The Portland daily press., 1879-12-01
MONDAY MORNING, DECEMBER l..

tisan noIities Their duties are the same whatever
PARTY is in power and whatever poncy pIeN no
co1seouence il follows that their tenure OF Office
shonlI iiof denond on the prevalence of any policy
or The supremacy of any party but should be de-
ternio. bv their capacity to serve the people most
rsefn1iv oIiite irrespective of partisan interests.
ne same considerations that should govern the
tenure should also prevail in the appointment ds-
eiDnne and removal of these subordinates. The
authority of appointment and removal is not per-
ousite which may be used to aid friend or reward
partisan bat is trust to be exercised in the pub
lie interest and under all sanctions which athena inc
obligation apply public funds only for public put
poss Every citizen has an equal right to the non
or and profit OF entering the public service ol his
country. The only just ground of diseriminatlon Is
the measure of character and capacity ne mas 10
make that service most useful to the people. E&-
cept in cases where upon just and reeoghlzed prl,
cinles as upon the theory of PENSIONS offices and
promotions are bestowed as rewards Tor past ser
vices, their bestowai upon any theory which dlsre-
CARDS personal merit is an act OF injustice 10 the
citizen as well as breach of that trust subject TO
which the appointing power is held. In the light OF
these principles it becomes OF great importance 10
provide iast and adequate means especially ior
every department and large administrative once
where personal discrimination on the part OF It's
head is not practicable for ascertaining those quail
fcations to which appointments and removals should
have reference 10 fail to provide such means Is
not only to deny the opportunity OF ascertalS Tue
facts upon which the most righteous claim 10 once
depsn Is but of necessity to discourage an worthy
aspirants by handing over appointments ana re-
morals to mere influence and faVor1tisn. Al II Is
the right of the worthiest claimant TO gam the APP
pontment and the interest of the people TO oestoW
il upon him. it would seem clear that wise and
inst method of ascertanng personal fitness for Of
flee must be an important and permanent function
of every Just and wise government.
It long since became impossible in the great Oh
fees for those having the duty of nomination andEap-
pointment personally examine into the individual
qualifications of more than small proportion OF
those seeking office and with the enlargement OF the
civil service that proportion must continue 10 De-
come less. In the earlier years OF the government
the subordinate offices were so few in number that
il was quite easy for those making appointments
nd N DeTsOn1llV
of candidates Party managers and methods mad
not then become powerful agencies OF coercion nos
tile to the free and just exercise OF the appointing
power. A large and responsible part of the duty OF
restoring the civil service to its desired purity ana
efficiency rests upon the President, ana II is my
purpose to do WHAT within my power to advance
such prudent and gradual measures OF reform as
will most surely and rapidly bring about that raul
cal change of system essential to ma our admins
trative methods satisfactory to free and int lgent
people. BY the proper exercise of authority 1t Is III
the power of the Executive TO do much to promote
such reform. But it cannot be too clearly under
stood that nothing adequate can be accomplished
without cooperation on the part OF Congress, ana
considerable and Intelligent support among the PEG
pie Refo ms which challenge the generally &C
cepted theories of parties and demand changes IN
methods of the departments, are not the work OF
day. Their permanent foundations must be lad IN
sound principles and in an experience which demon
their wisdom and exposes the errors OF thef
adversaries. Every worthy officer desires to make
his official action gain and an honor TO MS c0un-
try, but the people themselves, far more than their
officers in public station interested in pure,
economical and vigorous administration.
BY laws enacted in 1853 and 1906, and now III
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 departmental boards of examiners,
were provided for and made the conditions OF adj
mission to the public service. These statutes are
the decision of Congress that examinations of some
sort as to attainments and capacty are essential to
the well being of the public service. The important
question since the enaction of these laws has been
as to the character of these examinations and
whether official favor and partisan influence or COM
right and merit were to control access to ex-
aminations. In practice these examinations have
not always been open to worthy persons generally
who might wish to b. examined. Official fayoritism
and partisan influence, as a rule, appear to have
designated those who alone were permitted to go be-
fore the examining board, subjectng even the exam
liners pressure from friends OF the candidates very
difficult to resist. AS a consequence the standard
of admission fell below that which the the pubic
interest demanded. 1t was also almost inevitable
that system VIII ch provided for various separate
boards of examiners, with no common supervision
uniform method OF procedure, should result IN
confusion, inconsistency and inadequate tests OF
capacity highly detrimental to the public interests
A further and more radical change was obviously
required. In his annual messrge of December
1870, my predecessor declared that ''There is no
duty which 50 much embarrasses the Executive ana
heads of departments that of appointments, nor
is there any such arduous and thankless labor i'm
posed on Senators and Representatives as that of
finding places for constituents The present system
docs not secure the best men, and often
not even lit for the public place.
HE elevation ana puIluctlOn OF tue CIVIL seINlce
of the government will be hailed with approval by
the whole people of the United States" Congress
accordingly passed the act approved March 3 1871
$40 regulate the civil service OF the United States
and promote the efficiency thereof giving the neces
sary authority to the Executive to inaugurate civil
service reform. Acting under this statute which
was Interpreted as intended to secure a system OF
just and eifectual examinations under uniform su-
perVision number Of eminently competent persons
were selected for the purpose who entered with zeal
intelligent appreciation of the requirements OF the
service the regulations contemplated and took
charge of the examinations, and who in their
capacity as a board have been known as the civil
service commission" Congress for two years ap-
propriated the money needed for the compensation
and for the expense of carrying the work of the
commission. 1t appears from the report of the COM
mission submitted the President April 1874 that
examinations had been held in various sections OF
the country and that an appropriation OF about
$4,000 would be required to meet the annual eX-
penses including salaries. involved in discharglng
the duties of the commission. The report was
transmitted to Congress by special message OF
April 1S, 1874, with the following favorable COM
ment upon the labors of the commission: If
sustained by Congress L have no doubt the rules
can, after experience gained, be so improved and
enforced to still more materially benefit the
public and relieve the Executive, mem bers
of Congress and heads of departments from IN
huences prejudcial to good q iministration The
rules as they have hitherto been enforced have
resulted benecialy as is shown by the opinions OF
members of the cabinet and their subordinates
in departments and in that opinion concur.
And in the annual message of December of the same
similar views are expressed ana an apprOprla-
ton for continuing the work of the commission
again advised. The appropriation was not made,
and as consequence the active work of the com
mission was suspended leaving the commission it
self still in existence, without means therefore of
causing qualifications to be tested in any systematic
manner of securing for the public service the adj
vantages of competition upon any extensive plan.
recommended in my annual message of December
1877, an appropriation for resumption of the work
# the commission In the meantime, however, COM
peti i've examinations under many embarrassments
have been conducted within limited spheres in the
executive departments in Washington and in a num-
Der of the houses and postoces of the prin-
cipal cities of tho country with view to further
test their effects and in every instance they have
been found to be as salutary they are stated to
have been under the administration of my prede-
cessor.
link the economy purity and deficiency of the
public service would be greatly promoted bytheir sys-
tematic introduction wherever practicable through
out the entire civil service of the government
together with ample provision for their general
supervision in order to secure consistency and uni
form justice. Reports from the Secretary of Into
rior 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 naval officer and sur
veyor of that city, and from postmasters and col
ectors in several other large cities, show that the
competitive system where applied has in va;ious
ways contributed to improve the public servie-.
The reports show the results have been salutary in
a marked degree, and that general 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 have been decided
III teslllnOuy 70 open ColupSlltlNc
aminations in their respective offices, showing that
these examinations and the excellent qualifications
of those admitted to service through them have had
a Irirked incidental effect upon persons previously
in the service, and particularly upon those aspiring
to promotion. There has BEEN on the part of these
latter an increased interest in their work and q
desire to extend their acquaintan &c with
1t beyond tho particular desk occupied and
thus the morale of the entire force has been raised
The examinations have been attended by many citi-
zens who had an opportunity to thoroughly investi
gate the scope and character of the tests and the
method of determining the results, and those visit
ors have, without exception, approved the methods
employed and several of them publicly attested
their favorable opinion.
Upon such considerations l deem it my duty to
renew the recommendation contained in my annual
message of December, 1877 requesting Congress
sumption of the work of the civil service commits
sion. Economy will be promoted tby authorizing
moderate compensation to persons IN the public ser
vice who may perform extra labor upon Or under
the commission as the Executive may direct. am
convinced that if just and adequate test of merit
is enforced for admission tn the public service and
in making promotions such abuses removals with
out good cause and partisan and official interfer-
with the proper exercise of the appointing
power will, in large measure, disappear.
There other administrative abuses to which
the attention of Congress should be asked in this
connection. Mere partisan appointments and con-
slant peril OF removal without cause very naturally
lead to absorbing and mschieyous political ac-
tivity on the part OF those thus appointed, which
not only interferes with due discharge of official
duty but is Incompatible with the freedom of cleo
tions. Not without warrant in the views of several
of my pre- ecessors in the Presidential office and di
rectly within the law of 1871 already cited en-
deavored by regulation made on the the 22d of
June 1877, to put some reasonable limits to such
abuses. 1t may not be easy and it may not perhaps
IA. - H..