The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1915-03-06
Live Questions in Seattle
Are You Forty Years Old?
ny EDWIN D. nRow


One more election has passed aud
r. is ar astonishing thing 20 know
how near some men can come TO be-
ms elected when they de- not pretend
20 be representative - the peoples
interests
In this day "a Is hard to under
stand how men 90 official positions
~ honor and trust can hetrag that
trust but they do a. and the reason
~ plain one time United states
senator was asked why he did not
work and vote for the people instead
81 the interests His reply was that
he was only human. and for anyone
to expect public official TO vote
and work against thu interests Of
lis friends who had Induced the
people" to elect him would be expect o
Ing too much % human being
Any man who is elected must serve
tire Interests or the class which he
depends upon for hts existence.
GIVE THE PEOPLE THE Facrs
The people ear always be relied
upon 20 take such action as will be
in the best interest Of society. ~ they
are given the facts ~ ir only when
the facts are withheld from the pen-
pic. or the truth is perverted. that
error IS found IN the peoples deci-
sion
THIS tendency 70 withhold or OBJ
scurc the facts - not confined to any
division 81 society. but rs made 20 de-
pend upon the material interest Of
those In control 81 the agency
through and br which facts and In
formation are conveyed or dissent
mated among the people. Even IN the
Socialist party some % the party Of
ficials consider 10 their duty 70 with
hold facts ard iuforma tiou from the
rank and file. Some persons have
no faith in the people. and this lack
81 faith betrsya an insincerity In
the individual which L. always dan
Esrous because this type Of person
can never be trusted. The worlds
nsmmofh fool Is he who thinks that
the world must have him az It's
guide.
ARE YOU FoHrys
Seattie's civil service commission
Is about zero Its power is limited
only bv its obedience TO demands
made BY political henchmen or
power unseen. but often felt This
so-calied civil service commission ~
intended 70 safeguard the city and
It's employees and bring efficiency IN
the different departments. but II you
were 70 ask me what was the limit
~ their power. 7 would answer that
they could do anything they dared
90 do
Tts last rule promulgated Is that
All stationary ffremsn must - uu-
der forty years Old In order to take
tho civil service examination for city
positions az stationary firsmen. and
stationary engineers must he under
fifty years 81 age. This rule IL an
insult to civilization and American
citizenship. n this rule be well
founded. then we should provide bv
law that all real estate men lawyers.
preachers. teachers. doctors and den
lists must be under forty in order to
he competent Engineers and fire.
men have but one way 20 live. that
Is by the sale of their labor power
mental and physical. ard what arm
chair authority ex-rsai estate man
or straw boHa would contend that
all firemen Of forty were physically
deficient. and that all engineers a.
MY Years 81 aRn should he con
signed to the human Junk pile7
n requires no argument to prove
this rule vicious and show that our
civil service cVmniasion. az now con-
stftuted. ig a misfit. mistake Does
~ require more than one grain ~
common sense TO determine that en-
gineers and flremen. Ike other he
lngs. are more proficient mature and
capable at forty ami Nfty years Of
age than at ans other tius 81 life7
Our civil service commission las
evidently decided that experience In
obtaining vocation f. detrlmout
Why is lificHtton cast to the
winds and ignored. except for pollti-
cal preferment for friends who re-
oulre reward There r. something
rotten IN Denmark. M Mayor GIN.
and any person WIN two glass eyes
can sec g.
move that the age limit for mem
hers on the civli service commission
~ Seattle be such that the prefcut
commission be removed and men HAT
have some small grain Of qualifi-
ratlon be appointed before orr iusti-
tutiouE be reduced 10 the level Of
The ward beeiinR politician and po-
sitiona ~ city employment be sold
20 the highest bidder.
u EDWIN J. BROWN.