National Republican., 1873-05-03
THE CIyIL.sEItyIcE SYSTEM.

have been done by the Herald.
THE CIyIL.sEnyICE SYSTEM.
Since the resignation Of Mcssrs. Curtis |
and Mcdlll as members Of the advisory board |
OF the civil service VIC have observed among |
n few Of our contemporaries disposition TO
clrp at the new system recommended by the |
civil feryice commission and adopted by the |
President. That this system Is free from de-
fccts VIC presume no one will maintain; that
II will require occasional notifications as
defects arc Indicated by practical experience
o: Its working Is naturally to be expected but
that II Is not open to some Of the charges
most commonly brought against 1t will be-
come evident to any candid person who takes
the trouble to investigate 1t.
The complaint we most frequently hear Is
that Il makes scholastic attainmcnts the sole
test Of fitness for Office, TO the neglect Of
practical capacity and other qualifications Of
which the heads Of departments with the as
sistance Of their chiefs Of bureaus can judge
better than any board Of examiners. But the
truth Is that the present system leaves q
much wider margin to the Judgment Of heads
of departments thal Is commonly supposed.
The regulations require that every applicant
shall furnish TO the head Of the department
lu which he seeks an appointment satisfac-
tory evidence as to his loyalty. his character,
and his physical health. Under this pro-
vision IL Is quite competent for the head Of q
department to exact evidence Of the posses
sion Of such important elements Of character
as energy and industry, as well as honesty
and sobriety, and II none but those who pos
sess these qualifications are designated for
examination, the successful competitors will
he tolerably well provided with the clc-
ments Of practical success US clerks.
Should they fail, however, the rcgula-
tlons provide an easy remedy, since
they require a probation of six months,
during which the conduct and capacity OF
such persons (tho probationary shall be
tested" II the trial Is satisfactory, the rules
provide that they shall be reappointed as full
clerks, and II not so rcappointed, they are, Of
course, dropped out Of the service. This pro-
vision furnishes an occasion for as thorough
an inquiry into their practical competency as
the heads Of Departments see 1t TO make,
and affords ample opportunity to the heads
OF bureaus and divisions to present their oh.
jections TO the reuppointment Of probation
crs whom they find to be inefficient or other
wise unfit for their positions. Moreover, the
power OF removal, which Is left undisturbed in
the hands Of the Department chiefs at all
times affords q ready meas Of wccdlng out
incompetent or otherwise unworthy employees
who may chance to slip through the sieve OF
the competitive examinations and the six
months probation.
In short, the competitive system does not
by any means suPercede tue appointing
power Of the Executive department Of the
Government, but merely acts as a check upon
It, and 1t Is a noteworthy fac: that both In
England and In our own country that check
was voluntarily Instituted by the executive
department itself. In our own case there had
been a chronic outcry against what was
called a system of appointments through
personal or political favOrltism. As 10 Is nov
urged by the opponents Of competition thG;
Il tends to give the Government offices tO
mere scholars, so II was formerly complL!ned
that Congressman recommended nnd ex-
ecutiyc officers appointed men to office solely
on the score Of their personal or political
services, and without much regard to thelr
fitness for the discharge Of the duties en-
trusted to them ltwas probably in de.ercncC
to such complain as much as from personal
conviction that the President adopted tho
present system. His action was ut least dis
interested, and we believe tina; 1t commanded
the appreciation OF the people. We believe
too, that the general sentiment Of the coun
try is still heartily in favor of the principle o
the competitive system, and II Its practice
has entailed some Inconvenience they hav,
only been such rs might have been expected
tooccur In the working Of any new and untriei
Institution. One Of the greatest Of these In
convenences Is now in course Of remova
through the establishment Of boards Of exam
inatlon In different cities. When once thii
process Is completed 1t will obViate the din
Guilty which candidates have labo-ed under o
travelling hundreds Of miles to attend an ex
animation 10 which a majority Of them mus
necessarily be unsuccessful. Other dificl.
ties will gradually be met Ond removed as OK
poriencc shall suggest.
In the meantime we believe the working o
the system thus far has been such as to afforI
all needed encouragement to Its friends. W
have seen no evidence that the questions sub
mitted to applicants are silly or nonsensicaI
Nor do we believe there Cxlsts, or can be dc
ylsed, any system Of examining which wi
enable Ounce TO compete successfully wit
man Of brain, who, having had equal nc
tIce Of the ordeal 10 be passed through, ha
o, course had equal opportunities for prepG
ration. Moreover, the limitation Of time
which candidates arc subjected furnishes
pretty good test of their intellectual, an
even Of their physical energy and promptne
as well as Of mere attainments. We believ
also, that there are enough persons posses
Ing both scholarship and other neccssar
qualifications who are willing to serye II
Government; and that, as a rule, decided
better class Of clerks will be obtained by
system which makes scholarship and INTEL
gencc indispensable, while Gt the same tim
affording ample opportunities for kecpIn
out or putting out those who lack other el,
ments OF practical usefulness than by syt
ten which makes their selection depend eT
tlrely on personal or political influence; an
this, we feel assured, is the opinion Of yer
larga majority of the people,