Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1913-05-30

the civil service system III not
rnucb that incompetent men get lnte
of4ce or that favoritism is shown II
marking examinations, as that many
employes take advantage OF the Lac'
that they are under civil service ano
tbink thew are there for life. to LOAF
on their jobs. that is, to give JUST e.
much working service as they THINK II
Ia necessary to give and yet to save
their positions.
Practical knowledge Needed.
Men interested in the safeguarding
of the civil service law say that
has been shown many times that per
sons who can pass the best civil serV'
ice examinations do not always make
the best employees This means, Of
course, that good many men nave
book learning" which enables them
to get into the service by the examlna
ton route, but when they get IN ~ 10
found that their book learning II
! not anywhere near so much service 70
the government as practical knoWf
edge would be-
More and more the civil service
chiefs have attempted to make tne
examinations practical. but even the
best tests of practical knowledge ran
at times when they are reduced 70
question form.
An investigation of the civil service
which it is promised will be MADE,
will 60 deep into all questions. ana II
is believed that the committee OF con
gress which will conduct the inquiry
will be able to recommend new legis'
lation when the next session OF con
gress opens in December. President
| Wilson, it is said, favors an 1nVestlga
ton. AS has been said. 1t is charged
that a great many employees under the
civil service lose their ambition tc
work as soon as they are covered
by the law" When it comes to
question of promotion political favor
itism still rules in places In the de-
partments, and so frequently man
who Is lazy, if he happens to be q
| faVorite with someone in authority
can get promotion, while an ambt
tious man doing twice as good work
as the other can get no promotion
This is a part of the system which
congress says must be changed.
Joys Of Official Life.
A United States senator told
me few days ago that out
of his salary of $500 he was able
during the first year Of his incum
bancy to keep for himself only
$4,000. He said that he did not give
the money away. but that he was
obliged because OF the opportunities
Of patronage hunters to spend virtu-
ally all OF his time which was not
spent in the senate chamber, in the
work of seeing men in authority In
an endeavor to get government places
for constituents who thought they de.
served them, and that this necesst
tated his paying the greater part OF
his salary for extra clerks, stenog'
raphers and the like in order that the
multitudinous things could be done
which a senator is supposed ordinar
lily to do for himself.
This gives some idea OF what
senator or a member of the house has
|
ington. 1t is especially true just al
the present time, when there has been
change of administration. 1t is
probably no exaggeration to say that
every Democratic senator and every
Democratic member of the house Of
representatives has In his Office 1000
applications for places under the gov.
| FD nf n
plication seemingly believes that he
is the only proper person to whom
a job should be given
The patronage business is driving
some of the members of congress
pretty close to the distraction point
They do not know what to do They
do not like to offend the place seek
ers. and yet they know that offense in
a majority of cases will be taken,
for. as one senator put 1t, mo man
or woman believes that any other
man or woman should be given the
places which the frss man and WON.
an have asked for"
Busy Asking for Jobs.
The senator who said that he was
able to keep less than $4,000 of his
pay for himself declared that, from
the day he came to Washington after
the new administration was inaugu.
rated he had done little else than
tramp the streets or ride In street
cars from department to department
asking for job here and a Job there
for this man or for that man The
senator said: Il am sick unto death
of 1t and yet can't help myself, MOI
: is there, as far as can see, any way
: out of the whole miserable condition
of things"
In about six or eight months It Ii
probable that most of the places
which are now sought by patronage
seekers because of the change OF ad
ministration. will be filed, and the
} senators and representatives will gel
} some relief. but it must be remember
) ed that there are a great many an
! pointive positions under the govern
J ment which have a definite term Of
! years to run. and SO it is that ever
} after the bulk of the places have
| been filled there still will be postmas
! terships, collectorships and a dozer
or SO other positions which will come
: vacant from time to time, and oyeI
which senators and Representatives
must worry.
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81 know, but that was because