Charlevoix county herald., 1916-08-18
treating diplomatic appointments as

|
political Jobs.
Nov, then, we have had a very seri-
Gus disregard of the spirit and require
ments of our civil service law. In
democratic community, the hardest
thing In the world in a sense Is to get
a general appreciation of the import
ance of having fit men attend to the
business of the government. They UNI
derstand IL In private bSainess. But,
between you and me, in public busi-
ness anything goes.
Democrats Have Taken
10000 Out Of Civil Service
Now, to avoid that kind OF thing,
10 limit that sort of thing, TO have
something like business-like arrange
ment, we have had laws providing for
examinations and. the entry of men
into the civil service who appeared to
be competent. We have had what we
called a classified service. Now the
Republican platform says that under
the Democratic administration there
have been created since March 4, 1913,
over 10000 places which have been
taken outside in the original appoint
ment of operation of the civil service
laws. Read enactment after enactment
providing in substance as follows:
That the agents, clerks and other per-
sons to be appointed under this law
shall not be appointed under the re-
strictions of an act passed so and so,
at such a time, which means the act
establishing the classified civil service
period
1T has been a raid upon the civil
service Of the United States and the
American people ought to understand
An haI
positions, positions requiring expert
knowledge. which have been subordi-
mated to the demands of what | regard
as an ignoble partison expediency
Take for example the bureau of the
census. There was Mr.. Duran, an ex-
pert statistician, very competent
man, well understood, to be such. We
have him retired and in his place we
have Democratic politician from a
southern state And he is hardly warm
In his place before he is transferred to
the trade commission. The trade com
mission itself was fairly emasculated
with the law by the men, for the most
part, who were appointed to places
upon II.
Now my friends, that sort Of thing
has got to stop in this country If We
are going ahead to meet the demands
that are Immediately upon us.
I'VE had in the coast and geodetic
survey an eminent scientist, man
who had won distinction in connection
with his scientific work, man of very
eminent rank. He was displaced to
make room for an excellent stock
breeder and veterinary surgeon. In
the coast and geodetic survey we have
had a very extraordinary condition
with regard to expert places. | mean
places that were taken out of the civil
! service laws. / shall not go into the
exact figures. In the last year, or the
year ending about April, 1916, there
were taken our 104,000-that is APP
pointments by executive action, re-
moved from the operation of the civil
service laws to the number, believe,
OF about 104. / believe that some 20
of those were made without seeking
the advice of the civil service commits
sion. ] believe that about % were
made after seeking the advice and with
the approval of the civil service COM
mission, and | believe that 62 were
made in opposition to the advice of the
civil service commission.
Need Cabinet Officers of
: Great Business Ability
LNOW, Il lndl III lnlS COuHITy
! as we create-and necessarily create
expert positions to take care of the
) growing business Of the American com
monwealth that men of experience and
training be called to fill them. If we
are to have a secretary of state we
want a secretary OF state that will
stand before the world as a man known
for his learning, his skill, his power:
A representative of America, true
representative of America, in diplom-
acy.
I'm these great cabinet Offices hav-
: ing the administration of great bust
ness departments we want men con-
spicuous for business ability, men who
know how to organize departments,
and know how to attend to the work
T of the public, just as private business
2 should be attended to, without fear
2 and without favor.
4 I'VE may divide, as politicians, in
Y considering whether we shall have a
3 certain law; we may divide as to
: whether we shall have this or that can
= didate for a given notice. But when
{ the law is passed or the candidate
]. chosen there should be no difference
] among parties as to how the law should
4 be administered. That is then the law
t for Republicans and Democrats, for
white or black, for men regardless OF
e creed. 1t is an American law to be
= administered by the best men you can
4 get for that department of the govern.
}, pents activity.
S Now, I used to think that IL there
S was one thing which the American
:. public was less interested in than any.
I thing else, ii was the actual admins
I tration of their government. But | am
8 beginning to believe that with the OBJ
r ject lessons we have had abroad, and
e with the very definite appreciation oil
{ the crisis we aresin, there is a differ
s ent notion In this country about those
: things. / hold it is the most unworthy
y thing an administrator can do, to take
J. public business and pay political debts
J. with il.
l. Nov IL we are going to get the mo
C tive power to accomplish these things
IL we are going to get the strength
t and the spirit which will enable us to
t carry them through, We have got to
e have a real deep-seated pride in the
Z United States. When | say I am. an
[ American citizen | ought TO say the