Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1879-12-04


qualifications to be tested In any systematic
manner, or OF securing for the public service
the advantages Of compctition upon any ex-
tensive plan. ~.
I recommended in my annual message Of
Deoember, 1877, the making Of an appropris-
ton for the resumption sof the work
Of the commission. TN the meantime,
however,. competitive examinations under
many endorsements, have been conducted
within limited spheres in the executive de.
partments ~ Washington and in Q number of
the custom houses and postofices 81 eprin-
opal oitles OF the country. with view to fur
tnef test thelr effects, and in every instance
have been found TO be a. ssalutary as they are
stated to be under the administration Of my
predecessor. ] think the economy, purity and
efficiency of the public service would be
greatly promoted by their systematic intro
duction, wherever practicable throughout the
entire civil service Of the government, togeth-
or with ample provision for their general
supervision, IN order to secure constituency aid
uniform justice. g ;. na@ ESQ
Reports from the secretary Of the interior,
from the postmaster general. from the post
master in the city Of New York, where such
examinations have been for some time on trial,
and also from the collector Of the port, the ma
val officers and the surveyor in that city, and
from the postmasters and collectors in several
OF the other large cities, sh w that the competi.
tive system. where applied has in various
The reports show that the results have been
salutary in T." a. marked degree,
aud that \, I,.sgeneraI :; application
of similar rules cannot fail to be q decided
benefit to the service. The reports of the gov
eminent officers in the city Of New York es-
pecially, bear decided testimony to the utility
OF open competitive examination in their re-
lions and the excellent qualifications, of those
submitted to the service through them have
had a marked effect upon the persons previ-
ously IN the service, and particularly upon
those aspiring to promotion. There has been
on the part of the latter al increased
interest in the work and . desire
to extend acquaintance with it beyond the par
ticular desk occupied, and thus the morale OF
the entire force has been raised. The examina-
ton have been attended by many citizens, who
have bad an opportunity to thoroughly investi:
gate the scope and character of the tests, and
the method of determining 1.-The results, and
those visitors have without exception approved
the methods employed, and several of them
have publicly attested their favorable opinion
~ pun nACA COuoANo1AS3Ou uCCA4 ~ AAy Outy
to renew the recommendation contained in my
annual message December, 1877, requesting
Congress to make the necessary appropria'
| tions for the resumption Of the work of the
civil service commission. Economy will be
| promoted by authorizing q moderate compen'
| sation to persons in the public service who
| may perform extra labor upon or under The
| commission, as the executive may direct. ]
| am convinced that If q just and adequate test
| of merit is enforced for admission to the pub
| lie sc rvice in making promotions such abuses
| "a removals without good cause and partisan
| and official interference with the proper exer
cises Of the appointing power, will in large
| measure disappear.
There ale other administrative abuses tc
which the attention of Congress should b
| asked in this connection. Mere partisan ap
pointments and the constant peril of remova
without cause, very naturally lead to an ab
sorbing and mischevious political activity OF
the part of those thus appointed, which ne
onlyinterferes with the due discharge of of6cia
duty, but is incompatible With the freedom o.
elections. Not without warrant in the views Of
| several of my predecessors in the Presidential
Office, and directly within the law of 1871 al
ready cited, I endeavored by regulation made
on the 22d day of June, 1877, to put some rea
sonable limits to such abuses.
H. may not be easy and it may never, per
haps, be necessary to define with precision tht
proper limit of political action ON the part O.
federal officers, but while their right to lholc
and freely express their opinions can not b,
questioned, it is very plain that they should
neither be allowed to devote to other subject.
the time needed for the proper discharge o.
their official duties, nor to use the authority O.
their Office to enforce their own opinions or t,
coerce the political action of those who holt
different opinions. Reasons of justice ani
public policy, quite analogous to those which
| forbid ho v,ao 0f official FIR ho
sion of the private citizen, impose upon tn
government the duty of protecting its officer
and agents from arbitrary exactions.
In whatever aspect considered, the practice
of making levies for party purposes upon tn
salaries of officers, is highly demoralizing t
the public service and discreditable to tn,
country. Though an officer should be as FREE
in aid of his opinion or his party, he SHOULD
alsI be a. free as any other citizen t.
refuse to make such gifts. If salarie
are but fair compensation for time and labo
of the officers it is gross injustice to levy ia,
upon them. lfthey are made excessive in or
der that they may bear tar, the excess is in
direct robbery Of the public funds.
Recommend therefore such o revision AMI
extension of the present statutes as shall &c
cure to those in every grade of official life o.
public employment, the protection with whicl
q great and enlightened nation should guard
those who are faithful in it's service.
FOREIGN RELATIONS.
Our relations with foreign countries have con
| tinued peaceful. With Great Britain there ar
still unsettled questions growing out of tn
laws of the maritime provinces, and the actor
of provincial authorities deemed to be in dero
CATION of rights secured by treaty to American
fishermen, the United States minister in Lon
don has been instructed to present deman,
for SIC, $50, 502 in view of damages received b,
American citizens at Fortune Bay on the 6tl
day of January, 1873. The subject has beef
government and an early reply is an
ticipated. Upon the completion o
the necessary preliminary examinations the sub
| ject of our participation in the provincial fish
cries as regulated by treaty will at once b
brought to the attention of the British gov
eminent with view to an early and permanen
settlement of the whole question, which wa
only temporarily adjusted by the treaty Q
Efforts have been made to obtain the remov
al of restrictions found injurious to the e4
portation of cattle to the United Kingdom
Some correspondence has also occurred wit
regard to the rescue and saving Of life an.
property upon the lakes. which has resulted il
important notifications of the previous regu
lation of the dominion government on this sub
ject in the interest of humanity and commerce
In accordance with the joint resolution o
the last session of Congress, commissioner
were appointed to represent the United State
at the two international exhibitions in Aus
tralia, one of which is now in progress at Sgd
ney and the other to be held next year in Mel
bourne, a desire has been expressed by mer
chants and manufacturers interested jim the i'm
portant and growing trade with Australia, tina
an increased provision should be made by Con
gress for the representation of our Industries a
the Melbourne exhibition of next year, and tn
subject in respectfully submitted. to you
favorable consideration.
The assent of the government has been give1
| to the landing on the coast of Massachusetts o
a new and Independent transatlantic cabl
between France, by way of the French islam
st. Pierre, and this country, subject to any fu
ture legislation of Congress on the subject
The conditions imposed before allowing con
nection with our shores to be established, ar
such as secure its competition with any. exist
ing or future lines of marine Gable
and preclude amalgamation herewith, an
provide for ap entire equality of rights to on
government and people with those Of Frsnce i
the qsO of the cable, and prevent any exclusly
possession of the privilege ~ accorded b
France to the disadvantage of any future cabl
communication between France and the Unite
States which may be projected and accom-
Il plished by our citizens.
An important reduction of the presen
rates on cable communication wit
Europe, which is felt to be too burdenscme t
the interests of our commerce, must necessaril
flow from the Establishment of this competin
line. The attention of Congress was drawn t
the propriety of some general regulation q
Congress of the whole subject of transmarin
cables by my predecessor, in his message q
December z, 1875, and I respectfully submit t
your consideration tho Importance of Cor
gressional action in this matter.
The. questions of grave Importance wit
Spain growing. ont of the intcidenta of th