Evening star., 1926-02-14
LABOR TURNOVER BIGGEST
: WASTE In GOVERNMENT
Davis and Hughes Stress Need of Better
Federal Pay to Attract Most
Competent Men.

the hearts. | think, of all patriotic clti
! Zens. something more compelling than
that. and that is the opportunity ror
nubic service in their day and genera
ton But it is grossly unfair that. in
fixing salaries. the Government should
rely upon these things To excuse 1t
from making Just monetary com
penSa ton
STANDARD salary leads to this ines
csipa be correlary: That if you are fix
+ ing a standard salary for the whole
country. il must not, in justice. be
such a salary as will provide d living
where the cost OF living is lowest Ii
must. in justice, be a salary which VIII
furnish Il reasonable living where the
cost of living is highest You cannot
%tal.Ne one man because of the fear
that You may. perchance, overpay an
Other
Charles L. Hughes was one time spe-
Cial assistant 10 the Attorney General
II coat Investigations. Governor Of
New York for two terms. associate
Justice of the Supreme Court of the
United States. received 254 electoral
votes for President in 1916. Secretary
of State. commissioner plenipotentiary
for the United States land chairman
in the international Conference on
Limitation of Armaments.
Reasons for Chaos.
After stressins that the subject of
Federal sa laries must be approached
with a consideration of the vital in
terests. involving the honor of this
country. Mr.. Hughes said: Our do
mestic peace depends not simply
upon the forms of our administration.
but upon the character and impair
tiality of the persons who conduct ii.
| We are. indeed. a Government OF
laws, and not of men; but l am in
crea asingly impressed with the i'm
portance of the man in every depart
ment of the work of our Government.
Given one sort of man. given
measure of ignorance and lncompe-
tency in high places, and you have
confusion: you have. instead OF Or
derly procedure. a chaotic procedure:
/ instead of the satisfaction and conn
| dence which gives the basic content
ment upon which our prosperity de
pends you have a consciousness of
! wrong because OF laws misapplled,
| because of ina ability to appreciate eXl-
| gencies and deal with them eXpertly.
| 1t is the man who countS-under
| law, subject to law but it is the man
who counts, not the mechanism sim
ply.
| There is an honor. d distinction
| and pride in public service which VIII
| alWayS COInI1dIlu lIfcil VI lilC bSSe
| character because they love that
/ work, and know of it's importance to
! the community. and who would will
| ingly sacrifice what they could earn
professionally to have the honor and
| distinction and satisfaction of serving
| the community.
Limit to Sacrifices
But there is a limit. That willing
ness to sacrifice should not be ac-
! companied by a ranking sense of IN
| Justice That service should not be
| rendered with a CALLING sense that
| the American people make you live
| in such a way that you can hardly
hold your head up in self respect;
| that when you are trying to decide
| YOUR cases, YOU are annoyed by en-
| balra rasSments, privations and humilia-
| tions which you ought never to have.
you must not make it impossible
| for men to bring up families and live
| decently according to their station
| upon the compensation that is paid
| for the public service.
II do not care for all these Fourth
| of July orations about the greatness
Of the United States, and pride in
America when we do not show com
mon sense in protecting our institu-
tions by making it possible to get
men who will devote their lives and
eXpertness to the conduct of these
institutions. That is where love of
America should count; that is where
pride in America should have some
display"