The Grangeville globe. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho) 1907-1922, 1913-11-13
ton develop their efficiency. :
Popular Mechanics Magazine.
CIVIL SERVICE AND ExPEDIENcY

Like many other statesman, Pres
ident Wilson has discovered that,
when the opportunity comes to put
into practice the principles he has ad-
vocated when not in office, he must
sacrifice some in order to succeed
with others. Until he attained the
presidency, he had always been an
outspoken civil service reformer and
was a vice-president of the National
Civil Service Reform League. Now
that he has the opportunity to act as
he preached he is not standing as
firmly by his principles as had been
hoped by those who place civil SER
vice reform above all other measures
in importance. The New York Evening
Post, which has staunchly supported
him both before and since election,
Is among the outspoken critics of his
course. 1t says:
I'm order to judge of the Presidents
attitude i'm this particular we must
take into consideration all the circum-
stances. He was elected on a plat
form which put tariff revision first in
order of urgency. Then came currency
reform, antitrust legislation, con-
servation and other measures. His
Administration will be adjudged sue
cess or a failure by his record in car
rying these measures through Con-
gress and in executing them. He prob
ably judges and judges rightly, that,
If he succeeds in these great things,
departure from his principles in re-
gard to the civil service will be over
looked by the people.
When he became President, Mr..
Wilson found himself at the head of
party which had sixteen years &C
cumulated hunger for office. Every
Democratic Senator and Representa-
tive was besdeged by office-seekers
and desired to still their clamor. The
cooperation of his party in Congress
was essential to the completion Of his
Legislative programme. II he irritat-
ed them by refusing to crafty the ap-
petite for SpOils, that programme
would be in danger If he threw a
few sops to Cerberus, that voracious
animal would more readily bend to
his will.
"If he objected to displacing men
and appointing others for purely par
tisan reasons on the ground that by
so doing he would be acting contrary
to his principles, plausible arguments
could be advanced to remove his scru-
pies. 1t could be said with some show
of reason that his republican prede-
cessors had for sixteen years filled
the departments with their adberents
and then prevented the civil service
law to partisan uses by covering
these appointees into the classified
service. 1t could be argued that by
subjecting fourth-class postmasters to
examination and by giving Democrats
the preference when they passed
creditably, he would better carry out
the purpose OF the law than by leav-
ing in office men who had been given
the protection of the law without hav
ing been subjected to its tests. The
same might be said of the deputy col
lectors of internal revenue and deputy
marshals from whom the shield has
just been withdrawn and of the in
come tax collectors and clerks. He
can see to it that examinations are
held to determine competence and this
Democrats are then given a big share
of the appointments. Then he car
close the gate again by covering y
all these officials into the classified
service"
approached with such arguments
and knowing that the men who ad
vanced them could make or mar the