Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-01-23

hope of free institutions lies in education.
what is the reason We have only Just
got parcel post? l saw the parcel post
of Switzerland hard at work all over
that little republic in 1854. 1t was prompt
and honest. I saw diligence one day In
July transporting open baskets OF straw
berries by parcel post IN sutherland
We were without such means of tranSpor-
tation until 1915. and that was because 1t
took so many years to educate the peo-
pie to the fact that the parcel post is bet
ter transportation and cheaper tnah
transportation by express company.
$50 with regard to other things. we
waited until thirteen years after the civil
war to find that we had better get back
from silver to a gold currency. Little
Japan required but. year and a han TO
find it out, because they did not have to
educate the people there to the deSlraoll-
ity of a gold basis.
Government a Business Matter.
THE situation is the same with munich
pal governments in this country. the most
deplOrable of our institutions. England is
eXceling us and Germany leads the world
in that respect We have seen for forty
years how deplorable our municipal gov
ernments are, but not sufficient people in
this country have yet been taught the
value of the commission form of govern
ment. such as YOU have here in the CAPT.
tai. Nevertheless. more than 200 Amer
lean cities have adopted commission
charters and the people are being educat-
ed to that.
. Now. government is business matter.
when we get the right conception of gov
eminent. We should expect to get the
necessary business of government done
honestly.
THE extraordinary miscarriage of the
civil service in the higher grades in this
country is marvellous. Now. it is for your
body to educate the young men of this
country out of the belief that when they
go into the civil service of the govern
ment at the bottom the higher grades
Will he denied them and you must edu-
cate the people to the proper administra-
ton of the civil service idea. bargain
has been made between senator's and rep
resentativeS in the apportionment of pub
lie offices. That must be changed. The
spoils system must be abandoned. AS it
is now. the Senate and the House select
and the President only confirms
Job for New Organization.
Here is a job for your new organiza-
ton. Educate the people. Here is the
post Office of the United States organized
in defiance of every business principle.
All the higher posts in 1t are spOils. The
positions In the collection Of customs in
the Treasury Department among the high
er grades are spoils positions. The po-
sitions in the lighthouse service formerly
since the lighthouse service got under the
control of the Navy Department. All the
chief officers of the internal revenue sys-
tenn are spoilsmen.
All this must be altered. and as see it
the best thing your organization can do
is to teach the people of the country In
every outlying hamlet, in every small
town, in every remote city from which
you come. that the business of the gov
eminent must be transacted on bust
ha SiS merit and SDOilS
must in the end prevail
The banquet was presided over by
Harry A. Wheeler of Chicago. the presi-
dent of the Commerce Chamber of the
United States, who apparently voiced the
sentiments Of the diners when he praised
the Taft administration as one that would
last in history, as soon as 1t can be per-
ceived in perspective. as one of the
best administrations from business
mans point of view in the history of the
United States.
Guests at Banquet.
The guests at the banquet were: Speak
ers' table. E. A. Filene, George A. Post,
John Joy Edison. John H. Fahey. A. III.
Baldwin. Representative J. Francis
Burke. Samuel Gompers. Representative
Henry d. Clayton, John Barrett, Secre-
tary Henry L. Stimson. Senator Francis
Straus. DR.. Charles w. Eliot, Harry A.
Wheeler. the President of the United
States. Senator Chamberlain. Secretary
Nagel. Senator-elect Joseph f. Ransdell,
Martin A. Knapp, Representative Charles
s. Barrett, Representative James w.
Graham. David r. Forgan, A. B. Farqu-
har. J. Kirby. jr.; H. E. Miles and Maj.
Rhodes.
A.
e. L. Adams. D. T. Ackerly. T. II. AL
drich, Henry J. Allen. James NJ. Allen.
Mrs. James NJ. Allen. NJ. w. Amberg.
Garnett Andrews. j. p. Amin, John J.
Arnold, Samuel p. Arnot, c. w. Ash
craft, Mrs. Ashcraft. John Aspegren and
Mrs John Aspegren.
Mrs. A. H. Baldwin. Harry F. Bascom,
Frank Batemen, Wingrove Bathon, Ar
thur r. Baxter. Alfred H. Beckmann,
Robert w. Belcher. Miss NJ. l.. Belote. A.
r. Bemis. X. Nelson Bennett. w. p Ben
son. D. II. Bethard, Cudworth Beye j. p.
Bird. Gustav Bischoff. ST.. W. p. Bishop.
Mrs. w. p. Bishop. C. NJ. Blocker. Je-