The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1922-04-12
CIVIL SERVICE
TOO BROAD
NOW COVERS HIGHLY COMPEN.
SATED POSITIONS EFFI-
CHENEY THUS IMPAIRED.

Washington, ID. c., April 12.-On
the ground of promoting efficiency
! in the government service the Hard
| ing administration is moving in the
direction of the elimination of all ad-
ministrative and other of the more
highly compensated positions from
civil service regulation.
Attorney General Daugherty has
registered his dissatisfaction with
the operation of the civil service sys-
tenn, and the president has indicated
his impatience with some of the civil
service restrictions, which he re-
CARDS as obstacles of free hand in
reorganizing the government service
and otherwise carrying out his poll
cies.
Democratic leaders charge that
the main object of the administra-
tion is to turn out the democratic
officeholders and give the jobs to
republicans, and republican leaders
retort that the Wilson administration
did a pretty thorough job of turning
out republicans.
First Assistant Postmaster Gener-
al Bartlett, who was formerly presi-
dent of the civil service commission.
sets forth the administration view
point thus:
There are under civil service iii
the vicinity of 100000 employees in
the government. Among these are
numbered ali types Of laborers and
servants from the lowest paid 70
some of the higher officials whose
salaries are i'm the vicinity of S.
900. In the early stages of civil SER
vice, its sponsors and founders, such
men as ex-senator Morrill,, of Yer
mont, advocated the creation of this
sfstem as applicable only to the low
er paid employees, and they cited ST.
500 as the maximum salary to be in
cluded in civil service. The ten
dency of the aggressive advocates OF
civil service has been to reach con-
stantly higher and higher officials.
1T is exceedingly difficult to draw
the line where civil service should
and higher officials, but it would
seem to be reasonably sound doc
trine that in a government by the
people, when a new administration
comes in, with fresh mandate from
the people to carry out certain poll
cies. it should have the privilege. In
fact a perfectly free hand, to select
all those higher officials TO whom
must be entrusted administrative po-
licies and executive discretion. II IL
cannot have his power the will oil
the people will be defeated.
ut goes without saying that an ad-
ministration desirous of accomplish
ing great reforms and of carrying out
great policies must surround itsei1
with administrative and executive
officials who are enthusiastic fol
those reforms and policies. 1t must
| surround itself with men and womer
whom it can absolutely trust, and
when I say trust I mean with its Sc
crets as well as its funds, for 1t IL
| well known that the opposition tt
any administration in power are con
stantly on the alert to make the ad'
| ministration failure. Federal en-
ployes who are constant tale bearers
| to the minority party are a menace
to the success of administration
'The great body of civil service
workers of the country should no
change from administration to ad
ministration. Efficiency of govern
ment, as we'll as justice to the EN-
ployes, demands this; but executive
and administrative officials whom
the president must rely upon to car
ry out his administrative policies
must change from administration t.
administration in order to carry int
full force and effect the expressed
will of the. people ma popular gov
ernment."