Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1879-12-04


} were selected for the purpose, who entered with
zeal upon the discharge OF heir duties, prepared
with an intelligent appreciation of the require
ments of the service, the regulations cOntem.
: plated 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 compensation and for the eX-
pense of carrying on the work Of the Commits
sion.
II appears from the report of the Commission,
submitted to the President in April, 1874 that
examinations had been held in various sections
of the country and that an appropriation OF
about S25, 600 would be required to meet the an
nual expenses, including salaries, involved
in discharging the duties Of the Commits
sion. The report was transmitted to Congress
by special message of April H. 1874 with the tOl-
lowing favorable comment upon the labOrs OF
the Commissions " If sustained by Congress, l
have no doubt the rules cam after the ex-
perience gained, be so improved and en-
forced as to still more materially benefit
the public service and relieve the Executive,
Members OF Congress, and the heads OF Depart
ments, from influences prejudicial to good ad-
Tninistration. The rules, as they have hitherto
been enforced have resulted benehcially, as is
shown by the opinions OF the members OF the
Cabinet and their subOrdinates in the Depart
ments. and in that opinion l concur" And in
the annual message of December of the same
year similar views are expressed, and an appro-
priatiOn for continuing the work of the Com
mission again advised.
The appropriation was not made and ,as a con-
ASA@Ns~NA@
sequence, the active work of the Commission
was suspended, leaving the Commission itself
still in existence. Without the means, therefore,
OF causing qualifications TO be tested IN any sys-
| tematic manner or of securing for the public
| service the advantages OF competition upon any
| extensive plan, | recommended in my annual
message of December, 1877, the making OF an ap-
| preparation for the resumption OF the work OF
| the Commission.
In the meantime, however competitive examina-
| tiOns under many embarrassments have been con-
| Quoted within limited spheres IN the Executive
| departments in Washington and IN number OF
| the Custom houses and POstOthces of the prlncl-
| pal cities of the country, with view to further
| test their effect, in every instance, they have
been found to be as s5PlutaTy 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
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,
master in the city of New York, where such ex-
aminatiOns 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 POstmasters and Collect
ors in several Of the other large cities,
show that the competitive system, where APP
piled, has in various ways, contributed to lm-
prove the public service.
salutary in a marked degree, and that the gen
eral 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 testl-
mony to the utility of open competitive eXaml-
nations in their respective Offices showing that
these examinations, and the excellent qualiti-
cations of those admitted to the service through
them, have had a marked incidental effect upon
the persons previously in the service, and partlc-
ularly upon those aspiring to promotion. There
has been on the part OF these latter an increased
interest in the work, and desire to extend ac- |
quaintance with it beyond the particular desk
occupied, and thus the morale of the entire force
has been raised. y 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 method |
of determining the results, and those visitors |
have, without exception, approved the methods |
employed, and several of them have publicly at |
tested their favorable opinion"
Upon such considerations, deem it my duty |
to renew the recommendation contained in |
my annual message of December 1877, request |
ing Congress to make the necessary appropria- |
ZION Tor the resumption OF the work ot the OlVll
NOTED by authorizing moderate compensation
to persons in the public service who may perform
extra labor upon or under the Commission, as
Jhe EXecu tive may direct.
am convinced that If a just and adequate
test of merit is enforced for admission to the
public service and in making promotions, such
abuses as removals without good cause and par
tisan and official interference with the proper ex
ercise 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 partisan appointments, and
the constant peril of removal without cause, very
naturally lead to an absorbing and mischievOus
political activity, on the part of those thus ap-
pointed, which not only interferes with the due
discharge, of official duty, but is Incompatible
tho M I
rant, in the views Of several of my predecessors
in the Presidential Office and directly within the
law Of 1871, already cited, endeavOred by regu-
latiOn made on the 2ld day of June, 1877 to put
not be easy, and it may never perhaps be neces-
sary to define with precision the proper limit of
political action on the part of Federal officers.
But while their right to hold and freely express
their opinions cannot be questioned, it is very
plain that they should neither be allowed to de-
vote 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 off
cial power for the oppression OF the private clti
its officers and agents from arbitrary
sxactiOns In whatever aspect considered, the (
practice of making levies, for party purposes,
upon the salaries of officers is highly demOraliz-
country. Though an officer should be as free as I
my other citizen to give his own money in aid 4
If his opinions his party, he should also be as
Tree as any other citizen to refuse to make such
lifts. III salaries are but q fair compensation I
or the time and labor of the officer it is gross
Injustice to levy tax upon them. If they are
made excessive in order that they may bear the
AK, the excess is an indirect robbery of the pub
ie funds. \
recommend, therefore, such a revision and q
xtengion Of present statutes az shall secure to il
hose in every grade Of official life or public em-
Doyment the protection with which great and .
heightened Nation should guard those who are b
aithful in its service.
OUR RELATIONS WITH FOREIGN COUNTRIES /,
ave continued peaceful. q
With Great Britain there are still unsettled &
ueationa, growing out Of the local laws of the /,
maritime provinces and the action of provincial d
deemed to be in derOgatiOn of rights ti
ecured by treaty to American fishermen. The
nited States Minister in London has been in I,
.ructed to present demand for $lO6 SO5.02, in tl
lew Of the damages received by American citi- s.
8ns at Fortune Bay on the 9Th Of January, 1873 Al
he subject has been taken into consideration ot
y the British Government, and an early reply is
W
Upon the completion of the necessary prelimi- y,
ary examinations, the subject of partioipa- a
on in the provincial fisheries, rs regulated by r.
'eaty, will at once be brought to the attention
the British Government with a view TO an
lrly and permanent settlement of the whole W
lestion, which was only temporarily adjusted tF
\ the Treaty Of Washington. In
Efforts have been made TO obtain the removal At
restrictions found injurious to the expOrta- AZ
on of cattle TO the United Kingdom. m
Some correspondence has also occurred with la
gard to the rescue and saving of life and prop nc