The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1913-01-17
LITTLE COERCION
With employees
The Civil Service Commission
Makes Its Twenty-ninth
Annual Report.
WANT LARGER SALARIES
Cost of Maintaining Body Is Less
Than for Other Branches of
the Government.

| Changes in the executive orders gov.
| erning civil service employees. especially
in relation to attempts to influence leg.
| islation. and an increase, said to be
natural in a Presidential year. of the
number of complaints of political &C.
tivity and assessments among govern
| ment workers, are notable subjects
treated in the twenty-ninth annual re-
! port of the Civil Service Commission
made public yesterday.
A comparison of the number of en-
ployes with the number Of complaints
| indicates that the political activity OF
| classified employees has been very slight.
There has been no coercion OF much i'm
portance, and employees have been left
free to vote as they please and to ex-
press privately their opinions on all po-
| litical subjects.
During the year the President issued
an order permitting government en-
ployes residing at certain suburban
towns in Maryland and Virginia, ada
cent to Washington. to become candi-
dates for or to hold municipal Offices In
the municipalities in which they live.
This action constituted a modification of
the executive order of January II, 1913.
which prohibited in general the holding
of municipal or State Offices by persons
in the Federal service. This order was
ground that considerable number of
the residents and taxpayers OF the
towns were employed in the government
service, that their service as municipal
Nofficers should in no way involve gen.
eral political activity, and that the prin-
ciple of home rule and local self-gOvern-
ment justified such participation.
Must Furnish Reasons.
On Julv y lSqT. the civil service rules
were amended to require written charges
before removal, to be filed with the head
OF the department, Of which the accused
should have full notice and an oppor-
tunity to make defense. An amendment
OF the rules on November Il, 1905. made
the serving of charges and an oppor-
tunity for answer discretionary instead
of compulsory with the head of the de
partment This change did not appear
to make any material difference in the
practice since the departments continued
to give reasons and 10 consider answers
except in cases where II was obviously
unnecessary to do so. On FEBRUARY B.
1872 the President amended the removal
rule. restoring the earlier requirement.
and providing that upon its request the
commission should be furnished with a
copy of the record in any case OF re-
movaI.
The executive orders prohibiting or re-
stricting the attempts OF employees 10
influence legislation were modified and
made less stringent by an executive or
der of April S. 1917
In relation to the recommendations OF
the President that Congress legtslate to
permit local presidential officers TO be
classified. it is stated that as long as so
large a proportion OF the higher admins
trative positions remain unclassihed. 10
\ h., 81 Nit
ton. the classified service will not offer
a career in competition with such out
side fields of employment as are organ
lied and conducted upon merit basis
and which have systems Of retirement
upon disability or approximation.
Want More salary.
The commission cites as an indication
OF the popular approval Of the merit sys-
tenn that OF the whole number of public
employees in the United States-Federal.
State county. municipal. and village
not far from 10000 or nearly two-thirds
of the entire number. are withdrawn
from the spoils system and appointed
upon a merit basis under laws intended
to regulate and improve the public serv-
ice.
The commission. in stating its needs.
has asked Congress to make the salaries
of the commissioners $500 each, the chief
examiner $500. and the secretary 5000;
to provide fifteen additional clerks. and
to slightly increase the average clerical |
salary to furnish an incentive for COM
petent clerks to remain in the service.
The total annual Appropriation for the
for all purposes is about one
tenth of / per cent OF the annual appro-
priation for salaries of employees in the !
classified service.