Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1916-08-10
EXPERIENCE AND EFFICIENCY VS.. INExPER-
FENCE AND INEFFICIENCY.

IENCE AND INEFFICIENCY.
~ HARLES EVANS HUGHES, Republican candidate
~ for President, delivered a powerful speech In the
Coliseum in Chicago Tuesday night. In the course
of It he said;
"One of the very serious charges which must he laid
against the present administration is the charge OF put
ting incompetent into important positions. That
is not for the benefit OF democracy. and now in this
place where nominated. without any regard 10 my
political future. say this That ii am elected Presi.
dent of the United States propose that every man that
put In charge OF important department shall he
emnenty fit to discharge the duties OF that de-
partment
II don't care il elected President. what becomes
OF my personal political fortunes. propose that we
shall have government in a business.lke way"
Those are refreshing and encouraging words to come
from Presidential candidate Mr. Hughes recognizes
as many other Americans do, that in governmental
sense, the United states has suffered more from on-
eia incompetency and from a willingness by officials
TO make present official duty subordinate to personal
political prospects than has suffered from any other
two causes Most of the evils Of government he they
national state, ma, he traced to men who. because
of incompetency. should have been elected or
appointed to Office and TO other men whO while compe-
tent in broad permitted sOIicitude for their
political future TO ii not destroy, the value OF
their immediate public service.
Many dishonest men have found their way into OIL
cal places We venture the suggestion. however. that
for each dishonest official there at last 1900
onieals who were Incompetent who, If competent,
blinded by the glare Of their political future
that they could not discern their path OF duty in the OIL
cal present And besides, the official Incompetent and
the future-bedazzed OicehOlder is much more danger
Gus than the Official crook. That is because, while
penalties and prisons provided for official crooks
II Is not crime to be official incompetent or 10
abuse official position to conserve the political fu-
ture Of the person holding IT,
Two OF the vital needs of the public service in this
country are experience and efficiency. When the pub.
lie retires from public office man who is experienced
and efficient and substitutes therefor man who Is in
experienced aud nefhcient, it commits an ofense
against itself. When efficient and experienced OIL
cial is retired through the agency OF higher official
whom the public has clothed with the power 10 re-.
move and to appoint public servants and when that
higher official appoints inexperienced and inef
cent man to nil the vacancy, the public is the victim
of an offense committed by its agent
The manner in which experience and efficiency hav
been trampeed under foot by the Wilson administra
ton in order that inexperience and inehicency nigh
rear themselves and atten in high official places ma
driven home In the minds of the American people In
value of experience and efficiency and of public OH
cIals who do their duty efficiently in the present