Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-02-27
UNCLE SAM A BAD BOSS
Extracts From an Address Made at
the Annual Meeting Of the
National Civil Service
Reform League
BY ROBERT CATHERwOOD


tion in American life. He says:
Administrative vigor is indispensable 10
liberty"
THE consequences of defective compensa :
tions In various instances and in none more
than in respect to the higher stations are Vi
serious import to the government"
3 Especially remember that duty'is 10 the
common interest, to the constitution, 10 tne
laws and not to any community, tac'ion or
class"
1T is repugnant to the vital principles of
our government virtually to exclude from
public trusts talents and virtues unaccom-
panied by private wealth"
Have we applied Washington Ideals
came In contact with many OF the ted :
eral employees in the District of Columbia
for some months last fall, as humble as.
sistant IN a survey conducted by the joint
congressional commission on reclassihcatlon
The first outstanding fact is that the FEDERAL
service is approaching crisis. Let me state
the nature of the crisis as ! see 1t.
First. A committee of Congress in few
meetings is expected to fix the salaries OF
100, 600 persons.
Second. Upon the overburdened shoulders
of ten heads of huge departments is dumped
the duty of recommending salaries and pro
motions, of attending to grievances and or
ganization, of keeping up efficiency, of train
ing employees, of rewarding the efficient and
removing the inefficient, Of getting along
with the aged employees and the employees
who duplicate and overlap each others
functions.
Third. An examining board called the
civil service commission. with inadequate
appropriations for its work, stands at the
front door of the federal service. But 1t
cannot set its foot inside. Where 1t Is most
needed it has no jurisdiction.
Fourth. The federal employc has no forum
where his complaints and grievances may be
heard and the necessary adjustments made
until he transforms himself into political
force and clamors at the door of Congress.
Fifth. An arrogant and triumphant or
ganization which put through the Adamson
law and made Congress pay big wages to all
is calling to the federal employe in the de-
partments: Take off your white official
collars! Join us! Affiliate with union labor
in struggle for class rights Get in the
band wagon"
One hundred and fifty thousand federal
employees have become affiliated with the
American Federation Of Labor.
The issue in the approaching crisis is :
Shall the federal service be held in its duty
to the common interest, to the constitution
aud to the laws, or shall il become the in =
strument of class, a faction-a labor or
ganization?'
There ought to be forum or council for
the discussion, by representatives of the fed
eral employees and their chiefs, of service
fessional trouble makers and the represent
atives of classes and interests should be ex-
cluded. The remedy should be furnished by
public officers in the interests of the public
alone and at all costs the white collared
official established by George Washington
should be maintained Even yet the proudest
of titles is servant of the whole people,
Yet have seen bales Of designations where
the reason given is, II cannot live on the
salary A woman. faithful in her duty for
twelve years, died of starvation. The prose
cutting attorney, seeking her employer, found
him to be the United States of America A
pathologist died of anemia superinduced by
insufficient nourishment. His wife and two
step. children and himself had been living on
5000 year. He was a servant Of the whole
people at $50 q month.
The experts say that the minimum wage
in the city of Washington for one person is
now $500 a year, but there are thousands
of men and women there in the government
service who are paid $T20, $50 and 5000 q
year.
Recently in one division of the Interstate
Commerce Commission seven men resigned.
Their salaries averaged $4,000 a year each.
They accepted outside positions which now
pay them $13, ,143 year each. The federal
government was. paying $1,000 to $4,000
men.
In the last twelve months all of the men
who have resigned from the Bureau of Mar
crease Of over $4,000. The chief Of that
bureau, who resigned last summer to accept
a position at $4,000 year, enjoyed an
emolument OF $500.
The chief petroleum tcchnologist of the
Bureau of Mines at $4S0O year is now re
ceiving S25 900 year.
The secretary of the United States Civil
Service Commission receives S250O a year
May | venture professional opinion based
on what Canada, Great Britain and Aus
tralia pay like officer with less importan nj
duties and far smaller services, that he is
worth $4,000 year. If he received brick
layers wages his salary would be equal ia
that of the Civil Service Commissioners.
A year ago a department asked for two
clerks at $500 year 4 vagrant fancy
entered the mind Of a congressman and he
moved to make it four clerks at 5000 year
The motion was carried unanimously. Nc
reason was ever given, because there WASH
any reason, and reason is not necessary in
making appropriations for clerk hire
1t would save a great deal of money i,
1000 old people could be retired and pen
stoned. They cannot work and their feeble
attempts to do so are not beneficial to the
service. PLEASE state what you are doing, >
said recent questionable. Nothing, fol
/ am totally blind. answered one. II ope1
and shut a vault door night and morning. .
said another. VERY little now" said q
, third, for l am ninety seven years old anc
was appointed by President Tyler" An ole
lady of eighty seven and her colleague o.
seventy nine gave formidable list of duties
which, alas existed only in their dreams.
Seven old gentlemen come to business
when they do come, in bath chairs.
But what is the remedy? No one has 8
right to criticize without a constructive pro
pOsal.
The remedy is founded upon the principlt
that all matters which relate to public tm
poyment should be regulated and admin
Stered as distinct and separate from roll
tics, on the one hand, and from maIhre
ment and executive direction of department
on the other hand. When an act of Con
gress is passed embodying that principle al
| the politics should have then gone out of i
and it should be administered by the bes
employment experts that the President car
| find.
The crisis which for many years to com
will affect the destinies of the federal seryic
and profoundly affect the national life is a
| hand. Sixty per cent of the service has bee,
quietly annexed by the American Federatio,
Of Labor. Only 10 per cent remains un
| plod0ai