The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1910-05-20
Should Not be Servants of the
Party or Dependent Upon
/. Favors
JANE Adams DISCUSSES THE
TWO kINDsOF CHARITABLE EPE0PlE
Tendency Now Is to Provide the
Means BY Which Poverty Can Re.
ueve Itself Rather Than Extending
Temporary Aims to Deserving.

st. Louis, Mo-, May 20.--The use of
employees of state charitable institu-
tions by party managers in political
campaigns was severely raped by W.
B. Moulton, president of the Illinois
state civil service commission, in an
address before the National Confer
ence Of Charities and Correction here
this morning. Mr.. Moulton cited sew
feral cases Of the abuse Of political
power and the misuse of charitable
tinstitutions in his own state. prior to
the adoption of the merit system in
such service.
Previous to the passage Of the civil
service law" said Mr.. Moulton, "the
institutions were used In every posi-
BILE way to carry the districts in which
they were situated. Employees were
assessed for the expense Of nearly
every local or general campaign. Kan
kakee and Lincoln were typical a.
institutions used for political purpos.
es. At Kankalkee during elections
the hospital hands and most OF the
employees were likewise engaged IN
the political contest. It could hardly
be expected that any institution could
make much advancement under such
conditions. The appointments were
generally made. not with the idea that
the man would fit the Office, so much
as that the ONCE should be made to fl
the man. Even here they often failed
For instance, we found the landscape
gardener at one place to be local
butcher, who knew as much about
landscape gardening as he did about
dressmaking. It was not possible tc
maintain diclpline in such institution
a. subefdinates vera; usually In pos.
session. OF, such influence that super.
intendents could not discipline or re.
move them."
THE Illinois civil service commits.
sion makes use of both oral and writ.
ten examinations in the choice Of can
didates to fill positions In the state
institutions. The examination con.
sists of a paper on the applicants
conception of the duties of the posi-.
ton and it's relation to the field Of
charities, with a weight Of three; an
inspection and report upon an insti.
tuition assigned, with the weight ot
two: and an oral examination cover
ing experience and personal qualif1.
cations, with the weight of five.
Last year we addressed 1877 EN-.
plyers Of labor in private business as
to the methods used by them in the
selection of employees and were sur
.prised to find how nearly they approx.
imated our own. The aim Of the civil
service commission is In every way to
make the public service approximate
the efficiency Of private service. FIX.
aminations, of course. of themselves
do not produce applicants and results
can be not better than the source OF
supply, so in Illinois the civil service
commission has made successful eff.
forts to have training schools estab.
lished for the equipment of persons
who expect to enter the public serv-
ice.
What I have said about conditions
in the institutions Of Illinois under the
old spoils system is true in other
states as we'll, where that system still
prevails"
Governing Board.
Rather a clear note In favor of a
central governing board in each state
for the states charitable and correc-
tional institutions was sounded by
DR.. Max e. Witte. superintendent of
the hospital for the insane at Clarin-
da, Iowa. before the conference.
ut is not my purpose to criticisce
separate boards for different state in
stitutions. as SUCH" said DR.. Witte,
"but do find fault with the system.
The aim and endeavors of these spe-
cial boards may be Of the best. yet
their work lacks unity AMI a dominant
purpose. 1t lacks an integral relation
With the work Of other institutions
and above everything else. X is :a.t-
~ more extensive and a burden to tn {
commonwealth. Since powe- is most
effective when centralized, IT appears
to me that the ideal individual man.
ager would not be found of such vast
mental structure to WELD 1t wisely
and we'll. A board of say. three n.em-
bers. is perhaps, on the whole, safer.
THAT institution best discharges its
specific function, which brings the
greatest measure of help to the great
est number in need of it. That sys-
TEN of institutions is most efficient
and helpful to the state. which &C.
complishes the effective operation of
its special institutions with the least
expenditure of energy. which sees to