The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1922-04-26

In his final report to the President,
upon completing his work as secre-
tary of the interior. Franklin X. Lane
sketched with q sure hand out of the
abundance of his experience the pres
ent Washington condition:
The call is for thinking, planning, engi-
neering, craftsmanship. For we are quick
ly passing out of the rou~gh-and-ready
period of our national life, in which we
nave dealt wholesale with men and
things, into a period of more intensive
development. in which we must seek to
find the special qualities of the individual
unit, whether that unit be IN acre of
desert. a barrel of oil, a mountain
canyon. the flow of a river or the capac-
ity of the humblest of men.
ITO conquer and to master-the same
old task Is ours; but not in the same old
way. We nave discovered this land and
made it ours. but this is not the end
OF our journey, for now We are to give
thought, the deepest thought. to the ways
In which 1t may be made to yield most
abundantly in the things which a COM
pick society with a most imperious Curl
osity demands.
Washington Is a combination of politi-
cal caucus, rawing-room and civil serv-
Ice bureaus. 1t contains statesmen who
are politicians and politicians who are
not statesmen. 1t is rich in brains and
In character. 1t is honest beyond any
commercial standard. 1t wishes to do
everything that will promote the public
good. But it is poorly organized for the
task that belongs to il. Fewer men of
larger capacity would do the task better.
Ability is not lacking. but it is pressed
to the point of paralysis because of an
infinitude of details and an unwillingness
on the part of the great body of public
servants to take responsibility. Every
one seems to be afraid of everyone. Tit
self-protective sense is developed abnor-
mally, the creative sense atrophies. Trust,
confidence, enthuSiasm-these simple vir-
tues of all great business are the ones
most lacking in government organization.
We lave so many checks and brakes
upon our work that our progress does
not keep pace with the nations require
ments We could save money for the
government If we had more discretion as
to how we should use that given us.
For the body of the civil servants there
should be quicker promotion or discharge
and a sure insurance when disa bilityu
comes. For the higher administrative
officers there should be salaries twice as
high as those now given, and they, mould
be made to feel that they arnfthe ones
responsible for the work Of he depart
ment, the head being meraly an adviser
and a constructor Of PoLoies.
As matters are nov devised there are
too few in the goys iA1neft whose BUSH
ness 1t Is to plan. EJAry man is held to
detail. to- the narrower view. which comes
too often to be the department view or
some sort of parochial view. We need
for the day that is here and upon us
men sysno have little to do but study the
problems of the time and test their ca
pacity at meeting them. In a word, we
need more opportunity for planning, en-
gfneering, craftsmanship above, and more
fixed authority and responsibility below.
The employment methods of the gov
eminent could be improved. Under
the civil service law of 1888 a good
system of competitive examinations
and appointments on merit has been
built up for the classes of positions
covered by the law. But beyond GER
LITIGATION by the civil service commits
sion for appointment of those appli-
cants who are proved by examination
to be eligible, the merit system is not
fully operative even in connection with
the positions to which it applies. Hap
hazard practices in assignments of
work and in promotions. over which
no central authority has jurisdiction,
have brought about inequalities which
are discouraging to the workers. This
condition and the relatively low sal
aries paid by the government cause
a turnover in government forces
that could not long be withstood by
Il private business.
The REIMBURSEMENT of government
salaries in the District of Columbia
has recently received the attention
of the joint commission on reclassifi-
cation of salaries, which vas author
lied by a provision in the legislative,
executive and judicial appropriation
act approved March l, 1919. The re-
port of this commission is now in the
hands of congress and its fate remains
to be seen. The report represents
many months of work and an effort to
present data which will enable con-
gress To understand conditions as they
exist.
The present civil service law was
enacted to correct the evils of the
''spoils system which had become in
tolerable. That the plan provided by
the law, that of appointments through
competitive examinations for certain
positions, has been a vast improve
men over the old patronage method
is generally conceded but the law
failed to be a completely effective in
strument by not providing for the ap-
plication of the merit system to the
more responsible and, therefore, the
more remunerative positions.
The administrative offices, aside
from the cabinet, which do not come
within the scope of the civil service
law, are postmasters at offices of the
first, second and third classes, col
lectors of internal revenue, collectors
of customs registers, receivers, and
surveyors general of the land office /;
assistant t~reasurers, surveyors, special
examiners, appraisers and naval Off
GERS in the customs service; super
in~tendents.of mints, assayers in mints,
supervising inspectors in the steamboat
inspection service. commissioners of
immigration and naturalization, as
sistant secretaries and heads of bu-
reaus of the departments at Washing
ton. etc.-about 10000 positions in all.