The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1879-12-04

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 adj
vance such prudent and gradual measures of
reform as will most surely and rapidly bring
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, butt cannot be too clearly understood
that nothing adequate can be accomplished
| without cooperation on the part of Congress
| and cOnslderate 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 day. Their permanent
foundation must be laid in sound principles
and in an 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 in public station, are interested in
a pure, economical, and vigorous admin
istration. By laws enacted in 1855 and
| 1880. 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,
mission to the public service These statutes
are decision by Congress that examinations
OF some sort as to attalnments aud 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
| clal favor and partisan influence or COM
| mon rlSnt and merit we're to control the
| access to the examinations. In practice these
exammahons have not always been open to
worthy persons generally who might wish to
! be examined. Official favoritisnl and partisan
! lnnuence, as rule, appear to have designated
those who alone were permitted to go before
| the examining boards, subjecting even the exam
| liners to pressure from the friends of the can
didates very difficult to resist As a conse-
! quence, the standard of admission fell below
tnat which the public interest demanded
1t was almost inevitable that 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
obviously required. In the annual message
OF December, 1870, my predecessor declared
| that "there is no duty which so much
enfoarrasses the, Executive and heads of
departments as that of appointments, nor is
| there any such arduous and thankless labor i'm
OF hndlng places for constituents. The pres
| ent system does not secure the best
men, and often not even fit men. for
the public places. The elevation and purif-
cation of the civi: service of the Government
will be hailed with approval by the whole PEE
pie of the United States" Congress accord
ngy passed the act approved March 3, 1871.
10 regulate the civil service of the United
States aud promote the efficiency thereof" Civ
ing the necessar authority to the Executive to
Institute civil-service reform. Acting under
this statute, which was interpreted as intended
to secure q system of just and effectual exami-
nations under uniform supervision, number
Of emlnantly competent persons were selected
for the purpose, who entered with zeal upon the
tcharge of their duties, prepared with an in.
tellgent appreciation of the requirements of the
s'rVlce, the regulations contemplated and took
charge OF the examinations, and who, in their
capacity as board, have been known as the
Civil Service Commission. Congress for two
years appropriated the money needed for The
improvisation and for the expense of carving
on the work of the commission. 1t appears
from the report of the commission, submitted
to the President in April, 1874, that examlna
tons had been held III various sections of the
country, and that an appropriation of about
SO, OJU would be required to meet the annual
expenses, including salaries, involved iu
dlscharglng the duties Of the commits
sion. The report was transmitted TO
1874, with the following favorable common,
upon the labors CT the commission: IF sus-
tanned by Congress, | have no doubt the rul
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 de-
partments from influences prejudicial to good
administration. The rules, as they have hith-
erto been enforced, have resulted beneficiallv.
as is shown by the opinions Of the members of
the Cabinet and their subordinates in
the departments, and In that opinion I
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 advised
The appropriation was not made, and, as con-
sequence, the active work Of the commission
was suspended, leaving the commission itselr
still III existence without the means therefore Of
causing qualifications to be tested in any sys-
tematic manner, Or securing for the public ser
vice the advantages of competition upon any
extensive plan. [ recommended in my annual
message OF December, 1877, the making of an
appropriation for the resumption of the
work Of the commission. In the meantime,
however, competitive examinations, under
many embarrassments, have been conducted
within limited spheres in the executive depart
menGs in Washington, and in a number of the
custom houses and postoffices of the principal
cities OF the country, with q view to further
oSoo eAASAA
have been found to be as salutary as they are
stated to have been under the administration
of my predecessor l 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.
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 some time on trial,
and also from the Collector of the Port, the
Naval Officer and the Surveyor in that city,
and from the Postn1asters and Collectors in
several of the other large cities, show that the
competitive system, where applied, has in
various ways contributed to improve the
pubic service. The reports show that the
results have been salutary in marked
degree, and that the general application of
similar rules cannot fail to be of decided benefit
to the service The reports of the Government
officers in the city of New York especially
bear decided testimony to the utility of
open competitive examinations in their respect
i've offices, showing that these examinations