Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1878-05-16
Genuine Civil Service in the New York
Post-0Mce.

Under Mr. James's administration q sys-
ten Of genuine civil service has grown up.
lie has steadily resisted the demands OF
politicians that good clerks shall be remov-
I'd on account Of their LACK OF efficiency In
ward politics. IL is said TO be beautiful
sight 10 see him send for a superintendent
aud ask what kind of man the clerk Is, 10
the presence OF the statesmen" of the As
sembly district who are urging his removal.
\ good report from the superintendent,
and polite, You see, gentlemen, that It
is impossible to remove him. ends 1t, ex-
cept thaG the ward statesmen never think
well OF the postmasters efficiency amer
that.
There is 4 notion prevalent that with
every change OF postmaster pretty clean
sweep OF employees is made. But only one
hundred and four removals have BEEN made
In Postmaster Jsmes's five years, aud of
this number eighty were Tor drunkenness.
This Vice at one dime made sad havoc
among the rank and file OF employees; but
there j. at present an efficient post-olilce
temperance society, and there have been
some remarkable reformatIOns, while
sentiment 10 favor OF temperance has diff
Gnice
While others have advocated ii ia theory,
Postmaster james has exemplitiel civil
service In practice. Promotions and salar-
les are nov based partly on length of ser
vice, partly on careful system OF testing
the correctness or work done, partly on
conduct, and partly on periodical re"eS'
animation. This examination IS not a test
Of the clerks knowledge Of the names OF
the extinct volcanoes IN the moon, but
trial of hi eXpertness IN his work For in-
stance, the clcrNS y no are distributing mat
ter in the mailing department were recent
ly required to place correctly 2,2UO cards,
containing the names OF all the post-oiiices
in Ohio, In a series OF pigeon holes labeled
with the names ot the counties in that state.
one man succeeded In making the di>trl-
button in Two hours and twenty minutes,
with only thirteen errors. The best man
at the New York table was yet more re-
mark able. he put the whole Two Thousand
eight hundred and forty cards bearing the
names Of the post-otiices in this state luto
their proper counties in one hundred and
i've minutes, with but single error. A
while ago, there was a competition for the
vacant chief clerkship at table, and the
lowest man OF all. by sheer excellence,
took the place.
Nearly all the higher officers OF the New
\ FORK post-OtiiCe have come up from the
ranks. Even Mr. Pearson, the assistant
postmaster rose from cierkship in the of
nee anu pdsstJ tiilOu NiiC 'aA 4Vu7 = '"'|7
III the railway postal service (of which he
was one OF the originators) before attain
ing his present position; Mr. Gaylor. gen
eral superintendent of the city delivery,
began as a 5000 clerk; Mr.. Forester -u
peTiuteudent OF the registry departmeh1,
began as 5000 clerk in the dish lbutlou
department; also Mr.. Wareng, the assis-
tant general superintendent of the mailing
department, told me frankly that he came
in a porter. Mr. Yeomau, the superin-
tenjent of the same department, began as
a stamper. on a salary OF three hundred
year, aud so on through the list All but
one of the nineteen superiutendehts oil
branches entered as clerks. In short, here
i civil service Of the most approved kind
In ful operation in the best conducted
of all the government Institutions.
The clerks are quite satisfied 10 go down
It they are beaten down. Under the old
system, a man in the post-ofiice had but
little chance Tor promotion, except by the
intrigue OF some political clique. In giving
men a chance to be something. and per-
pctual stimulus TO their ambition, Mr..
James has undoubtedly wrought marvel
Gus Improvement in the service. But he
has done better than that: for by opening
a Loor OF hope to man one makes hun
man. Men no longer expect removal on
the caprice of a ward committee. The OF
fee offers them a career, and they have
every stimulus 70 a fathfulness and excel
lence 1t is found that the least efficient
clerks in the office are generally those
backed by the most eminent names, while
the poor fellows who have no hope but in
winding the favor of their snperiors by
fidelity aud excellence are altogether the
most valuable -Ed,1ard Eggleston, lScrib-
ner for My.