The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1922-04-27
aoRRow COUNT, OFFICIAL PAPER
Foreign AdNer,isIng Representative
TtE AMERICAN PRESS ASSOCIATION

lhe country is standing with the
rreSiuenI N MS letermlnauon TO put
more business IN government oy get
nng rid OF melncIent ana dlSloyal en-
ployeS,
lne protests OF Democratic leaders
asaniSI Tue administration placing
loyal employees on guard IN the re-
SpunSloie executive oIuceS are having
niue OF no enect upon puohc opln-
ION. Inc arguments advanced by
over-entnuSiaSuc supporters of the
eiNI service system to the effect that
the administration is breaking down
the civil service and yielding to the
ciamor OF Sponsmen is an argument
that will not stand up under honest
analysis.
lhe only excuse which the civil
service system has for existence is
based upon the suppoSition that ii
means merit and emcIency in public
administration. If it does not pro-
duce these two qualities there is no
Justification for the civil service sys-
TEN in public affairs.
There is no one familiar with con-
ditions in the federal departments al
Washington but knows that during
the past eight years the civil service
system has been used to break down
emclency rather than promote it. Ii
has operated to protect slackers, agi-
tatorS and lncompetents in public SER
vice rather than to oust them and
make for merit in public work. 1t
has joined hands with organizations
outside the jurisdiction of govern
ment othcials and with cooperation of
these organizations it has installed in
the departments at Washington bu-
reaucracy which places premium
upon the slowest, most incompetent,
most wasteful, most Indifferent and
most rebellious employees. 1t has with
the cooperation of these external Or
ganizations bred a spirit of open in
Subordination and gross extravag-
ance in nearly every federal depart
ment.
AS a result Of this condition thou-
sands of federal employees look TO
organizations outside the government
service for orders regarding the char
acter of their work rather than to the
administrative chiefs who are respon-
sible for and entrusted with carrying
out the policies of the administra-
tion,-which policies the administra-
tion is charged by the people with
carrying out.
The first concern Of any man or
group Of men who are placed in
charge of corporation or a business
and entrusted with putting into ef-
feet and carrying to successful con-
clusion a certain policy is to sur
round himself or themselves with a
body of loyal and efficient subordin-
ates,-subordinates who not only 90
through the motions Of work but who
so firmly believe in the policy of their
superiors that they put all their abil-
ity and all their sympathy into the
work. This loyalty, this esprit de
corps, is the very essence Of the mer-
it system. Without il there can be
no merit system; the term becomes
a mockey. The head Of railroad,
or industrial plant, or business cor
poration, or banking house who
would tolerate people upon his pay
roll who were faithless to the insti-
tuition in that they did not believe in
its policies and we're eternally break
ing down the morale Of its employees
and publicly criticising its manage
ment would be foredoomed TO fail