The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1879-12-13

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rewards of past services, their bestOwal upon
any theory which dsregards personal merit is
an act of injustice to the citizen, as well as
breach OF that trust subject to which the ap
pointing power is held. In the light Of these
principles it becomes of great importance to
provide just and adequate near g. especially for
every department and large administrative Of
flee, where personal discrimination on the part
OF 1ts head Is not practicable for ascertaining
those qualifications to which appointment
and removals should have reference
To fail to provide such means is not only to
deny the opportunity of ascertaining the facts
upon which the most righteous claim TO Office
depend, but of necessity to discourage al
worthy aspirants by handing over appoint
ments and removals TO mere influence and
favOritlsm II it is the right of the worthest
claimant TO gain the appointment, and the in
terest Of the people to bestow it upon him,
1t would seem clear that wise and
just method OF ascertaining person
al fitness for Office must needs be
an important and permanent function of every
just and wise Government 1t has long since
become impossible in the great offices for these
having the duty of nomination and appoint
ment to personally examine into the individual
qualifications of more than a small proportion
Of those seeking office, and with the enlarge
ment of civil service that proportion must con-
hnue to become less In the earlier years of
the Government the subordinate offices were 8
few in number that it was easy for those max
ing appointments and promotions to personally
ascertain the merits of the candidates
Party managers and methods had then
become powerful agents of coercion hos
tile to the. free and just exercise OF
the appointing power. large and
responsible part of the duty of restoring the
civil service to the desired purity and efficiency
rests upon the President; and it has been my
purpose to do what is within my power to ad-
vance such prudent and gradual measures of
reform will anr1lv and "a mildly hrjnp
about that radical change of system essential
to make our administrative methods satisfac
tory to free and intelligent people by proper
exercise OF authority. 1t is in the power of
the Executive to do much to promote such a
reform, but it cannot be TOO clearly understood
that nothing adequate can be accomplished
without cooperation on the part of Congress
and considerate and intelligent support
among the people. Reforms which challenge
the generally accepted theories Of parties and
demand changes in the methods of departments
are not the work of a day. Their permanent
foundation must be laid in sound principles
and III al experience which demonstrates their
wisdom and exposes the errors of their adver-
saries. Every worthy officer desires to make
his official action an honor to his country But
the people themselves far more than their Off
GERS III public station, are interested in
pure, economical, and vigorous admin
istration. BY laws enacted in 1853 and
1855. and now in substance incorporated in
the Revised Statutes, the practice OF arbitrary
appointments to the several subordinate grades
In the great departments was condemned, and
examinations as to capacity, to be conducted
by the Departmental Boards of Examiners,
were provided for and made conditions Of adj
mission to the public service. These statutes
are decision by Congress that examinations
of some sort as to attainments and capacity are
| essential to the well-being of the public ser
vice. The important questions since the en-
actment of these laws have been as to the char
acter Of these examinations, and whether Off
cial favor and partisan influence or COM
mon right and merit were to control the
access to the examinations. In practice these
examinations have not always been open to
worthy persons generally who might wish to
| be examined Official favoritism and partisan
| influence, as rule, appear to have designated
| those who alone were permitted to so before
| the examining boards subiecting even the exam
lners to & pressure from the friends of the can
didates very difficult to resist. AS a conse-
| quence, the standard Of admission fell below
| that which the public interest demanded.
1t was almost inevitable that a system
| which provided for various separate
| boards of examiners, with no com
mon supervision or uniform method OF
| procedure, shonld result in confusion, in
consistency, and inadequate tests of capacity
| highly detrimental to the public interest
| A further and more radical change was
| obviously required. In the annual message
| that "there is no duty which so much
| embarrasses the Executive and heads OF
| departments as that OF appointments, nor If
| there any euch arduOus and thankless labor i'm
| posed on Senators and Re representatives. as thai
of finding places for constituents. The pres
| ent system does not secure the bes
| tie public places The elevation and purif
| cation of the civil service Of the Government
will be hailed with approval by the whole pee
| pie of the United States" Congress accord
! lngly passed the act approved March 5, 1871
To regulate the civil service OF the United
| states and promote the efficiency thereof" Civ
| ing the necessary authority to the Executive to
| institute a civil-service reform Acting under
| this statute, which WAS interpreted as intended
| to secure a system of just and effectual exami-
| nations under uniform supervision a number
| of emln2ntly competent persons were selected
| for the purpose, who entered with zeal upon the
scharge of their duties, prepared with an in
telligent appreciation of the requirements of the
| service, the regulations contemplated, and took
| charge of the examinations, aud who in then
| capacity board, have been known as the
| Civil Service Commission. Congress for two
| years appropriated the money needed for the
compensation and for the expense Of carrying
on the work of the commission 1t appears
! from the report of the commission, submitted
to the President in April, 1874, that examlna-
tiOns had been held ia various sections of the
| country, and that an appropriation of about
| expenses, including salaries, involved in
dischargng the duties Of the commits
sion. The report was transmitted to
Congress by special message of April IS,
| 1874, with the following favorable comment
upon the labOrs Of the commlssion IF sus-
tanned by Congress- l have no doubt the rul, s
can. after the experience gained, be 80 improved
and enforced as to still more materially benefit
| the public service, and relieve the Executive,
members of Congress, and the heads Of dc
inf
| administration. The rules, as they have hith-
erto been enforced, have resulted beneficialIv,
as Is shown by the opinions of the members Of
the Cabinet and their subordinates in
the departments, and in that opinion !
concur" And in the annual message OF
December of the same year similar views are
expressed, and an appropriation for continuing
the work Of the commission again advise !.
| The appropriation was not made, and, as con
sequence, the active work Of the commission
waa suspended, leaving the commission itseli
still ia existence without the means therefore OF
causing qualifications to be tested in any sya-
tematic manner, or securing for the public ser
vice the advantages or competition upon any
extensive plan. ] recommended in my annual
message of December, 1877, the making of au
appropriation for the resumption Of the
work of the commission. In the meantime,
however, competitive examinations, uudG.
many embarrassments. have been conducted
within limited spheres in the executive depart
men5s in Washington, and in number Of the
custom houses and postoffices of the principal
cities of the country, with a view to further
test their effects, and IN every instance they
have been found to be as salutary they are
stated TO have been under the sdministra ton
of my predecessor. ! think the economy,
purity and efficiency of the public service
would be greatly promoted by their systematic
introduction, wherever practicable, throughout
the entire civil service Of the Government,
together with ample provision for their general
supervision, in order to secure consistency and
uniform justice.