Evening star., 1933-06-02
Tearing Down the Merit System

Tearing Down the Merit System.
Although the facts concerning the
Civil S. ice Commissions compliance
with the so-called apportionment oil
onices law are readily obtainable, have
been carefully set forth at numerous
times by the commission and are un-
derstandable to anybody who takes the
trouble to look into them, the House
"A of course acting within its rights to
prder another investigation and dig
around in the records all Summer long
f'for the purpose Of obtaining informa-
tion necessary as basis for legisla-
tion'
The spirit in which the House adopted
the proposal for the investigation, how
ever, naturally raises q question as to
the sort of legislation that may follow
the Investigators avid pursuit Of a
basis. Is it planned to do away with
the merit system and abolish the COM
mission? Representative Cox Of Georgia
indicated as much in speaking for the
resolution. The apportionment OF
Offices, or Of political spoils, among the
States is to be had, he said, "if it be
even at the expense of repeating our
Civil Service law" At which, the Rec
ord notes, there was applause"
Continuing, Mr.. Cox said:
want to say for myself and upon
my own responsibility that believe
the Civil Service Is responsible for more
ceadheading, for more inetficiency and
for more diSloyalty to the Government
than all other agencies, public and pri-
vate combined. (Applause.) The Civil
Service Commission has coming to 1t
all the unfavorable implications that
arise out of the adoption Of this reso-
luton, for it Is a protest against the
manner in which the commission has
done its work. (Applause)
Why all this vitriolic attack on the
manner in which the Civil Service
Commission has sought to enforce an
unenforceable, contradictory and vicious
remnant of the spoils system? What
does the law really provide2 The civil
service act of 1883 provides that "as
nearly rs the conditions Of good ad-
ministration viii warrant ap-
pointments to the public service
in the departments at Washington shall
be apportioned among the several
States and Territories and the Dis
trict of Columbia upon the basis OF
population as ascertained in the last
T1,tk 80
of the act, and the fundamental basis
of the merit system, provides that
'offices, places and employments
shall be filled by selections according
to grade from among those graded
highest as the results of such competi-
tive examinations"
1t is obviously impossible to give
equal force to contradictory principles
Offices shall be filled on quota basis,
the other that they shall be filled as
the result of competitive examinations
which are open to all the people CT
the United States. The Civil Service
Commission has sought to enforce the
quota provision as nearly as the CON
diticns of good administration will
warrant" and as long as other condi-
tions would warrant. 1t has consis-
tently urged the citizens Of States
which have not taken advantage of the
opportunities for civil service employ
ment to apply for examination. But
of course, force citizens of Califor,ta
or any other State to take COM
petitive examination for a $1,000 job
in washington or come here to fill it
Ironically enough, it was during q
Democratic administration that the
quota provision received its worst jolt
and was thrown most out OF gear. In
the war days the Government had t.
have help. While tens of thousands
of inexperienced workers were brought
here from all parts Of the Nation, many
of them to register later from the Dis
trict of Columbia, thousands more were
chosen from Washington and the nearby
States simply because they were the
only ones available. And since the wal
the rule that veterans should be gwen
preference for positions in the civil
service has taken precedence, not only
over qualifications based on merit, but
over these based on residence as well
It is not difficult to understand why
there is a disparity, nor has there evel
been any effort TO conceal the fact that
this disparity in quotas exls S.
There is no room for a Spoils system
IN the civil service today. But the at
tacks on the merit system by spoils-
men will continue to weaken il
as they have already dangerously
undermined it. Merit, or efficient
performance Of pubic duty, is al
ready regarded rs one of the less i'm
portant qualifications for Office or re-
tention in office. Length of service
whether one is married, whether one i!
a veteran and whether one comes from
a State which has an untitled or ex
cessipe quota representation are al
considerations aside from the merit o
the applicant or the employe.
The House investigation Of the civi
service is relatively unimportent. An!
hching expedition Of the sort may turn
up something interesting. The impor
tant thing is the motive back Of the in
vestigation, whether it is to be used u
set up a smoke screen behind whicl
further and more damaging attacks Of
the merit system may be launched
The natural and logical result of
thorough investigation Of the appor