Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-06-07
A New Tenure of Office Act.
From Good Government.


Unless Immediate and concerted action
is taken by the friends of the merit sys-
tenn there is grave danger that through
the passage of the Legislative, executive
and judicial appropriation bill in its pres
ent form there will be forced upon the
service of the executive departments IN
the District of Columbia a tenure of Of
flee act which will inevitably bring III
its train Il return to the spoils system.
1t is question which naturally suE-
gests itself whether the statesmen who
placed this anachroniStic provision i'll a
bill providing for the expenses of ad-
miniStration knew what they were doing,
and If what their purpose could have
been. The only exposition of its intent
which was openly given on the floor of
the House was that it would Increase the
efficiency of the service by holding be-
fore every employe the danger of dis
missal at the end OF "A comparatively
short term if his work was not up to "a
fair standard of efficiency" The bill
contains in it no warrant whatsoever for
belief that reappointments will be made
on a basis of efficiency and merit; 1T is.
on the contrary, nothing but tenure of
office act, which. II experience Is of any
value as a guide, will, if passed mean
that retention in the pu.lic service will
depend upon political influence and favor
itsm. In 1870 the famous Crawford
tenure of office act. placing large num-
Der of local offices throughout the coun-
passed. Within less than decade
the spells system based on the the
DRY that a change in administration
should be followed by a clean sweep
of even the humb!est government en-
pigments. that tenure for good behavior
and satisfactory service was n-American
and menace to democracy. was fasten-
ed on the public service. The theory that
the opportunity to get rid of the ineffi-
cient at the end of a set term would
work to secure greater efficiency and idel-
ity has proved an utter fallacy. The
rider to the legislative, executive and
| judicial appropriation bill is based on es-
sentially the same principle as the Craw-
| ford tenure of office act 1t does not, II
| is true, repeal the civil service law and
| appointments to vacancies will continue
| to be made from eligible lists, but can
any one seriously suppose that merit and
fitness proved by actual service will con-
| troll in the retention of employees?
This Is the system ostensibly for Sc
curing efficiency in the public service
which ii is proposed to graft the ad-
ministration of public business. The prop
osition is made in the face of a fun eX-
| perience of nearly a century with the OPP
Grafton of tenure of office act; in the
face and almost, it would seem, as the
answer to the urgent recommendation of
the President that terms already estab-
iished by law for local offices be abol-
ished as the first and essential step to-
ward efficiency in these Offices 1t is a
direct blow al efficiency. 1t is an insidious
attack on the integrity OF the merit sys-
| tenn and unless it is defeated we may
| confidently look for return to the days
when public officers threw up their hands
| In despair at the me-consuming. energy
destroying annoyanceS of off1ce-seekin2
congressman and others who had an az
to grind.