Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-05-27
A Blow at the Merit system?

| the conviction that the spells system is
underlying its inception. Friends of the
Merit system win vigorously protest
| against sueh provision becoming law,
The section provides that all persons
| now in the service shall end their
terms of service July 1,&l917, and that
| all appointments made on and after
July l. 1913, shall be for terms of five
| years Reappointments made without
| examination at the end of this term
/ in the discretion Of the head of the
| department, Of persons who are at the
time up to fair standard of eficien-
/ cy" and WHO are capable of render
ing 4 fun measure of service in return
for their services.
The official journal of the National
Civil Service Reform League has this
| to say Of the five year tenure of office
| section. 1t is question which natu~
rally suggests itself whether the states
men who placed this anarchronistic
provision in a bin providing for the
| expenses of administration knew what
| they We're doing, and if so what their
purposes could have been. The provis-
| ion itself occasioned comparatively lit
| tie debate. The only exposition of its
| intent which was openly given on the
| floor of the House was that il would
| increase the efficiency of the service by
! holding before every employee the dan
gr of dismissal at the end of a COM
| not up To a fair standard of efficien-
| ey." 1t is difficult to believe that this
claim could have been seriously adj
vaneed. The bill contains i'm ii no
| warrant Whatsoever for belief that
reappointments will be made ON a ba
| sis of efficiency and merit; it is ON the
| contrary. nothing but a tenure of office
act, which if experience is of any val
ne as a guide. will, il passed. mean
that retention in the public service will
depend upon political influence and
favoritisrn.
In 1920 the famous Crawford tenure
of office act, placing a large number of
local offices through the country on the
basis of a fouryear term, was passed.
This act provided for rotation in office,
and was characterized at the time by
Jefferson in the following words: ut
saps the constitutional and salutary
functions of the President and intro
duces a principle of intrigue and COR
ruption which will soon leaven the
mass not only of Senators, but of cfti-
zens': and will keep in constant ex-
eitement all the hungry eormorants for
Office" Within less than a decade the
spoiis system based on the theory
that d change in administration should
be followed by a clean sweep of even
the hnmblest government employments,
that tenure for good behavior and sat
isfactory service was un-American and
menace to democracy was fastened
on the public service.
The theory that the opportunity to
get rid of the inefficient at the end of
set term would work to secure
greater efficiency and fidelity has prov
ed ali utter fallacy. The end of each
term shows the hungry cormorants for
office" s'in constant excitement either
to retain what they have or to get
what they have not. The rider to the
legislative, executive and judicial APP
preparation bill is based on essentially
the same principle as the Crawford ten
ure OF office act. 1t does not it is true.
repeal the civil service law and APP
pointments to vacancies viii continue
to be mare from eligible lists, but can
anyone seriously suppose that in the
retention of employees? 1t is so mani
fest as hardly to require explanation
that as the end of the five years term
OF Office approaches. political pressure
10 retain favorites of Congressman and
political leaders without regard to mer-
IT and fitness win show itself that the
time and energy of heads of depart
ments Will once more be consumed
with the petty questions of political
patronage and that the injection of
politics into the service is as sure to
follow this bill as it did the act of 1920.
This is the system ostensibly for se-
curing efficiency in the public service
which 1t is proposed to graft on the
administration of public business. The
proposition is made in the face of a full
experience of nearly century with the
operation OF tenure of office act: in
the face and almost, it would seem. as
the answer to the urgent recommends
ton of the President that terms al
ready established by law for local Of
hceS ne dpoilSneu as the first and eS-
sentiai step towards efficiency in these
Offices. 1t is direct blow at efficiency.
1t is an insidious attack on the in
tergrity of the merit system and unless
1t is defeated we may confidently look
for return to the days when public
officers threw up their hands in despair
at the time consuming, energy destroy
ing annoyances of office seeking Con-
gress'nen and others who had an axe to
grind. The situation is "A serious one.
The rider must be defeated, and we
call upon all friends Of good govern
ment to bring their influence to bear
upon their senators to strike Section 5
from the bill.
Making luck to order for persons who