The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1879-12-04

10 make MA On3clA action gain and honor &c
bis country. but the people the,nselves, fl,
more than their officers in public station. ar.
interested in pure, economical aud vigorou.
administratiOn.
By laws enacted in 1853 and 1856, and nov
in substance incorporated in the revised stat
utes. the practice of arbitrary appointments t
the subordinate grades in the departments va,
condemned, and examinations a. to capacity.
to be conducted by Departmental: b. ards of *.
amlners, were provided for and made ct,ndi-
tious OF admission to the public service. These
atatutcs 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 ~ to
the character Of these examinations, and
whether Official favor aud partisAn influence, or
common right and merit, were to control ac-
cess to tho examinations in practice. These
examinations have not always been open to
worthy persons generally. who might wish to
be examined. Official favoritism and partisan
influences ~ rule, appear to hsvo
design ted those who alone were
subjecting even the examiners to . pressure
from the friends of the candidates very difficult
to resist Al consequence the standard of ad-
mission fell below that which the public inter-
eat demanded. 1t Was also alipoat inevitable
that system which provides for various boards
OF examiuers with no common supervision or
uniform measure of procedure should result in
confusion and inadequate tests Of capacity
highly detrime Dtal to the public interests. 4
further and more radical change was obviously
reqAired.
In the annual mcsssao of December, 1870.
my predecessor declared that ''tbere is no duty
which 90 embarrasses the executive and heads
of departments "a that Of appointments, nor
il there any such arduous and thaukless labors
imposed on Senators and Representatives ss
finding places for commitments. The present
system does not secure the best men and often
does not tit men for public places. The eleva-
tion and publication of the civil service Of the
goternment will be hailea with approval by
the whole people Of the United States.'
Congress accordingly passed the act ap-
proved March 3, 1871, to regulate the civil ser
vice of the United States aud promote the eff
iclency thereof, giving the necessary autho,i'
ity to the executive to inxugurste civil ser
vice reforu. Acting under the statute, which
was interpreted Is intending to secure a system
of tuat and etfectuAl examinations under nni-
form supervision, = number Of eminently COM
petent peraons were 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 ~ = board, haye
been known a. the civil ser 7ice 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-
dent in April, 1874, that examinations had
been held in various sections Of the country.
and that on appropr alton of about US, 100
would be required to meet tho annual ex-
penses, including the salaries involved. The
report wss transmitted to Congress hy special
message on April Is, 1874. with the following
favorable comment upon the labors of the COM
mission: IF sustained by Congress, have
no doubt tbs rules CAD. after the experience
gained. be TO improved and enforced Us to still
more materially benefit the public service and
relieve the executive, members of Congress and
the heads Of departments from Influences pref
udicial to good administration. The rules, ~
they have hitherto been enforced, have result
ed benehclally as is shown by thu opinions of
the members of the cabinet and their subo,di-
Mates in the departments, and in that opinion
CONCUR"
Aud in the annual message Of December Of
the same year similar views are expressed.
and An appropriation f.r continuing the work
of the commission again advised. Tho sppro-
priation waa not made. and as consequence
the active work Of the commissioners was sus.
pended, leaving the commission itseif in ex.
istence without the means therefor of causing
qualifications to be tested in any systematic
manner, or of securing for the public service
the advantages Of competition upon any ex-
tensive plan.
recommended in my annual message OF
December, 1877, the making of An appropria-
tion for the resumption Of the work
owever, competitive examinations under
many embarrassmen;s: hnye been conducted
within limited spheres in the executive d.
partments IN Washington and in q number OF
the custom, honses and postofHces nf the prin-
cipal cities Of the country, with view 10 fur
ther test their effects, and in every instance
have been found to be as salutary as they arc
stated to be under the administration Of my
pr deccssor. think the economy, purity and
efficiency of the public service would be
greatly promoted by their systemstic iutro-
duction, wherever practicable throughout the
entire civil service Of the government, togeth.
er with ample provision for their general
supervision, in order to eecure consiatency and
uniform Justice.
Report" from the secretary Of the interior.
from the postmaster general. from the post
msster in the city of New York, where suck
examinations have been for some time on trial,
and ALSO from the collector Of the port the ma
val officers and the hurveyor in that city, and
from the postmaatcrs 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 reaults have been
salutary in a marked degree,
and that general application
of similar rules cannot fail to be . decided
benefit to the service. The reports Of the gov
eminent officer. 10 the city Ut New York es-
pecialiy, bear decided testimony to the utility
Of open competitive examination in their re-
spectivc Offices, showing that theae examina-
tions and the excellent qualifications of those
submitted to the service through them have
had = marked effect upon the per~ons previ-
ously In the service. and particularly upon
tht 10 aspiring to promotion. There has been
on the part of the latter an increased
to extend acquaintance with it beyond tho 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 had IN opportunity to thoroughly iuvesti-
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, aud several of them
have publicly atteated their favorable opinion.
Upon auch consideration I deem it my duty
t. renew tho Recommendation contained in my
annual message December, 1877, requesting
Congress to make the necessary sppropria-
ti0ns for the resumption of the work Of the
civil service commission. Economy will be
promoted by authorizing moderate compen-
may perform extra labor upon OR under the
commission, rs the executive may direct l
am convinced that if = just and adequate teat
OF merit 10 enforced for nd mission to the ruh-
lie service in making prom otions. snch abuses
n removals without good cause, and partisan
and official interference with tho proper exer-
cises ut the appointing power, will in large
measure disappear.
There Ae other administrative abuses to
which the attention of Congress should be
asked in this connection. Mere partisan sp.
Pointluents and the constant peril of removal
without cause, very naturally lead to an ab-
sorbing and mischevious political activity on
the part Of those thus appointed, which net
onlyinterferes with the duo discharge Of official
duty. out ia Incompatible with the freedom OF
elections. Not without warrant III the views OF
several of my predecessors in tho Presidential
office and directly within the Law Of 1871 al.
ready cited, endeavored by regulation made
ON the I'D day of June, 1877, to put some rea-
soDable limita to such abuses.
H. may not be easy and it may never, per
haps, be necessary to define with precision the
proper limit Of political action On tho part oi
tedcral officers, but while their right to hold
and freely express their opinions can not be
questioned, iti very plain that they should
hn al ~oA