778 



CONSERVATION 



Before entering upon his duties he 

 must first register an oath. 



He swears that he "will support and 

 defend the Constitution of the United 

 States against all enemies, foreign and 

 domestic ;" that he "will bear true faith 

 and allegiance to the same ;" that he 

 "takes this obligation freely, without 

 any mental reservation or purpose of 

 evasion ;" and that he "will well and 

 faithfully discharge the duties of the 

 office on which he is about to enter." 

 Following which, he utters the solemn 

 objuration, "So help me God." 



To whom or what does this man 

 pledge his fealty? Specifically, to the 

 Constitution of the United States. 



This means, of course, to the people 

 of the United States and their highest 

 interests. ' 



Yet, in this Glavis case, we are given 

 to understand that the obligation of the 

 public servant is not, after all, to the 

 Constitution of the United States, not 

 to the Government, not to the people, 

 but to his superior officer. 



Should such an interpretation hold, 

 what, we repeat, would be the effect 

 upon the public service? 



Suppose an interested or corrupt of- 

 ficial should obtain control of a Gov- 

 ernment bureau. Every employee in 

 that bureau must then feel bound by his 

 oath, as well as by his economic need, to 

 obey his chief, however detrimental 

 such obedience might be to the public 

 good. 



A corrupt department head would, in 

 like manner, corrupt the force of his 

 entire department ; and a corrupt or in- 

 terested or ambitious President, should 

 we ever be so unfortunate as to have 

 one, would vitiate the entire public serv- 

 ice from top to bottom. 



And, in so doing, he would find the 

 civil service oath, combined with the 

 dread of discharge, his most effective 



engmes. 



Is this the object of the oath ; and is 

 such a possibility or prospect attractive ? 



Is it the sworn duty of the public 

 servant to serve his master, good or 

 bad, or to serve the people's interests, 

 as he understands them? 



This Glavis case involves more than 

 may appear at first blush. Let Congress 

 do its duty in the premises. 



^ 



ALL THINGS DECAY 



By HERRICK 



All things decay with time; the forest sees 

 The growth and downfall of her aged trees; 

 That timber tall, which three-score lustres stood 

 The proud dictator of the state-like wood — 

 I mean the sov'reign of all plants, the oak — 

 Droops, dies and falls without the cleaver's stroke. 



