The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1868-06-05
Make Them DO ID.

Make Them DO ID.
The House of Representatives VIII soon take
up the bill to regulate the civil service OF the
United States and promote the efficiency
thereof" reported from the joint select COM
mittee ON retrenchment by Mr.. Jenckes of
Rhode Island.
Heretofore in speaking in terms of warm
commentator of this bill we have expressed
the opinion that Congress will not pass it I'M
less it is compelled to do so by such an expires
sion of public opinion as that body will not
feel it expedent to disregard 1t is fearful
blow aimed at the whole bread ana Dutter
brigade, aud Congressman, being very human,
and being ON terms of intimate relationship
with that corps of worthless arising from mutu-
al good offices, will hesitate long and painfully
before relinquishing the power to reward their
adherents by giving them snug little places in
the civil service. The patronage is too valu-
able to be given up without some natural
pangs, and such gangiving as may trouble
politician.
Mr. Jenckes' measure is remarkable for this,
it is an unmixed good. 1t is something
important and withal SO entirely reasonable
and demonstrably practicable that it will be
impossible TO organize opposition to it in
any other way than by resorting to dilatory
tactics and allowing the reform to be forgotten
by the lapse of time. There is such thing in
parliamentary proceedings as negative or pas
sive as well as active "fllibustering." Mr.
Jenckes introduced this same bill in January,
1867, but by some means the whole movement
died out at that time, and the bill had to be re-
ported anew at the present session.
Though the provisions of this bill are already
somewhat familiar, a briet recapitulation will
bring them more freshly to mind In the first
place all the higher civil officers who are APP
pointed by and with the advice and consent of
the Senate are not embraced in this bill.
There is assumed to be a sufficient guaranty for
the integrity and proper qualifications of such
officers in the interposition of so large and so
able body as the Senate between them and
the appointing power. Practically this may
not always be the case, but abuse and corrup-
tion in that particular class of appointments
are so far guarded against that their regula-
ton does not come within the purview of Mr.
Jenckes proposed reform. The civiltenure
act passed not two years ago applies to these
offices exclusively, and gives the Senate its ap-
propriate functions in the removal as well as
in the appointment of officers.
There remain, then, to be affected by the
civil service bill, some twenty thousand Off
GERS, postmasters not being included. The
manner in which this grand army of officials
is made up is as well known as the lamentable
results which follow from the laxity of our
system. Political and personal influence is
the sole criterion of merit by which applicants
are tried. Mr.. Jenckes' bill provides for the
appointment of a civil service examination
board, to consist of four commissioners to be
appointed by and with the advice and consent
of the Senate The President of the board is
to be the Vice President of the United States.
Candidates for appointments cited before
this board, and it is only from the number of
those that pass satisfactory examinations that
appointments can be made, the candidates
having the preference who are found to be best
qualified. The board has also its appropriate
duties in connection with the removal and
suspension of civil officers for misconduct or
ineficiency, investigating the charges against
such persons and reporting their finding in
the premises to the head of the Department
in which they are employed who is bound to
act in accordance with the report Still fur
ther, the board may intervene in cases of adj
vancement from one grade in the service to
another, and in case of vacancy may desig-
nate the person to fill it after an examination |
OF the competitors for the position, though the |
general principle is that the senior in the next
lower grade passes to the higher grade in |
which there is a vacancy, the right of seniority |
being determined by reference to the grade |
of rank assigned by the board upon examin- |
ations.
Some of the minor provisions of the bill are
novel and at the same time judicious. Appli- |
cants for appointments to offices which can |
be filled only with the assent of the Senate |
may be directed either by the President or the |
Senate to appear before the commissioners for |
examination, and the result is reported to the |
President and the Senate by the board, but in |
TINS case the powers OF the commissioners |
seem to be merely advisory, and do not impose |
upon the appointing authority, any obligation |
to act in accordance with their recommends |
ton. t -E-.,l t.f...... ..... |
The heads of departments are authorized by ]
this bill to designate tho ofaoes IN the different
branches of the civil service which may be |
filed by females as well as males, and the |
former are placed in respect to appointment, |
suspe nsion and removal on precisely the same |
footing as the latter. r
In order that the bill may have an immedi- |
ate effect in purifying the service it is provided
that all persons now in Office who come within |
its provisions may be cited before the board |
and dismissed for incompetency OF miscon-
duct.
These are some of the more important fea-
lures of the proposed law, and without going
further into detail they are sufficient to show |
that it will be conducive to several valuable |
reforms:
First, the examinations being open to the |
competition of all citizens of the United |
States, there is every probability that at last
competency and integrity will be recognized
as elements of character that should have due
weight in securing official preferment.
Second, fidelity in the performance of Off
cial duty will hereafter be the sure stepping
stone to advancement and merit will at least
have some prospect of reward.
Third, the great interests of the county.
which are really entrusted in great measure
to the subordinates in the different depart.
ments, will hereafter receive that attention
that their Importance demands. The revenues
will be greatly increased by the fidelity of the
officers to whom the duty of collecting them
is entrusted, and throughout all branches of
the public service there will be for the first
time an approximation topurity and efficiency.