Evening star., 1912-11-07
WELL INFORMED OFFICIALS
SEE NO CAUSE FOR ALARM
Expect No Upheaval From Advent
of Democratic Administration.
EFFICIENCY RATINGS AWAITED
Enforcement Of Law Will Begin
Shortly, But Will Be Literally
Interpreted by Democrats,
It Is Believed.

| The feeling of uneasiness prevailing
among classified employees of the govern
ment as to what may happen under the
new democratic administration has not
been allayed by any official statement
from President-to-be Wilson. but the be-
| lief among well informed officials and citi
Zens is that even if Gov. Wilson has moth
| ing to say on the subject. his course
| when he assumes office, will be just as
| favorable to government employees in the
| classified service as that Of Presidents
Taft and Roosevelt.
| Hundreds of employees fear there is tc
be an overturning under the next admin
istration which will lose many of then
their positions, and that the demand from
hungry democrats for Office will be sc
strong that it will require more than the
presidential offices to satisfy
Wilson Silent on Question.
During the entire campaign Gov. Will
| son hardly touched upon the question of
| the civil service and the democratic at
| titude toward it. but there is said to be
| little ground for fear that the democratic
rush for office will be allowed to extend
into any part of the classified service.
1t is pointed out that the country is too
fully committed to this law to permit any
return to the old spoils system, and that
all the parties have at various times
agreed in their platforms to keep the
civil service in operation and even ex-
tend its scope whenever possible. No
President in many years has allowed a
| backward step to be taken as to the civil
| service. and President Taft has gone far
| toward Strengthening the civil service
| laws by extending their benefits to the
| bulk of postmasters in the country.
There naturally will be huge over
turning so far as presidential offices go.
In the department life of Washington the
changes will affect all assistant heads or
departments and their private secretaries,
| heads of Independent bureaus and estab-
| lishments, some of the prominent officials
at the White House, and, of course, col
| lectors of internal revenue, customs,
United States attorneys and marshals,
ambassadors and others in the diplomatic
| service.
For number of years appointments to
| the consular service have been under the
merit system, although examinations
| have not been held by the civil service
commission. 1t will be within the power
| (but not, it is thought, the disposition
of the new democratic administration to
change all this and shake up the con-
| sular service by naming some of the
hungry democrats who will want re-
| wards for their services to the party.
The Efficiency Rating Law.
| Regarded as of great Importance to
classified employees in Washington and
elsewhere is the carrying out of what is
known as the efficiency rating law put
| through the last session of Congress i'm
| the closing days. 1t is contained in the
| legislative appropriation bill and is Sec
| tion under the heading of judicial"
| This. section, the enforcement of which
will begin under the present adminstra-
tion. but will be interpreted under the new
administration, is as follows:
Section i. The civil service commission
shall, subject to the approval of the Pres
ident, establish a system of efficiency rat
ings for the classified service in the several
executive departments in the District of Co.
lumbia, based upon records kept in eachde-
partment and independent establishment,
with such frequency as to make them as
nearly as possible records of fact Such
system shall provide a minimum rating
i of efficiency, which must be attained by
an employe before he may be promoted
| it shall also provide a rating below which
| no employe may fall without being de-
| NOTED: it shall further provide for a rat
! ing below which employe may fall
| without being dismissed for inefficiency
All promotions, demotions or dismissals
shall be governed by provisions of the
civil service rules.
COPIES of all records of efficiency shall
| be furnished by the departments and in.
| dependent establishments to the civil
| service commission for record in accord
| ance with the provisions of this section
/ Provided, that in the event of reductions
| being made in the force in any of the
| executive departments no honorably dis
4
said department is rated good shall be
/ discharged or dropped or reduced in rank
| or salary.
! ANY person knowingly violating the
| provisions of this section shall be sum-
| mariiy removed from office, and may also
! upon conviction thereof, be punished by a
/ fine of not more than $1,000, or by i'm
prisonment for not more than one year..
Ratings Soon to Be Ready.
| The civil service commission has been
| at work for some time on the schedules
] of the law, endeayoring to fix the ratings
/ that will mean so much to clerks. The
commission will soon be ready to furnish
the departments with the schedule of rat
! ings so that the preliminary putting into
effect of the law may begin.
| The new democratic administration will
interpret this law literally. it is believed
| so as to prevent any unfair treatment
| of clerks or the injection of politics into
| the d.smissals, demotions and promotions
| There is naturally. however, feeling OF
uneasiness on the subject at this time
i If Mr.. Wilson, when he gets into office
| follows the policy of President Taft he
] will leave to his cabinet officers instruc-
| tions, after conferences as to how the
! law shall be handled. In presidential ap
! pointments under the various depart
| ments. too, Mr.. Wilson will be yer,
busy man if he does not leave the selec
| ton of the great majority of men to his
cabinet officers. merely confirming the Sc