searching probe as viii be
the case for the next three or four
months. II is the purpose Of the admin
istration to give every good clerk a
recommendation while getting rid OF the
| incompetents Those who remain IN
the service viii have upon them the seal
Of official approval.
This does not mean that the Admins
| tration believes there is a vast number
Of incompetents. but it does mean that
there are some persons now on the pay
rolls who could better serve the Gov
eminent by finding work elsewhere.
g. h i'll,
ed to Congress by members of the Cabi-
net Is better pay for the officials who do
valuable work. For instance, lhere are
departments in which the law clerks or
| persons holding similar positions are
Woefully underpaid. These officials otter
have to pass on legal points which IN
their final effect involve millions Of
dollars. Most of them get not more
than $1,000 year.
Underpaid Officials
As a matter of fact, $4,000 a year
would be in better keeping with the
magnitude Of the responsibility under
which they labor. In all such cases as
these. If these officials are competent,
they will be given more money. If they
are unfit for their duties, they will be
/ relegated TO other positions or to dis
missal.
There is at this time no disposition on
| the part Of this Administration to dis
CTiminate against the aged clerk simply
! because he is aged. On the contrary. a
man or woman who has faithfully serv-
ed the Government and is continuing 20
do so need not fear mOlestatiOn.
The campaign which is now being
waged Is against the lOaefr and the in
competent, irrespective OF age, sex or
previous condition of political pull AND
[
aged clerks Esore efficient than the
younger men and women, taking them
by and large.
Senator Cummlns has been discussing
among Government officials recently
the theory that It would be better 10
have civil service with the provision
that 1t shall carry limited tenure That
is, a man or woman who passes the eX-
animation shall be entitled TO hold IT five
or ten years, and at the expiration of
that period shall take another examiua-
ton which, II passed successfully. shall
give another tenure Of FIVE or ten ears.
In this way the Government would
keep a check on all employees and keep
them listed a to their relative efficien-
cy. Whether this idea will prevail, caa-
not be foretold at this time For the
present the Administration is c5ntenting
itself with getting rid Of those no are
unfit 10 have their names decorating the
payrolls.
Nor has the President made up his
mind as to what course he viii take IN
regard 70 the attempt OF the clerks 10
secure a Federal pension system for the
departments IL Is still the opinion Of
Chairman Gillette, Of the House Com
mittee on Reform in the Civil Service,
that there is not sentiment enough for
the plan In the House to put II through,
And Il must be said that the outlook for
the enactment OF such a plan within the
next year or two is not the brightest.
It Is for this reason that the Admin
istratiOn believes the best course 70 fol-
low IS TO tighten up the loose lorCes,
20 inculCate in everybody the spirit Of
real work and to lop off those who have
no excuse for drawing the Government
Distant Offices.
In this connection It IS interesting to
note that this Cabinet. more tnan any
other. is paying attention 10 the out
lying branches of the Government ser
vice Mr. Ballinger is now on tour to
personally acquaint himself with condi-
lions i'm the bureaus and offices scat
tered through the West Ia connection
with the operations Of the Interior Lee
partment Mr.. Nagel will take a similar
trip through the South and West in the
late summer and fall. The Secretary OF
War and the Secretary Of the Navy are
now making such tours.
In every department and in every
branch of the Government work there
has started, at the instance OF the Pres
ideut, a determined. conservative cru
SADIE against economy in favor of ell
cheney. Mr.. Taft wants nothing sen
sati0nal, nothing snowy, but what he Is
seeking is real, lasting efficiency ana