Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-03-25
REFORM BY THE PRESIDENT
Plan to Put Certain High Places on
More Elevated Plane.
CoNGREssMEN IN ACCORD
Agree to Recommend Only Such as
They Know to Be Qualified and
Will Attend to Their Duties.

character has recently been accomplished
by President Taft in cooperation with
members Of his cabinet, and with the aid
and approval Of senators and represent
atives. some of them "spoilsnen'' of most
decided convictions. More particularly
does this apply to the appointments to
presidential places under Secretary Mac
Veash OF the Treasury, himself an ardent
advocate of civil service reform.
President Taft has previously commit
ed himself to the proposition that certain
high places. such as collectorships, sur
veyorships. appraiserships, etc, should be
placed on the civil list and exempted from
the political struggles invariably attend
ant OH the selection of the incumbents
Without any law on the subject COM
pelling regard for other than political
services, he has already taken most Of
these places out Of the field Of political
controversy. Candidates for positions Of
this character in the Treasury Depart
ment have found it essential to obligate
themselves in advance to aid the admin
istration not by political service. but by
| strict attention to business. Bank ex-
aminers. for instance, whose duties are OF
exacting and technical nature, have been
Drought completely to the standards Of
tfl6 CIdSSlucQ S0INICc WltHOuI Uc4LS OUll.
gated by the law to the observance Of the
| rules and regulations OF the civil service
commission. They are appointed now
after their fitness has been demonstrated
by rigid examinations prescribed by Con-
troller Murray. Their appointment car
ries with it promise which is strictly
enforced, that, having taken the oath OF
service. they shall at once cease all active
participation in partisan politics.
Congressman Approve Plan.
The recommendations for appointment
are made as heretofore by senators and
representatives, but these sponsors for
applicants are put on honor to recommend
Ionly such as they know to be QualiAed ana
capable Of passing the prescribed exauai-
nation. and as may, after appointnnent. be
spared nom work In the poltticsi fleid.
Presidential appointments In the cus-
sS%s pais.rs .ssysSs a'sto 1oels'5s ss5 cIcsfs.
gradually are being brought 10 the same
plane Of business efficiency. No system
Of examinations has been devised IN
these cases, but again the appeal is made
Of Recommendation. the politicians with
whom the President and the Secretary of
the Treasury must deal. The next step
Is to impress the appointee with the sin.
certify of the demand made on him that
his administration, to rebound to the
credit of the appointing power, must be
conducted on strict business principles
and not for the benefit Of his immediate
political friends. In the internal revenue
service the same principle has been made
to apply, as well as in the mtnts and
assay offices. @
Result of the Reform.
The result has been marked. An illus
tration more striking, perhaps, than any
other is afforded by the reforms accom-
plished in the New York custom Office,
embracing the dismissal Of many incom-
petents, the conviction of dishonest en-
ployes and the adoption Of altogether
new standards of morality by importers.
with the attendant increase in collections
aggregating millions Of dollars. That this
new reform along civil service lines is to
be of permanent rather than Of feeting
nature is evidenced by the cordial coop
Grafton which it has received from politi-
clans whose recommendations have been
made, readily and unhesitatingly, along
the lines desired by the President.
In other respects President Tafts rec
| ord as a civil service reformer may well
| be called unique. Not only have numer-
| Gus additions to the civil service list been
! made through the inclusion Of certain
| classes of postmasters, but the initiative
Il
novel line Of civil service reform.
System of Retiring Allowances.
This is the system Of retiring allow
ances designed to rid the service Of per-
! sons incapacitated for efficient work by
means of superannuation. The President S
plan does not favor retirement pensions
for civil employees to be paid from the
government treasury. But it does con-
| template the grant Of an allowance to
| those in the service who should no longer
| be there. It gives them q small portion
Of their salary. and makes the balance
| available for the employment Of younger
| clerks in the lower grades. It collects
from all who remain In the service a
certain per cent Of their pay. to be placed
/ to the credit OF the contributors, In q
general fund. In case the contributor Is
| separated from the service from any
cause before the age of retirement his
| contribution is repaid to him with m
l tereSt.
| If he continues to the retirement age,
an allowance Is assured him. The actu-
aries Of the Treasury Department have
demonstrated that the adoption OF this
plan would effect an immediate econ
omy In the cost Of the government serv-
ice and would dispose OF the criticism
now leveled at the service to the effect
that there is no provision for Kidding 1t
OF employees whose usefulness has been
destroyed by reason OF age and who con-
stitute permanent burden on the service
by being allowed to remain in it at the
maximum pay which WAS theirs in the
iheydey Of their efficiency.
Bulgarian Eeud Ends in Murder.