The Topeka state journal., 1909-02-06
The President Returns the Gen.
sus Bill to Congress
With a Message Setting Forth
His Objections.
SEES SPOILS SYSTEM.
In the Measure as 1t Has Been
Passed.
Plans Are Being Made to Over
ride His Objections.
SEES SPOILS SYSTEM.

Washington. Feb 6-"The evil effects
of the spoils system and Of the custom
OF treating appointments to the public
service as personal perquisites of pro-
fessional politicians are peculiarly evil
dent in the case of a great public work
like the taking of the census, a work
which should emphatically be done for
the whole people and with an eye single
to their interest,"
In these words President Roosevelt
summed up a message to the house of
representatives, returning without his
approval the bill providing for the TAX
Ing of the next census, because of the
provision prescribing that appoint
ments shall be made on the basis of
noncompetitive examination instead Of
through the civil service commission.
AS passed by congress the bill permit
ted members and senators to designate
persons for positions after they had un-
dergone a simple examination. Incl
dentally the president referred to the
provision authorizing the printing of
census reports by private concerns and
laid stress on the point that where
work was so allotted the eight-hour law
should be applied "in effective fashion"
Outside of those matters, the presi-
dent said that on the whole the bill
was satisfactory to him and represent
ed an Improvement on previous legisla-
tion on the subject. The president
says he vetoes the bill with extreme
reluctance, realizing the value of time
in beginning the census. but declares
1t is of high consequence that it shall
be conducted with extreme accuracy.
that it shall not be open to the sus-
picion of bias on personal and political
ground nor to bring waste of the peo-
pies money and a fraud.
Provides for SpOiIs System.
Section of the act" he says. pro
vides in effect that appointments to the
census shall be under the spoils sys-
tenn, for this is the real meaning of the
provision that they shall be subject
only to noncompetitive examination.
The proviso is added that they shall be
party affiliation, but there is only one
way to guarantee that they shall be Sc
lected without regard to politics and on
merit and that is by choosing them
lists of eligibles provided by the civil
service commission"
Continuing the message says:
ITO provide that the clerks and other
competitive examination and yet to
provide that they shall be selected
without regard to political party affili-
alton, means merely that the appoint
ments shall be treated as the per-
quisites of the politicians of both par
ties instead of as the peruuisites of
the politicians of one party. I do not
believe in the doctrine that to the vo-
Tors DelOnS Jne SpOllS. but L think even
less of the doctrine that the spoils shall
be divided without fight by profess
sional politicians on both sides; and
this would be the result of permitting
the bill in its present shape to become
law. Both of the last censuses, the
eleventh and the twelfth were taken
under a provision of law excluding
competition; that is, necessitating the
spoils system. Every man competent
to speak with authority because of his
knowledge of and familiarity with the
work of those censuses has stated that
the result was to produce extravagance
and Generalization.
Vicious and a Frud.
After quoting from official reports in
support of his position. the president
continues:
"In view of the temporary character
of the work, it would be well to waive
the requirements of the civil service
law as regards geogra phicaI appor-
tionments. but the appointees should
be chosen by competitive examination
service commission. The noncompeti-
tive 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 providing that
it be conducted by the civil service
commission; and to provide that the
employees shall be selected without re-
gard to political party affiliations is
same time. it is made effective in the
only way in which it is possible to make
it effective. that is, by providing that
the examination shall be made competi-
tive.
4 also recommend that if provision
is made that the census printing work
may be done outside the government
printing office it shall be explicitly pro
vided that the government authorities
shall see that the eight hour law is ap-
piled in effective fashion to these out
side offices.
''Outside of these matters. I believe
that the bill is. on the whole satisfac-
tory, and represents an Improvement
upon previous legislation on the sub
ject."
The house adjourned without action
on the message.
Will Try to Override Veto.
Washington, Feb. 6.-An attempt
will be made in the house, according
to the plans of house leaders, to pass
the census bill over the veto of the
president, it is believed. The action on
the veto will be postponed proba bly,
until an opportune time next week