Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-09-02
SPOUS SYSTEM FADING AS
PROTECTIVE LAWS GROW
Employees Warned Against Certain Polit'
zeal Activity as Present Campaign
Increases i'm Intensity.

and it now embraces 100000 Govern
ment positions, subject to competitive
examinations.
THE civil service system, even today.
has its opponents. Even its friends
admit that 1t is still on trial, but they
contend that the American people dur
ing the wears since 1888 have come 10
believe rather generally in 1t, and would
never be willing to return to the Spolls
The most recent and spectacular ex-
tension of the civil service law was
made by the last Congress wnen u
placed all of the employes-everyoody
except the commissioner OF the ProhI-
bjtion Bureau--under the civil service.
II was done by special act, ana even
the prohibition directors throughout III
country were compelled to pass eAanii-
nations to hold their positions.
There are at present approximate
TAO moo Government positions not unoe-
the civil service.
While no attempt will be made here
tn give in detail the regulations OF TN
civil service. issued in pursuance OF th1
law against political activity OF GOV
eminent employees, as these orders al
ready have been printed In the new
colurnns-some of the broad prlnclpie3
NAV be mentioned. 1t Is, for mstancc'
unlawful for a superior to use ms au-
thority to force a political contrioutlon
from any employe under MN unogt
penalty of degradation or removal. ~
also prevents the ranks from Organic
ing among themselves.
THE employe is left free to give VIVA.
he desires voluntarily for political pur-
noses. but prevents him from penn
ronnelIed to give what he does not
want tn give. One kind OF political
activity forbidden-to quote from
recent official statement OF the com
roissior1-."is that which passes from
the mouth of a chief of division along
the line of desks that the chief Wiz
iook with favor upon good returns from
the nrecinct elections" That may not
mean ANYTHING to the voteless RESIDENT
| of washington, but 1t Is pretty I'm
nortant to Government employees j
the States.
Leaves Thought Free.
we conclude" says a recent stat
n1ent by the commission, that tnere
neither abridgnent OF freedom o.
speech. in the proper sense OF the WoIu'
nor any abridgment OF proper pontiCal
activity save as the orncenoloeE ! rss
voluntarily consented thereto. III
civil service law and the Execu.ive
orders made Hereunder have tened y
made public service employees, governed
thereby, independent.
ssThe law protects them from any
aggression upon their rights; It leaves
them free to contribute or not 70 con-
tribute to party success as they please
1, leaves them free for decent persona
arc1ment upon those questions. while
restraining them at the same time IRON
the forums abuses. which. IN tnen
| far1uents. lead to discussions. IL u
not being used as a gag, and II py
strained construction 1t Is believed ina
il IS a gag, 1t is a gag which those wnc
wear have voluntarily assumed t.
wear"
one objection that has been raised
against the present system Is that ar
| employe T. not allowed to be an once
| of q political club 1t Is explained tina
the commission has held explicitly thai
a classified employe may be member
of a political club, but that he canno'
| be an oficer, nor an orator OF the club
nor can he take an active or working
part in it. nor be one Of its organizers.
A member of the commission recently
| explained that this regulation Is be-
|
whole spirit and wise purpose OF the
civil service law. 1t frees employees from
| direct political action While leaving
! them free to exercise all OF their politt-
| cal rights, 1t keeps them from being
extensively" partisan. because 1t Is held
| that no person can serve as an ofiicer
or active worker in o political cruz ano
| do his duty without supervising the
| members, checking up on their votes
| and contributions and otherwise COM
| ing into close contact with their politi-
| cal movements.
Admit Some Failures.
Friends of civil service reform hav
always regarded the prohibition againS
political activity as virtually the key.
stone of the arch. They sag expert
ence has shown that 1t is hopeless t.
expect the spirit Of the merit system &
be observed so long as employees arc
permitted to interest themselves In OF
be subjected to political manipulation,
Meantime, of course, the most ardent
friends OF the present system admit
that 1t fails IN some respects, They sec
chances for improvement. They do not
deny that political influence has weight
in obtaining appointments and salary
increases, even in the classified service
but they contend that conditions are SO
much better than they were In 1888
even than they were IS years ago-that
there is every reason TO take an opti-
mistic view of the future.
AT least an employee who attends to
his own and the Governments business
and exercises merely his right Of free
speech and suffrage need have no fear
of losing his job II his party fails TO
win the election That Is a very long
step in advance over the merry days
when the spoilS system was at its
height.