The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1879-12-01

uuuuTW supervision, numDef oI en-
+ nently competent persons were salectC
for the purpose, who entered with So
4 upon the discharge OF their duties, pr
. pared, With an intelligent appreciation I
: the requirements OF the service, the reg
j. lattons contemplated aud took charge
the. examinations, and who, In their q
pacity as board, have been known as th
: civil Service Commission" CongreS
Tor two years appropriated the none
needed for the compensation and for th
expense Of carrying on the work Of tn
Commission.
1tappears from the report Of tue Com
mission, submitted TO the President i
April, 1874, that examinations had hesl
held In various sections OF the country
and that an appropriation OF about S25,
OOO would be required TO meet the annua
expenses, including salaries, involved II
discharging the duties Of the Commission
The report was transmitted to Congress
by special message OF April IS, 1874, will
the following favorable comment upon the
labers OF the Commission: "It sustained
by Congress. ! have no doubt the rule:
can, after the experience gained, be &C
enforced as to still more materially benefit
the public service and relieve the Execu.
tive, Members Of Congress, and the heads
OF Departments, from influences prejudi-
cial to good administration. The rules,
as they have hitherto been enforced, have
resulted benefcially, as Is shown by the
opinions Of the members Of the Cabinet
and their subordinates in the Departments,
aud in that opinion | concur" Aud 10
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 consequence, the active work Of the
Commission was suspended, leaving the
Commission itself stillin existence. With
out the means, therefore, OF causing Quail.
ications % be tested in any systematic
manner, or OF securing for the public ser.
vice the advantages OF competition upon
Nny extensive plan, recommended in nv
annual message OF December, 1877, the
making Of an appropriation for the re.
sumption OF the work Of the Commission.
SATISFACTORY EXPERIMENTS.
In the meantime, however, competitive
examinations under many embarrass.
ments have been conducted within limited
spheres In the Executive Departments In
Washington, and in number OF the Gus.
tom Houses and Postoificcs OF the princi.
pal cities OF the country, with view to
further test their effects, and, in every In.
stance, they have been found to be as
salutary as they. are stated 10 have been
under the administration OF my predeces-
sor. think the economy, purity and Of.
fclenCy of the public service would be
greatly promoted by their systematic in.
production. wherever practicable, through.
out the entire civil service OF the Govern.
ment, together with ample provision ior
their general supervision, In order to
secure consistency and uniform justice.
Reports from the Secretary OF the lutte.
rlor 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, aud the sur
veyor in that city, and from the posttaas.
ters and collectors in several OF the other
large cities, show that the competitive sys-
tenn, where applied, has, in various ways,
contributed 10 improve the public service.
The repOrtsshow that the results have
been salutary in a marked degree, and that
the general application OF similar rules
cannot fail to be OF decided benefit 10 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 respec-
tive Offices showing that "these examina-
tions, and the excellent qualifications Of
those admitted to the service through them
have had marked incidental effect upon
the persons previously in tine service, and
particularly upon those aspiring 10 pro.
motion. There has been, on the part OF
these latter, an increased interest in the
work, and desire to extend acquaintance
with 1t beyond the particular desk oCCu.
pied, and thus the morale OF the entire force
has been raised. The examina.
tions have been attended by many citizens
who have had an opportunity to thorough.
ly investigate the scope and character Of
the tests and the method OF determining
the results, and those visitors have, with.
out exception, approved the methods EN-.
ployed, and several OF them have publicly
attested their favorable opinion"
Upon such considerations, I deem 1t my
duty to renew the recommendation con.
tanned in myannual message OF December,
1877, requesting Congress to make the
necessary approprition for the resumption
ot the work Of the Civil Service Commits
sion. Economy will be promoted by au-
thorizing a moderate compensation to per-
sons in the public service who may per.
form extra labor upon or under the Com
mission, as the Executive may direct.
am convinced that II a Just aud ade.
quate test of merit is enforced for admis-
sion 10 the public service and in making
promotions, such abuses as removals with
out good cause and partisan and official
interference with the proper exercise OF
disappointing power, will in large meas.
ure disappear.
rEBIL OF PARTISAN APPOINTMENTS.
There are other administrative abuses
to which the attention OF Congress should
be asked in this connection. Mere parti.
san appointments, and the constant re.
moyal without cause, very naturally lead
to an absorbing and mischievous political
activity, on the part Of those thus appoint.
ed, which not only interferes with the
due discharge Of official duty, but is in
compatible with the freedom Of elections.
Not without warrant, in the view OF sew.
eral OF my predecessors in the presden-
tial office, and directly within the law OF
1871, already cited, / endeavoretl, by reg.
ulation, made on the 29d day Of Jane,
1877, 10 put some reasonable limits to
such abuses. 1t may not be easy, and it
may never perhaps be necessary, to define
with precision the proper limit OF political
action on the part OF Federal officers. But
while their right to hold and freely ex.
press their opinions cannot be questioned,
1t is very plain thatthey should neither be
allowed to devote to other subjects the
time needed for the proper discharge OF
their official duties, nor to use the author.
ity OF their Office to enfore their own opin-
lens, or to coerce the political action Of
those who hold different opinions.
Reasons Of justice and public policy,
quite analogous 10 those which forbid the
use Of official power for the oppression OF
the private citizen, impose upon the Gov.