The Washington times., 1913-04-05
CIVIL SERVICE PENSION PROBLEM.


that they must agree the essentials of pension
and retirement plan, if they expect to get Congress
to pass the legislation they need. But it isn't in
human nature for such body of people, with diver
gent interests varying relations to the plan, and diff
ferng ideas of what they want accomplished to come
to actual agreement details. If they can get to-
gether on general principles; and it, especially, they
can enforce Congressional realization of the fact
that reform in their interest will also effect economy
for the Government and increase efficiency, then
they will have done about all that can be expected
from them.
If the civil service people should agree in detail
on what they want, it is doubtful if their agreement
would convince Congress. The largest single ee-
ment Of them are agreed, even now in general way
on plan that Congress will not adopt for many years
to come. That is the plan of direct PENSIONS paid en-
trely by the Government The very fact that there is
rreponderance of sentiment for this onesided plan is
enough to convince unthinking and uninformed pub
lie men that the substance of the whole movepent
is mere selshness on the part of the civil service
workers.
The effective line of reasoning which the civil
service organizations should adopt is that which looks
to demonstration that something is needed to be DONE
Nobody VINO will seriously and sincerely examine the
facts will doubt this Let the employees forget, Or
matter. Let them 60 to Congress with plan that
will COST LESS MONEY and that it will GET
MORE WORK DONE and BETTER DONE, and they
will get hearing
That demonstration can be made in favor of a
system of retirements A system of retirements
MEANS as necessary corollary, pension plan. It|
isn't Immediately important whether the pension plan
is one thing or another. No plan will finally be
adopted by Congress that is workable and reason
able
At the present stage of this discussion, the need
full thing is to make Congress understand the i'm
possibility of continuing the old system that has been
forcing the whole civil service to the verge of COL
lapse. The old and inefficient employees cannot be
driven out to starve. They have advanced through
long service to the best and more remunerative posts
Those posts, in a vast number of instances ought to
be held by younger people. Until they are opened
to access by these younger asprants there be
incentive, no appeal to ambition no hope of real
career, in Government employment
These the considerations that must be
brought to the attention of Congress- Of all things
the most unfortunate will be to quarrel everlastingy
about whether the Government shall pay the pensions
in whole or in part; about whether there shall be
no part of the pension fund.
Make Congress understand this subject Some of
its members already understand it. Almost without
exception members who have given real study and
thought to it, do understand it, These are the men who
have the broadest most humane most practical views
as to what ought be done and can be done to pro-
vide for the superannuated and retired employees.
In the long run, this question will be settled for
the Government, it is settled for the service of
great private corporations, on business basis. 1t
must be made plain that good business and sound
humantes 60 hand in nand. That is the fact, and
it can be proved in the experience of corporations
the operations of civil service systems in other coun
tries, and the statistics of our own civil service es
;ablishment