The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-08-05

of fake eight-page noon extras 
 abler or more timely has appeared It will serve now as complete answer to Mir. Hughes attack on the administration.
 The two documents referred tc should be circulated by the millions and should be in the hands of the voters at as early time as possible 1 A OADW AY restaurateul A thinks an extra tax should be placed on persons who dine alone. He justifies his proposal by saying that there are so many Proposal to Tax pleasant peep Solitary Diners willing to eat with lone diner that there is no excuse for taking meals in solitude.
 But the Broadway restaurateur will never be able to put through his al truistic scheme. The normally con- stituted person hates, next to not eat | ing at all, meal eaten alone, while your tightwad cannot enjoy eating with anybody else if he has to pay the bill. Still, he is within his rights. There is no legal way in sight to make him "loosen up'' and occasionally do the buying.
 Furthermore, restaurant keepers along New York's famous thorough fare are so outrageous in their charges that the consumer of fancy viands is against them, as matter of principle. People who charge for covers and bread and butter served with a meal are not entitled to sym pathy.
 OECRETARY M'ADOO'S circular D addressed to all officials of the treasury department, holding their positions by presidential appointment, warning them against undue political activity, is in accordance with the civil service act and should be strictly ob-
 served in the spirit Civil Service and of the law as well Political Activity as in the letter.
 Action similar to that taken by the Secretary of the Treasury will be taken, it may be as- sumed, by the heads of other depart ments, although the law speaks for itself and should not need stressing.
 President Cleveland was stanch advocate of nonpartisan civil service. The act providing for competitive ex- aminations for applicant; for certain classes of government officials and employees was written on the statute books as far back as the seventies, but there was little enforcement of it until MT. Cleveland became chief executive. He not only took a firm position in the matter but extended the rules, and before he had completed his first term the civil service list em- braced several thousand federal em- ployes. The statute was unpopular with the politicians and only Presi- dent who was an earnest champion of the law would have run counter to the spoilsmen.
 In MT. Cleveland's second term the operation of the civil service system was farther extended and the opposi- tion of congressman who had long been allowed a free hand in the distribu- tion of patronage, from high salaried officials down to messengers and jani- tors, became less pronounced; but 1t required time for them to get weaned from the old way.
 President Mckinley carried out the law in good faith, and so did President Taft, but President Roosevelt, who had been a civil service commissioner during Cleveland's second term, per mitted fragrant abuses of the rules and regulations prohibiting office holders from engaging in partisan politics. While occupying the White House he was great preacher of civil service reform, but he did not practice what he preached--at least not with strictness or consistency.
 Public opinion is now so strongly in favor of the merit system that the enforcement of the law is compara- lively easy; but President Wilson's administration is to be commended, nevertheless, for it's honest adherence to the spirit of the institution.
 There are now about 500,000 posi- tions in the executive civil service and