The Washington herald., 1915-05-16
Reorsanization of the Civil Service.

! The Herald published recently the sub
stance Of a speech made at smoker OF The
Trowel Club by Mr.. Sam Houston Carr, Of the
| Interior Department, in which the speaker out
lined plan for the reorganization Of the civil
service of the Federal government. Mr.. Carr was
attached to the advisory law commission which
drafted the civil service law for the republic OF
Cuba during the last American intervention in tina,
island
The proposed plan may appear. at first glance
to be almost revolutionary IN its scope and extent
In the main, it would provide for the establish
ment by the Congress OF department Of the civil
service. with Cabinet officer at its head. 1t was
maintained by the author OF the scheme of rcor-
ganizaton that, as the civil service now embraces
between 10000 and $4,000 persons, it is too big
a thing to be administered by commission which,
in the nature of things governmental, is limited in
its powers and hampered in its activities because
of that fact.
The basis upon which the reorganization, 'as
proposed is developed is Capitalization of admins
tration and the creation within the department of
corps, such engineer, law, quartermastcr. pay,
medical, nautical and other corps DIVISIONS to
which professional men and other expert special
lists shall be assigned, and who shall retain their
connections with their respective corps, although
detailed to any executive department requiring
their services for longer or shorter periods. This
corps system. it is believed by the advocates OF
the plan, will result in greater mobility and more
efficient and economical dispatch of the public
business AS remedy for possibilities of injustice
and discrimination toward the personnel of the
civil service, no individual would if the plan be-
comes law, be dismissed denoted until after
hearing and finding of facts by a court of in
CURRY to be detailed by the secretary of the civil
service for the purpose, in Of courts mar
tial in the army and navy.
When it is remembered that a great many of
the men who arc in the service of the government
arc persons of high professional and technical at
tanments the merit of protecting them from
petty persecution at the hands of bureau or d.
vision chiefs political spoilsmen is readily ap-
parent. The late Henry Gannett, as president of
the Geographic Society, was called Upon to pass
upon the evidence presented by Admiral Peary in
support of his claims to polar discovery; and the
recent Investigations into processes for obtaining
vastly superior results from the byproducts of pc
troleum, by DR.. Rittman, of the Bureau of Mines.
are in point illustrating the professional
standing of many Of the men in the civil service
1t is customary to refer to these and other men
of similar attainments government employees"
or Government clerks" under the present order
of things.
Mr.. Carr predAates his proposal for the Gre
alton of department of the civil service upon
the ground that there is at present. civil service
in the real sense of the word as understood when
with the diplomatic and consular serv-
ices and the two branches. military and naval, of
the armed forces. In other words the civil serv-
ice is not career, as at present conducted.
There are number of laws and innumerable reg
ulations for the hiring and dismissal of govern
mcnt employees" but there is no constituted or
would result from the adoption of
his plan.
The Cleveland commission on economy and
in its reports to the President, urged
the Capitalization of administrative functions in
the Treasury Department, and undertook to show
that great saving in money and time would be
effected by such procedure. Mr.. Carr claims
that saving Of 1919 per cent would result in
wages and salaries, which now approximately
$500 900 900 per annum, we'll as an equally large
saving in the matter of mileage. per diem, audit
ing and other expenses, by eliminating duplication
Of work, if we 60 few steps further than the
Cleveland commission proposed, centralizng the
entire civil service making one department, from
which center details for service would be made,
as needed is done by the War Department in
he cases of Gems Cocktails and Corgas, who were
detailed for service the Panama Canal con-
struction; and as is frequently done by the same
department. in detailing army engineers and sur
yeons for works of purely civil administration,
Nose officers never losing their corps identity and
always being used where their services may be
ie sired.
II some such plan be worked out, by which |
saving OF onc-third can be effected in appropria-
ions for the administration OF the government, !
he problem Of retiring the comparatively small
number OF superannuated people on pensions
would be greatly simplihcd. 1t, at least, merits |
;arcful consideration.
Investment Market Brisk. +
Almost 90 per cent OF the PENNSYLVANIA Rail- /