The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1874-04-21
Renort of the Civil Service Commission.

The examinations for admission to any de-
partment or great local office are conducted Dy
a board of three persons, advised by the Com
mission and approved by the President. These
examiners have nothing whatever to do
with appointments or political opinions, and
are forbidden to take any part IN getting Of
fees for any one. There has been no COM
plant that they have ever done so. Indeed,
thew cannot. The rules fix the subjects OH
which applicants are to be examined. Full
notice is given to those who have sgnifed
wish to compete for places in tn service, and
have proper certificates of good health and
good character. The country is divided into
five districts, so that those wishing to be ex-
amined may lave an opportunity as near their
homes as practicable. Each of the five dis
tricts Is centre of competition, and all those
residing therein, who may be examined, com
pete together. One of the examiners is the
chief examiner from Washington, and the
other two are Fedora! officers in the several
districts. The subjects on which examinations
take place are the following:
ID Penmanship; ~ writing and briehng let
tiers: (3) elements of English grammar, chiefly
photography and syntax; az arlthmetc-fun-
damental rules, fractions, percentage. interest
and discount; (5) elements of accounts and
bookkeeping; (6) history and geography-gen-
eral questions, principally such as relate to the
United States; and ~ prominent features OF
the Government of the United States.
Examinations for promotion relate to the
practical duties of the office competed for.
They require just the knowledge and capacity
which any clerk ought to possess. The ques-
tions and answers are all in writing and are
preserved. The marking of the merits of the
persons examined is on these papers, and its
fairness can be at any time reviewed. The only
case of complaint of injustice brought to the
attention of the Commission was reviewed, and
shown to be so clearly unfounded that the APP
plicant complaining admitted its injustice in
writing, in letter published in the report
Lists of those examined in each district, with
the markings and gradings the, con. are pre-
served in the departments. When there is
vacancy, the place must be filled by the Head
of the Department or Office (who is never an
examiner) from one of the three having the
highest marks on one of the lists of the Dis
trict applicants. This method also enables ap-
pointments to be fairly apportioned among the
several sections of the Union; and it, at the
same time, gives the appointing power fifteen
persons from whom to make the selections.
Each of these fifteen persons being shown to
have adequate attainments the appointing
power is at liberty to select the highest charac-
ter and the best business capacity among the
fifteen. The cases must be rare in which
those qualities will not belong to one of the
fifteen having the best attainments, who have
been examined. 1t will be seen, that under
this method the examiners are to judge of
nothing which does not appear on the papers,
and hence they have no chance to show favor,
which cannot be at any time detected
There are regulations to prevent applicants
remaining indefinitely on these lists, to prevent
the same persons being too many times among
the first threes, for securing review IN case OF
injustice, &c, &c
lions, where the duties of place are very pc
culiar, and require peculiar questions.
All examinations are public and the
report shows that persons of bad char
acter would not dare to appear at them. Those
contesting have a strong interest and full liber-
fu IN qyn ha n a / mo-
the fifteen highest eligible to appointment.
District examinations have been held at Wash
ingtoi, New York, Cincinnati st. Louis and
Savannah. with great success and small ex-
pense, and are soon to be held in other cities,
beginning with Boston.
z. The proof seems to be decisive that the
new system has to considerable extent re-
moved mercenary and.partisan pressure from
the Departments, has stimulated learning on
the part of those desiring appointments has
secured better class of persons in the offices.
and has developed habits of study and fideli-
ty.
The reports show that the members of the
Cabinet bear this decisive evidence to the good
effects OF the reform. We copy this language
from the report.
'They consider that the rules have promoted
the public interests in various particulars, and
among them in the following:
'11) They have, on an average, where ex-
aminations apply, given persons of superior ca
eminent, and have tended to exclude unworthy
applicants.
'12). They have developed more energy in
the discharge of duty, and more ambition to ac-
quire information connected with the official
functions, on the part of those in the service.
"(3) They have diminished the unreasonable
solicitation and pressure which numerous appli-
cants and their friends, competing for appoint
ments, have before brought to bear upon the
Departments in the direction of favoritism.
Nhar haua .a1lx H. -
ton applies, relieved the heads of Departments
and of Bureaus, to a large extent, of the neces-
sity OF devotlng to persons soliciting places for
themselves or for others time which was needed
for official duties.
Faoy asu~v ,,4~otiva4,ar-t
dismiss from the service those who came in
under the civil service examinations, W hen not
found worthy, than it was, or is, to dismiss the
like unworthy persons who had been intro
duced into the service through favor or dicta-
ton.
500 They have diminished the intrigue and
PRESSURE before too frequent, for causing the
removal of worthy persons for the mere purpose
OF bringing other, perhaps inferior persons into
the service
"G) And, for such reasons, those officers
think that it is expedient to continue the re-
form upon the method upon which it has pro-
ceeded, making from time to time such modifi-
cations in details as experience may show to be
most useful"
There are also competitive examinations for
promotions. These examinations are so framed
as to call for and test practical knowledge in re-
gard to the duties of the place sought, and
hence vary greatly in the several Bureaus Tie
report sets forth specim of the questions
While it requires much experience to SO COM
bine the practice of examinations with the
proper authority of the head of the Bureau, as
to secure the greatest benefit in makins promo
tions, the experience already gained shows
that the difficulties may all be surmounted, and
that grea, Improvements have already been Sc
cured 1t was to be expected that Heads of
Bureaus would not desire their accustomed au-
thOrity interfered with But it is of great pub
lie importance to stimulate the ambition and
reward the industry of lower grade officers, as
well as to remove the favoritsm and supservi-
ency which the old system caused and perpetu-
ated.
1t is also part of the new system that clerks
and officers in the service are not to be COM
PEELED to pay partisan assessments. They are
to be at liberty to do as they please, as to con-
tributing to their party.
SENSATIONAL RAILROAD RUMoR.-The Bos-
ton Herald says that within day or two ru
mors have come into its possession which,
though claimed to be from an authentic source.
seem to have emanated from the fertile brain
of Munchausen. The scheme foreshadowed
WILL it is asserted, be unfolded by the first of
May.
Our informant stated that an arrangement
had been made between the Eastern Boston
& Maine, and Maine Centrsl railroads. by
which the long desired scheme of the Pennsyi-
vania Central Railroad will be realized These
three roads will all form tributaries to that net
work of lines contr lied by the Pennsylvania
Central. Mr.. Washburn having been elected
Senator, the Butler faction will no longer be
able TO prevent the sale of the Charlestown
Navy Yard to the capitalists of the several
lines that will form the consolidated line from
San Francisco to Halifax, and on its site will
station with all the attendant buildings,
freight houses, etc., which will be made the
principal terminus, although there will be an
other at Halifax of the utmost Importance,
owing to its being so much nearer Liverpool
The reason why Butler opposed the sale is
said to be because the merchants of Boston,
who are naturally interested in the scheme and
will be benefited by it, have opposed him and