The enterprise. [volume] (Harlem, Mont.) 1899-1926, 1912-01-25

ssAAN
can be abolished will be SO treated by
executive order.
In my recent message to the con.
gress urged consideration Of the
necessity of placing in the classified
service all Of the local officers under
the departments of the treasury, the in.
terror, postof1ice, and commerce and
labor.
Classification Of Local Officers.
The Importance Of the existence Of
a competent and reasonably perma-
nent civil service was not appreciated
until the last quarter Of the last CEN
fury. At that time examinations were
Instituted as means of ascertaining
whether candidates for appointment
possessed the requisite qualifications
fer government positions. Since then
1t has come to be universally admitted
that entrance to almost every subor-
dinate position in the public service
should be dependent upon the proof
in some appropriate way of the ability
Of the appointee.
AS yet, however, little If any attempt
has been made by law to secure, either
for the higher administrative posi-
tions in the service at Washington or
for local offices, the qualifications
which the incumbents of these posi-
tions must have If the business Of the
government is to be conducted In the
most efficient and economical man
ner. Furthermore, in the case Of many
Of the local officers the law positively
provides that the term of Office shall
be OF four years duration.
The next step which must be taken
is to require of heads of bureaus in the
departments at Washington, and Of
most of the local officers under the
departments, qualifications Of ca
pacity similar to those now required
OF certain heads Of bureaus and Of To-
cal officers. The extension of the
merit system to these officers and a
needed readjustment Of salaries will
have important effects in securing
greater economy and efficiency.
In the first place, the possession by
the incumbents of these positions of
requisite qualifications must in itself
promote efficiency.
In the second place, the removal
Of local officers from the realm OF po-
litical patronage in many cases would
reduce the pay roll Of the field serv-
ices. At the present time the incum.
bents Of many Of these positions
leave the actual performance of many
Of their duties to deputies and assist
ants. The government often pays
two persons for doing work that could
easily be done by one. What is the
loss to the government cannet be
stated. but that it is very large can
not be denied, when 1t is rem embered
hew numerous are the local officers
in the postal, customs, internal reve-
nue., public lands, and other field serv-
ices of the government.
In the third place, so long as local
officers are within the sphere of po-
litical patronage it is difficult to CEN
slider the question Of the establish.
ment or discontinuance Of local offices
apart from the effect upon local po-
litical situations.
Finally, the view that these vari-
Gus offices are to be filled as result
Of political considerations has for its
consequence the necessity that the
president and members of congress
devote to matters OF patronage time
which they should devote to questions
Of policy and administration.
The greatest economy and effi-
cheney, and the benefits which may
accrue from the presidents devoting
his time to the work which is most
worth while, may be assured only by
treating all the distinctly administra-
tive officers in the departments at
Washington and in the field in the
same way as inferisr officers have
been treated. The time has come
when all these officers should be
placed in the classified service. The
time has also come when those pro-
visions of law which give to these
officers fixed term of years should
be repealed. So long as fixed term
is provided by the law the question
Of reappointment of an officer, no
matter how efficiently he may have
performed his duties, will inevitably
be raised periodically. So long as ap
pointments to these offices must be
confirmed by the senate, and so long
as appointments to them be made ev-
cry four years, just SO long will 1t be
impossible to provide a force of en-
ployes with a reasonably permanent
tenure who are qualified by reason Of
education and training to do the best
work.
Superannuation.
Attention has been directed in re-
cent years to the need of suitable
plan of retiring the superannuated
employees in the executive civil serv-
ice. In the belief that it Is desira-
BILE that any steps toward the estab-
lishment of such plan shall be TAX
en- with caution, instructed the COM
mission to make an inquiry first In
to the conditions at Washington This
inquiry has been directed to the as