, 1877-05-08
APPOINTMENTS.
COMPETITIVE ExAAixATlpx.


WABntNoroN, D. t., May 7.-Tho drst gen.
eral civtt-scrvtco examination IN tho Interior
Department has been completed, and tho report
Of tho Commission made to tho Secretary.
About 6ftcen or twenty pcw clerks wcro to
be appointed in the Pension Bureau, and
about sovcnty applicants wefc examined.
The Commastoa reports describing tho method
In which tho examination was conducted nuI
giving tho result In each case. The cxarnina-
tton was q thoroughly practical one It includes
tho writing Of a letter, from which the Commits
sion Judged Of tho pcnmanshtp and general H.
teiigeSso Of tho applicant. bomc examples OK
false syntax wcrc given for tho candidates to
correct. Tho examination in orthogFaphy con-
sisted Of spelling tcn mor!s, ali OF which arc In
common use. That IN arithmetic Included til 10
most common and practical rules, uMlcr
each Of which few examples were
giyon. Thsquestlons In geography related to af-
fairs It, this country, aid wcro such as Utmost
any ono OF average intelligence could answer.
Tho percentages Of thu applicants rangcd Ill tho
way from % to zero, ard from those standing
hlghcst tho Commissioner Ut penafona IL TO
MAKE SELECTIONS,
taking into account tho particular qualiaca~
tlons of each for the work upon which ho Will
bo employed. For Instance, .soine OF thoso
whose percentages were highest Hay hayo been
deficient IN the branches With which the work
to which he will bo set mikes 1t desirable that
ho should he most familiar, and IN such caacs
some one whose general percentage WIS lower,
but whose examination in these pastlcutar
branches was moro Satisfactory, will be selected
II u curious fact thst tho Two rollc0B gradu-
ates, ono from Harvard and one from Cornell,
stood very low on the llst, whIta two coiorci
III zntf fod. MI
cd much higher percentage than either.
There WAS q noticeable alsence Of
ALL cATCN QuksI10Ns
OF conuturums among those 4ubmlttcd to tho
session of Congrcss until October will probably
cause the President 10 ruaku o uuElheF Ut Rt}-
polntmcnts which te haA been dcfcErinE until
the meeting Vt the Senate. This fact tlaa al
dates fus Important plarcs, WHO now hopa to re-
cetyo thclf commla4io1ls It IN early daJ.
has bccn causesl IN Washington aud clsewhesa
Is put d furea tho 1sw u tonxtess reqairlng a.
appUrtfonMcnt II tho clerlca1 tDsrG In tho
Treasury Department among t1u statca In tho
ratio of their population, " aeaordat,rc With .
Law whieA went Into effect on tho 1st OF
January. 1871, Tho construction put on his
announcement tn regard to thla matter was that
In caaes whcfu thu nulAbcr Of clerks from q
ztVSu btato e1seedst1 Ihe quota, tH nxsesa wefc
othuT M states made: II thIs wss dons Il would
necesa,tato tho dismissal OF sovcraa hunsire,
clerks, Including some " ho have becn IN thg
Department sfnce ledl, and whose scrylccs hare
bccome almost tnd!spen4a bio tu tho Government.
But this IL not what Secretary Sherman titcnla
to do. lie proposes to execute the law, cunstru.
Ing It to mean that IN making appointments nc
clerk shall hs selected from atatea that alseaasJ
hsye their auots, hut Foui clerks VIII not Gs
trcteh sitnb1v IN prtfcr To perfect the alls$Olut