Stevens County tribune. (Morris, Minn.) 1877-1880, 1879-12-04

principles emo in an experience which demon
strates their wisdom, and exposes the errors #
their adversaries. Every wo thy officer desires
to make his official action gain and honor to
his country but the people themselves, far
more than their officers in public station, are
interested in pure, economical and vigorous
administration.
By laws enacted in 1853 and 1855, and now
| in substance incorporated in the revised stat
utes the practice of arbitrary appointments to
| the subordinate grades in the departments was
| condemned, and examinations as to capacity,
| To be conducted by departmental boards OF ex-
amlners, were provided for and made condi-
tions of admission to the public service. These
statutes are decision by Congress that exam
| nations of some sort to attainments and
| capacity, are essential to the we'll being OF the
| public service. The important questions since
| the enactment of these laws have been as to
| the character of these examinations, and
whether official favor and partisan influence, or
common right and merit, we're to control ac-
| cess to the examinations in practice. These
| examinations have not always been open to
| worthy persons generally, who might wish 60
be examined. Official favoritism and partisan
| influence, as rule, appear to have
| design tied those who alone were
permitted TO 60 before the examining board,
subjecting even the examiners to q pressure
from the friends of the candidates very difficult
to resist. AS 3 consequence the standard or al"
!
est demanded. 1t was also almost inevitable
that system which provides for various boards
| of examiners with no common supervision or
| q inform measure of procedure should result IN
confusion and inadequate tests OF capacity
| highly detrime ntal to the public interests.
| further and more radical change was obviously
| req tired.
In the annual message of December, 1870,
my Predecessor declared that there is no duty
which embarrssses the executive and heads
of departments rs that Of appointments, nor
is there auy such arduous and thankless labors
Imposed ON Senators and Representatives as
| finding places for constituents. The present
System does not secure the best men and often
does not tit men for public places. The eleva-
| ton and publication of the civil service of the
government will be hailed with approval by
the whole people of the United States"
Congress accordingly passed the act APP
proved March 8, 1871, to regulate the civil ser
| vice of the United States and promote the eff
fcency thereof, giving the necessary authort'
ivy to the executive to iuaugurate civil ser
vice reform. Acting under the statute, which
was interpreted as intending to secure system
of Just and tffectual examinations under uni
firm supervision, number of eminently COM
peteut persons we're selected for the pur-
pose. who entered with zeal upon
the discharge of the duties pre-
pared, with an Intelligent appreciation of the
requirements of the service and regulations,
and who, in their capacity az board, have
been known as the civil ser rice commissioners.
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 re-
| port of the o .mmissiOn submit ted to the PTesl-
dent IN April, 1874, that examinations had
been held in various sections of the country,
| and that an apprOpr alton of about $50, UV0
would be required to meet the annual ex-
penses, including the salaries involved. The
report was transmitted to Congress by special
me, sage ON April IL, 1874, with the following
favorable comment upon the Iahors OF the COM
mission: "lf sustained by Congress, have
no doubt the rules can, after the experience
gained, be so improved and enforced as to still
more materially benefit the public service and
relieve the executive, members of Congress and
the heads of departments from influences pref
Judicial to good administration. The rules. az
they have hitherto been enforced, have result
| I'd benehclally as is shown by tbs opinions of
the members of the cabinet and their subordi-
mates in the departments, and in that opinion
| CONCUR"
And in the annual message of December of
| the same year similar views expressed,
and an appropriation f~r continuing the work
of the commission again advised. The appro-
priation was not made, ana as a consequence
the active work of the commissioners was sus-
| pended, leaving the commission itself in
istence without the means therefor of causing
qualifications to be tested in any systematic
|
the advantages Of competition upon any exc
tensive plan.
recommended in my annual message of
December, 1877, the making of an apprOpria-
| ton for the resumption of the work
Of the commission. In the meantime,
owever, competitive examinations under
many embarrassments. have been conducted
within Limited spheres in the executive d.
} partments In Washington and in number Of
the custom houses and postOfiices of the prin-
cipal cities of the country, with view to fur
Their test their effects, and in every instance
have been found to be as salntary as they are
stated to be under the administration of my
! pr decessor. ] 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-
! er with ample provision for their general
, supervision, in order to secure consistency and
, uniform Justice.
Reports from the secretary of the interior,
from the post master 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 ra-
{ val officers and the surveyor in that city, and
from the pOstmasterR and collectors in several
of the other large cities, sh That the COMPETE
tive system, where applied, has in various
ways. contributed to improve the public service.
The reports show that the results have been
salutarY in marked degree,
! and that general application
of similar rules cannot fail to be a 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-
epective offices, showing that these examine
! tious and the excellent qualifications of those
submitted to the service through them have
had a marked effect upon the persons previ-
, OuslT the service. and particularly upon
| xh,o IN hooh
. on the part of the latter An 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 examine
: tiOn have been attended by many citizens, who
= have had an opportunity to thoroughly investi-
gate the scope and character of the tests, and
: the method of determining the results, and
those visitors have without exception approved
the methods employed, and several of them
have publicly attested their favorable opinion.
Upon such consideration deem it my duty
to renew the recommendation contained in my
annual message December, 1877, requesting
; Congress to make the necessary apprupria-
! tiOns for the resum ption of the Work of the
Z civil service commission. Economy will be
: promoted by authorizing moderate compen-
] s.tion o .. rsOns in the public service who
) may perform extra labor upon or under the
commission, as the executive may direct. /
2 am convinced that if just and adequate test
o OF merit is enforced for admission to tie pub.
, lie service In making promotions, such abuses
q "a removals without good cause, and partisan
and official interference with the proper exer-
D | cises Of the appointing power will in q large
9 measure disappear.
o There ale ether administrative abuses to
: which the attention of Congress should be
asked In this connection. Mere partisan APP
pOlntments and the constant peril of removal
without cause, very naturally lead to an alb
9 s0rblng and mischeviuus political activity on