The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-10-02

hood. Business men now view with favor.
 rather than with alarm, strict enforce
 ment of law.
 | There are other directions in which gov
 ernmental progress can be made. The
 extension of the merit system has on the
 whole greatly improved conditions in the
 government. For this reason, I have,
 within the last week. placed 45OO assistant
 postmasters and clerk appontees of post
 masters on the classified list of the civil
 service. Fourth class postmasters not re-
 quiring classification are, many of them, already in the classified service, but post
 masters. of the first, second and third
 class, collectors of internal revenue, col- Electors of customs, surveyors of GUS htoms and appraisers, are not in the clas- l sified service and now receive their ap- I pointments on the recommendation of either the senators or the congressman | in whose district they reside
 2 All of those offices, ought, ultimately, 1 to ebe in the classified service They would then be more efficiently and eco- nomically administered.
 | s- Civil Service Reform
 The giving up of the power of classifi- cation is a great concession from the Senate and we can perhaps not expect 1t to be made in respect to all local offices at once. I shah urge upon the Congress Ia change in the method of appointing
 postmasters so that at least the 71sS sec l ond and third class postmasters can be tclassified and taken out of the category lof political patronage. sT We can then Ipatiently push on for further progress toward and elemination of all local offices
 from the field of politics.
 | This is, however, but the beginning of civil service reform. The problem is not nrelxr fn tal lra thn q honest competitive examination, but to | maintain and to improve, if possible the initial efficiency of that employe; to in | fuse into his work the same zeal which he would display in private business. We
 must also be on our guard against cer-
 tain evils that have accompanied the | giving of a permanent tenure to a large
 class of civil servants. Useful assoeia- tions of classified civil servants have | been, at times, perverted into commis- | sions to force the Congress and the ex- ecutive against their better Judgment. unduly to increase their pay or reduce
 the burden of their duties.
 | The general public Is not aware of the existence and exercise of such influences | and do not hesitate to pronounce 1t
 serious governmental danger that calls for wise legislative and executive action. Improving Service | I am now directing an inquiry into
 the efficiency and economy of the del partments, the aim being to improve the'
 service and lower the cost of govern ment.
 Our population has vastly increased, our
 tax producing capacity has grown in pro- portion, and the annual expenses of the government under the new conditions that surround 1t have become greater by many millions. Our democratic friends are in the habit of saying that our goy-
 ernment is taking from the people In taxes a billion dollars year and spend- ing 1t for expenses of the government.
 This Is an erroneous statement. The net expense of running this gov. ernment. derived from ''.e proceeds qf
 taxation. is about $65o, ,ot0.ooo per year. not