The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1879-12-04

congress, nave no QOuDC Gne rules can. at
ter the experience gained, be 40 improved anl
enforced as to materially benefit the public
service and relieve the Executive, members
OF Congress, and the heads of departments
| from influences prejudcial to good admins
tration. The rules, as they have hitherto
been enforced, have resulted beneficlaly, 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 advised
| The appropriation was not made, and
as Il Consequence, the active work of
the c ,mnissi0n was suspended, leaving the
commission itself still in existence. without
the means, therefore. of causing qualifca-
tiors to be tested in any systematic manner,
or OF securing for the public service the adj
| vantages of competition upon an extensive
plan. recommended in my annual Mes
sage 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 de-
partments in Washington. and ia number
OF the Custom houses and Post Offices Of
the principal cities Of the country, with =
view to further test their effects, and i'm eve
| ry instance they have been found as salutary
as they are stated to have been under the
administration 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 ser
vice OF the Government, together with am
pie 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 Postmaster 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 Survey or
in that city, and from the rostmasters and
Collectors in several of the other large
cities, show that the competitive system,
where applied, has in various ways contrib
nted to improve the public service. The re-
ports show that the results have been salu
tary in marked degree. and that the gem
eral application Of similar rules cannot fail
to be of decided benefit to the service. The
reports of Government officers in the city of
New York, especially, bear decided testimo
ny to the utility of open competitive exam
nations in their respective offices, showing
that ''these examinations and the excellent
qualifications of those admitted to the SER
vice through them, have had marked Incl
dental effect upon the persons previously in
the service, and particularly upon those as
piring to promotion. There has been, on
the part of these latter, an increased inter-
est in the work, and desire to extend &C.
quaintance with it beyond a particular desk,
and thus the morale of the entire force has
been raised. The examinations have been
attended by many citizens, who have had
an opportunity to thoroughly investigate the
scope and character of the tests and the
methods OF determining the results, and
those visitors have, without exception APP
proved the modes employed, and several of
Jhem have publicly aGtested their favorable
opinion upon such considerations [ deem
it my duty to renew the recommendation
contained in my annual Message of Decem-
Der, 1877, requesting Congress TO make the
necessary appropriation for the resumption
of the work of the Civil Service Reform.
Economy will be promoted by authorizing
moderate compensation to persons in tine
public service who may perform extra labor
upon or under the comm ission, as the Execu-
tive may direct.
am convinced that il just and definite
test OF merit is enforced for admission to the
public service and in making promotions,
such abuses as removal without good cause
and partizan and official interference with
the proper exercise of the appointing power,
will, IN large measure disappear. There
are other administrative abuses to which the
attention of Congress should be asked in
this connection. Mere partizan appoint
pointment and the constant peril of removal
without cause very naturally lead to an alb
sorbing and mischevous political activity on
fha RI nf fhrra
only interferes with the due discharge of
official duty, but is incompatible with the
freedom of elections. Not without war;
rant, in the view of several of my predeces-
sors in the Presidential office, and dire tly
in accordance with the law of 1871, already
cited, endeavOred, by regulation made on
the 22nd OF June, 1877, to put some reason
able limits to such abuses.
1t may not be easy, and it may never. pre-
haps, be necessary to define with precision
the proper limit of political ton on the
part of Federal officers. But while their
right to hold and freely express their opin-
ions csnnot be questioned, it is very plain
That they should neither be allowed to devote
TO other subjects the time needed for the
proper discharge of their official duties. nor
to use the authority of their office to enforce
their own opinions, or to coerce the political
action OF those who hold different opinions.
Reasons OF justice and public policy quite
analogous to those which forbid the use of
Official power for the suppression of the pri-
vate citizen impose upon the Government
the duty OF protecting its officers and agents
from arbitrary exactiOns. In whatever as
pect considered, the practice of making lev
les for party purposes upon the salaries of
officers is highly demoralizing TO the public
service and discreditable to the country
Though an officer should be as free as any
other citizen to give his own money in aid
OF his opinions or his party, he should also be
as free as any other citizen to refuse to make
such gifts. If salaries are but fair com
pensatiOn for the time and labor of the Off
GERS, it is gross injustice to levy tax upon
them. If they are made excessive in order
that they may bear the tax, the excess is an
indirect robbery of the public funds. 1 re-
commend, therefore, such revision and ex
tension OF present statutes as shall secure
to those in every grade of official life or pub
lie employment the protection with which
great and enlightened nation should guard
those who are faithful in its service.
The appropriation for judicial expenses,
which has heretofore been made for the De-
partment of Justice in gross, was subdivided
at last session of Congress, and no appropria-
tion whatever was made for the payment of
GIC ICES VI I1hISualS anu CQeII QeDutl0S.
either in the service Of process or for the
discharge of other duties, and since June 80
these officers have continued the perform
ance of their duties without compensation
from the Government, taking upon them.
selves the necessary incidental outlaws as we'll
as rendering their own services. In only a few
unavoidable instances has the proper execu-
ton OF the process of the United States
failed by reason OF the absence of the reuu.
sit appropriation. This course Of official
conduct on the part of these officers, highly
creditable to their fidelity, was advised by
the Attorney General, who informed them,
however, that they would necessarily have
to rely for their compensation upon the
prospect Of future legislation by Congress.
| therefore especially recommend that i'm
mediate appropriation be made by Congress
for this purpose. The act making the prin-
cipal appropriation for the Department of
Justice at previous sessions has uniformly
contained the following clause, And for
defraying the expenses which NAV be in.
Cured ia the enforcement of the act approved
February %, 1870, entitled An act to amend
an act approved May 80, 1870. entitled An |
act to enforce the right of citizens of the
United States to vote in the several States
of the United States, and for other purposes,