Evening star., 1922-04-10
COMBINE TO FIGHT
PROPOSED CHANGE
IN CIVIL SERVICE
Continued from First Page.)

ice it's sponsors and founders-such
men as former Senator Morrill, of
Nermont-advocated the creation of
this system as applicable only to the
lower-paid employees. and they cited
$1,000 as the maximum salary to be
included in civil service. The tend
ency of the aggressive advocates OF
civil service has been to reach con-
stantly higher and higher officials,
and this development of civil serv-
ice has been going on steadily until
now; when. as above stated, it
reaches those who are paid as high
as $1,000.
1T has thus at last reached into
the realm of what may be called
administrative officers This proc
ess OF reaching to include the higher
and higher paid has been going on
at the expense of perfecting civil
service within its admittedly proper
sphere as affecting the great body of
federal workers
Difficult to Draw Line.
"1t is exceedingly difficult to draw
the line where civil service should
stop it's attempt to reach the higher
and higher officials, but 1T would seem
to be reasonably sound doctrine that
IN a government by the people, when
a new administration comes in, with
are fresh mandate from the people to
carry out certain policies, it should
have the priTilege-in fact. a per-
fectly free hand-to select ali those
higher officials to whom must be in
trusted administrative policies and
executive discretion.
IF it cannot have this power. the
Will of the people will be defeated.
1t goes without saying that an ad-
ministration desirous of accomplish
Ing great reforms and of carrying
out great policies. must surround itself
with administrative and executive
officials who are enthusiastic for
those reforms and policies.
1T must surround itself with men
and women whom it can absolutely
trust, and when | say trust l mean
trust with it's secrets as well as it's
funds, for it is we'll known that the
opposition to any administration in
power are constantly on the alert to
make the administration failure.
Administrator Policy.
But, without attempting to define
either by maximum salary or by
descriptive language at the present
time just where civil service should
leave off and administrative officials
not under civil service begin, it is
very clear to every one who knows
that this administration has carried
forward a very progressive policy
with reference to civil service not
only as to the highest officials. but
also as applied to the great body of
federal workers not possessing ad-
There Is no one who does not
recognize the absolute necessity of
a civil service law, well administered
1t would be impossible for the gov
ernment to do business without a
Civil Service Commission and a
civil service law. Imagine. if you
will, what would happen without it,
You would have hundreds of appli-
cants for labor of all descriptions
lined up at the doors of each de-
avsfv, Iii, fr~
work. The wheels of government
would be clogged.
TT would make an impossible
situation. Any one who attempts to
charge that this administration has
shown any idea of uprooting the
civil service is charging what he can
easily know to be absolutely un-
founded. Some one in his disgust at
times may say he is opposed to the
whole system. He does not mean it.
His Real Meaning.
What he does mean is that some
Of the eager friends of civil service
have been SO grasping for high ad-
ministrative positions to be put under
civil service that in his haste he
makes this sweeping assertion.
THE only real contrast of opinion
is how high up shall civil service go.
1t only emphasizes the necessity of
defining where civil service should
end. And, having that definition
fixed. once and for all. tAen, when
that is done. of perfecting civil serv-
ice as the great personal agency OF
the government under the direction
of one of the best personnel men in
the country; in other words. develop
ing it to the limit within it's properly
defined sphere, and insisting that it
keep within that sphere. but leaving
to any administration the right to
carry out it's own policies surrounded
by those in the higher administrative
positions who are loyal and enthusi-
astic for its success