Evening star., 1938-07-24
Fifty Years Ago
In The Star
District citizens
handicapped under
The Injustice of
Apportionment.

1ne 1nJustlce oi ture of the civil
Apportionment. service law. The
Star of July 19.
1888. SAYS:
"The report OF the Civil Service Com
mission vigorously assailS the spoils or
patronage system and presents good
showing of benefits which have resulted
from the law designed to make office
holding dependent not upon party serv-
ice but upon merit and good behavior
The advantages of a reasonably stable
public service. appointments to which
in all but the highest positions are Sc
cured through merit shown in competi-
tive examinations and are retained by
efficiency and good behavior, over the
shifting uncertain and unreliable serv-
ice secured under spoils system by
which the Offices are distributed as
plunder to politicians, are denied by few
persons at the Capital. But the civil
service law departs in some particulars
from the wise theory which the COM
mission upholds. Oficeholding is not
made dependent simply upon merit.
Under the absurd apportionment law.
which keeps alive the bad principle OF
the patronage system by distributing the
Offices, like spoils. among the States and
Territories according to population, resi-
dence in certain localities is now more
essential condition to appointment than
merit.
In this very report the commission
ers resist an effort to extend the appor-
tionment system and the distributed ap-
pointments among the legislative dis
tricts which. it is said would put
limit upon the choice of applicants and
restrict the appointment of the best
men. This restriction Is already accom-
plished by the present law. Under the
legalized 'divvy' of public trusts the Dis
trict of Columbia. for instance, is en-
titled, according to the report, to four
of every one thousand and two appoint
ments. Many citizens of the various
States who have from time to time Sc
cured Government employment at
washington have, not understanding
the effect OF their action, incautiously
permitted themselves to be assigned to
the District and to lose their citizenship
elsewhere The result is that the District
quota is full and overfloWing. the Gov
ernment cannot avail itself of the home
expert labor market and cross-examines
applicants for office to be sure that no
Wretched resident of the District, or of
any other division whose quota Is FULL
secures a position under false pretenses.
The special injury is. OF course, to
the Government which in theory seeks
the best material available, but in fact,
may be limited to a selection from the
office seekers of remote section of the
country. If in truth the clerkships are
no longer viewed as spoils for division,
to be quarreled over by politicians or
States, the Government workshops will
be conducted on the same principles
which govern other great factories The
aosurdity Of advertising a competitive
examination to secure expert workmen
from which the men OF ones own and
the neighboring States are shut out and
only candidates from remote States ex-
amlned would not then be committed
The youth Of the city in which the great
workshops are situated would not be ex-
cluded from the principal occupa ations of
their fathers and be driven from home
to earn a living in other callings or to
remove the taint of residence at the
Capital and to gain that Navadan or
Oregonian citizenship which may en-
able them to return and secure Govern.
ment employment"