Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-08-04
The False Concept Of Public Place.

Senator Bailey has had practically no
experience in commercial life, having
been occupied at the bar and in public OF
fec from the outset of his career. lie
therefore is perhaps limited III ms con-
cent of the business side OF running TIE
American government, and it may be that
this limitation is accountable for his be-
lief that all public officials should ne
turned out of office every four years, as
H. expressed it in the Senate the otnef
day in discussing a paragraph OF the
post Office appropriation bill 1t is evident
that he has totally misconceived the Cd
ject Of the governments employment OF
workers in the departmental service, for
NJ said on that occasion:
Il think that the right to hold an OF
ice is not 4 natural right, and tnat these
gentlemen who occupy these offlceS IN TINS
easy wav might now and then be sent
back 10 the body of the people 10 learn
how il is to earn a living m other "dSs
than by serving the government, anu
they ought TO become tax payers every
once in a while instead of tax eaters all
the time But surely these gentle
men are not OF such consequence In the
admins tration of this government tnat
we must make a class of them, segreSate
them from the balance of the people and
leave them TO work In the shade OF q
handsome salary for the balance or their
lives while Their brothers who are out
on the farm are working in the sun Ior
half the compensation, in order TO earn
taxes TO pay these larger salaries. nave
no sympathy with any proposition 10 Sc
cure men for a lifetime in any kind OF
an Office
Applying this principle practically, SEN
ator Bailey would. if the director OF
large steel mill. or wooden mill, or de-
partment store, or any other commercial
establishment. periodically sweep out or
place every man on the pay roll in order
10 prevent them from enjoying fixed in
comes and having any advantage over
less fortunate people He would ignore
the worth of the services rendered ana
the accumulated value of experience. He
would take no account of the worth to
the employer OF the trained employe. but
would prefer every few years 10 replace
him with Il raw man. not because the
other man had become incompetent, but
because he had acquired, perhaps. the
habit OF dependence upon stated en-
ployment and Il fixed income.
! business run upon these principles
would fail. and no amount of executive
ability. not even as great an ability as
that of the senator from Texas if so ap-
Piled, could save it from ruin. The bust
way for long time. and it was unques
tionabiv badly run. The old civil service.
before the establishment OF the merit
system. vas not as competent by many
degrees that Of today Had this fed
eral administration been dependent for
success upon the manner in which tenure
81 Office in tho lower grades of service
was conducted il would have been as
lame bio = failure 40 the steel mill or
the wooden mill. or the department store
from which every employe was discharg-
81 1t regular intervals to make room for
newcomers
The trouble with those who oppose all
:oyms Of clerical retirement in the gov
eminent service is that they look at it
from q political rather than a business
point OF view. They fail to consider the
matter from the standpoint of the gov
eminent They are continually talking
!; bout public Offices as though they were
-ifts and gratuities and bounties bestow-
~ upon a favored few. The man who is
out OF job looks with envy upon the
clerk in the store who is assured of his
place as long az he behaves himself and
does his work well, and while the bust
ness prospers. But no shrewd business
nan dreams Of changing conditions of
Employment because perhaps for every
man on the pay roll there is another IN
the street seeking work. 1t would be
much better Cor the United States, view
y. - a business corporation, II law
makers would abandon the outworn,
political, parochial, concept of government
..fliec as a place rather than q duty and
! responsibility.