The daily sentinel., 1913-10-14
Sentinel Special Service.
(By Edward Keating)


Congressman-at-large from Colorado.
Washington, D. c., Oct. IA
There is something radically
wrong with Uncle Sans civil
service system. Dry rot" has
seized upon the gigantic struc-
ture which it has taken more
than quarter of a century to
erect, and threatens to destroy it.
What is the trouble9
Politics." one will tell you;
lack of pension system" an
other will assure you the whole
thing is dead wrong is the pol
iticians finding All these ver-
diets contain a grain of truth
but neither fully fits the case.
Civil service is a good thing
when properly administered. That
II has not been properly administer
ed heretofore is universally conced-
ed by those who are in position to
know. The great departments OF
government are lacking in efficiency,
and men OF ability and ambition are
deprived of deserved promotion, be-
cause the path to preferment is
blocked by the inept and decrepit.
Thousands of men and women who
have grown grey in the service of
the nation find themselves incapable
of doing fair days work. With the
desperation of drowning men, they
cling to their positions, knowing
that if they release their hold, either
voluntarily or involuntarily, they
will drift to the poorhouse. The
heads of departments haven't the
heart to remove them. 1t would be
like sentencing them to death.
The bureau of labor statistics furn-
ishes striking illustration of the
workings of the system. This bu-
reau was organized about quarter
of century ago. 1t has been en-
trusted with many of the most i'm
portant industrial Investigations au-
thorized by congress, and its reports
have attracted wide attention. Such
men as the late Carroll Wright and
Dr. Charles p. Neill have directed its
activities and they gathered around
them an unusual body of carefully
trained specialists. Many of these
experts served the nation for frac-
tion of the salaries which corpora
tions were willing and anxious to
pay.
Only few weeks ago, DR.. Neill
resigned his $4,000 government job
to accept a place with the Guggen-
helms at $4,000 a year. Other en-
ployees of the bureau have from time
to time declined most alluring offers,
while a few-a very few-have sue
cumbed to the temptation.
Many of those who remained at
their posts are growing old. | do not
think it is an exaggeration to say
that majority of all the employees
of the bureau are pensioners. They
draw their salaries, but render prac-
tically no service. In the face of this
situation, congress has for years re-
fused to increase the bureaus ap-
preparation, and the institution
which has rendered the country such
splendid service is becoming atroph-
led. If this ''dry rot" is permitted to
continue, it will only be few years
until the work of the bureau must
cease by reason of all it's employees
becoming superannuated.
An assistant secretary in the post
office department showed me the re-
suit of test he had made in one Sec
tion of one of his bureaus. There
were nine clerks employed in this
section, and the test showed the
amount of work they had performed
| for the previous two weeks. The
poorest paid of the nine clerks-a
Young girl recently admitted to the
service-had done more work than
her eight associates combined.
what can | do?" pleaded the as
sistant secretary. 1.-The eight inef-
ficient clerks are veterans. If ! dis.
charge them, what will become OF
them?"
The chief of bureau in another
department assured me that he would
be glad to take contract to do the
work of his bureau for one-third the
sum expended annually by the gov,
ernment. ''In that event" he said
II could employ competent, able.
bodied clerks and require fair days
work for fair days pay
Many of the bureau heads COM
plain that the young clerks refuse tt
do more work than their old and les.
efficient co-laborers.
"They get as much il not more
money than we do. Why should We