Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-05-20

The committee of 100, comprised of
business men of Washington who have
undertaken to represent tie clerks in
their effort to obtain an improvement
in their condition through legislation,
the clerks themselves being barred from
activity in their own behalf. has issued
a statement which clearly calls atten-
ton to the evil effect of the five-yeer
tenure provision now carried by the
legislative appropriation bill. There
can be no mistaking the sinister import
!. of this proposition. 1t is, designed to
increase patronage at the expense of de-
partmental efficiency. From the point OF
view of the clerks it is a serious menace
While the provision includes authorize
ton for appointing officers to reappoint
clerks at the expiration of the five-year
period they must be subjected to ex-
animation. Appointment under such a
provision without examination means
favoritism. with political influence pre-
sumably the chief factor in the making
of selections. Any system that requires
.. the clerk To be examined in competition
: with all corners from the outside. Office
experience being given no credit value
10 the advantage of the incumbent.
s places the employee at a distinct dis
advantage. unless he will bone"
; throughout his fve-year term to keep
g himself prepared for the academic test
On the other hand, an examination with
outsiders competing with clerks in which
d., the latter are given the benefit of ex-
: perience credits would give the out
sders little or no chance for appoint
: ment. 1t is difficult. therefore, to see how
the system could work in practice to the
advantage of the service under any
arrangement.
Promctional examinations would not
he objected to on behalf of either the
clerk or the service, provided they were
not too frequent or too severe There
surely should be some method to de-
termine the relative merits of clerks
from time to time with reference to
their opportunities for advancement. At
present the clerks suffer from the lack
Of such system. promotions being al
most exclusively matter of personal
z selection. and doubtless In many in
stances of favoritism induced by polit-
ical influence Probably every clerk in
the service feels himself entitled to ad-
vancement from time to time but there
is no method whereby rewards can be
given for efficient. faithful work, as in
TIE English system, where the clerk is
automatically promoted within his grade
year by year until he reaches the
maximum pay. There are numerous
: cases of clerks in this country re-
manning at the bottom Of the scale for
years. largely because they have no in
fiuence." There are also instances of
clerks reaching the tsp in short order
e-because they have been pushed by
powerful friends. All this is contrary
to the merit principle. and is antago-
nistic 10 efficiency. The proposed five
year tenure would not obyiate this dis
advantage. but would tend to increase
the effectiveness of political influence
in the obtaining OF both positions and
promotions No clerk could, on the other
hand, reasonably complain of a failure
to hold his place If. after FIVE or ten
years, he was unable to pass certain
tests prescribed strictly with reference
to his present or prospective duties and
without competition from outside II
Congress is seeking to make the public
service really effective and strictly in
accord with the merit principle, and to
eliminate political influence as far as
possible. il will reject the fiye-year
tenure plan and establish a system of
promotional examinations in which ex-
perience and particular fitness count
heaviest