The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1916-04-24
Our Civil Service Commission
AND
City Employment Office

want II understood that I have
not . speaking Acquaintance with
any person on the Seattle Civil Ser
vice Commission or In our City En-.
pioymen, office. am unrindfui
OF persons ! try TO ses and know
lack % ~ that governs them
ouR CRY CHARTER
undsr our city Charter. adopted
Z mission 10 created. 20 ha appointed
/ ~ the mayor. The mayor may also
remove any member or all members
OF the commIssicn. hot tho city eoun =
ell Only has power to fiii q vacancy
sec OF Aruei. 10 Of our CITY
Charter provides. among o,hsr
things. that -all applicant. for Of.
fees or places In the classified civil
service shall he ubjeetsd to srsm-
Inations. which shall be public. com
petitivs, and open 10 all ci,issns Of
tas United states. with specified
limitations ss TO rssiasncs. sgs.
health. habits and moral character.
No question In any examination shall
relate 10 political or religious opin-
Ton or affiliations"
The civil s~rvics Commission 10
charged with tho exercise Of = dis.
erection which In Law 10 contemplated
20 be .r.rcl.. lawfully and with tus
regard Tor the natural and constitu-
tionai rights Of our eltisens.
~ 10 hardly 10 n. presumed that
our city charter was Intended 20
deny the very persons who have
made Seattle the right to live here
BY honest toll. but this 10 exactly
what II does under the acts OF our
Civil Service Commission.
A CRIME To nv WITTY
Tn. ruis ~ tho civil Service Com
mission that Transfers. Park Help
era fsahcr~rs and sanitary fnspec-
tors cannot work for the city after
they nre 80 years Old 10 not based on
the contention that men 50 years old
are Incompetent TO render proper
IN operation 80 that city workers
may be put on old age pensions, ard
this fund will accumulate uutfi its
control will become one more wheel
In the political machine At our city
hail
INT. so-ysar age limit 10 q dis
grace 70 civilization, and any man
who would sustain II IL either un-
conscious of human duty or he has
some personal gain or end IN view.
know a gentleman who 10 s,ronS.
healthy ard able 10 40 SO good a
days work az he ever could. or as
rood IS the average man at 30 years
% age. This man has lived and
worked In Seattle for 81 years. and
has n family 70 support AMI educate.
lie pays taxes and owns a mort q
gagged home For 81 years he has
sold nj. labor power ffor wagesl.
which are the cost % his iivinF
His labor has benefited Seattle. and
those who bought his labor power.
but he IL guilty OF being 81 years
did. and the penalty for this crime In
Seattle II the blacklist ITO n out
-. q = q -.
ed TO build. The wife and children
Of this man are also guilty OF the
crime Of their husband and father
being 81 years old. and Seattle s~n-
fences them 20 want and depriva-
tion. and the forfeiture ~ education
and opportunity. because the civil
aervirc Commission has decreed THAT
this man shall not make application
for work "a fnhorsr. Park Helper.
| Clerk Tenmster or Sanitary fnHpec-
tor. lie was az one time employed
ny this city. and circumstances made
| for few months. and upon hts re-
| turn he was told that he must take
another civil service examination.
when hts age wa. made known he
was told that he was too old, and
J the fact that he had grown old in
the service WIS nothing to his credit.
This II far-reachinr. because when
he now applies for position else
where he Is asked who his last en-
piover was and why he quit. and
when his age IN given Rs the reason.
W. IL again told that he n too old
tits wife Roes out washing. his chill
dren must leave school TO work
Everybody WORKS hut father" vet
he IL an abie-bodied man n does
not require a Great amount OF intel
iigence 10 recognize the tragic
struggle for existence in this family
fAnd you people say you are Chris
tlans.)
CITY TAKES MONEY FROM WAGE
FARMERS
All except iaborsrs must pay one
dollar for tho civil service examina .
tlon, also pay for a physical exam.
nation and for n notary public TO
take an acknowledgement. All told,
this amounts 20 between two and
three dollars zach. and sometimes