New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-12-07

educated people by devoting TO the purpose grants
| OF the public lands. and. If necessary, by appro-
priations from The Treasury of the United States.
! whatever Government can fairly do To promote
Ire popular education ought to be done
Wherever general education il found peace. vlrtne,
and social order prevail and civil and religious lib
| erty are secure.
CIVIL SERVICE REFORM.
In my former annual messages. l have asked the
attention of Congress 70 the urgent necessity of
reformation of the civil-seIvce system of the Gov
! ernment. Ny views concerning the dangers Of pat
ronage. or appointments for personal OF partisan
considerations, havc been strengthened ny my OBJ
scrvation ana experience IN the Executive office.
and | helieve these dangers threaten the stability
/ OF the Government. Abuses 30 serious IN their
nature cannot be permanently tolerated. They
/ tend to become more alarming with the enlarge
Inent of administrative service, as the growth OF
the country in population increases the number oi
! officers aud p,accmcn employed.
fhe Icasons imperative FOR the adoption OF
fixed rules Tor the regulation of appointments. pro-
motions. and removals, establishing uniform
method, having exclusively IN view, III every N
stance, the attainment of the best quaiIiicat 9ns
/ for the position in question, Such method alone
is consistent with the equal rights OF all cltlzens
and the most economical and efficient adIninistra-
/ ton of the public business.
Competitive examinations in aid Of impartial
| appointments and promotions, have been con-
Quoted for years past in several of the ENccu-
tive Departments, and 10y my direction this ~ stem
has been adopted in the custom houses ana post
Offices of the larger cities OF the country In the
City of Newlork over 1000 positions IN the evil
service have been SUBJECT, III tlcir appointments
ana tenure Of place. to the ope1ation OF published
rules for this pUrposc during the past two years.
The results of these practical trials have been very
satisfactory and have confirmed my opinion IN
fa OF this system OF selection All are subjected
to the same tests ana the suit is fee from iclu-
dice by personal favor or partisan influence. IL
secures for the position applied for, the best quail
hcati0ns attainabe among the competing appll-
cants 1t is eertual protection rom the pressure
of importantly which, un ier any other course pur-
sued, largely e1acts the time ana attention OF ap-
pointing officers. TO thelT great dctiiment IN The
discharge OF other official duties, preventing the
abuse OF the service for the mere furthcrance ot
private or party purposes, and leaving the cmploye
OF the Government, freed from the obligations i'm
posed 10y patronage to depend solely upon merit lot
retention aud advancement and with this constant
inccn i've to cXertion and Improvement.
These invaluable results have been attained III a
high degree in the offices where the rules for ap
pointnlent by competitive examination have been
applied.
A method which has so approved itself by expert
mental tests at points where such tests may be
fairly considered conclusive should hc extended
to all subordinate positions under the Government
| believe that stTong ana growing puhIc scit-
mont demands immediate measures fOT securing
aud enforcing the highest possible efficiency in the
civil service, and its protection from recognized
ahuses and that the experience referred TO has
demonstrated the feasibility OF such measures.
The examinations in the custom-hOuses and post
Offices have been held under many cmbarrassincnts
ana without provision for compensation for the
extra labor performed by the officers who have con
ductcd them. and whose conmendable interest IN
the improvement of the public service has induced
this devotion of time and labor without pecuniary
reward. A continuance of these ab0rs gratutously
ought not to be expected and without an appTO
priation hy Congress for compensation. il Is not
practicable TO extend the system Of examinations
generally throughout the civil service. It is also
highly important that all such examinations Should
he conducted upon uniform system ana under gem
eral supervision. Section 1853 of the Revised |
Statutes authorizes the President to prescribe the
regulations for admission 10 the civil service of the
United States and for this purpose to employ suit
able persons to conduct the requisite inquiries with
reference to the fitness of each candidate in re-
spect to age, health, character know ledge, and |
ability. for the branch OF service into which he |
seeks to enterr hut the law is practically nOpcTa-
tive for want of the requisite appropriation
| therefore recommend an appropriation OF |
$4,000 per annum to meet the expenses Oh com |
mission 10 be appointed by the President IN accord
ance with the terms of this section, whose duty 1t
shall lee to devise just, uniform and efficient SyS-
tein of competitive examinations and to supervise |
the application of the same throughout the entire |
civil service of the Government. / AM persuaded |
that the facilities winch such co:'.lnssion Will |
afford tor testing the tncss 0i those VINO apply 1or
office Will not only he as welcome relief 10 MEM
bers of Congress 1t will be to the President and
heads OF Departments but that it will also greatly
tend To remove the can.es of embarrassment which
now inevitably and constantly attend the conflict |
ing claims of patronage between the Legislative |
and Executive Departments. The most cHectuaI |
cheek upon the pernciOlIs competition OF lniiucucc
and official favor itism, in the hestOwal Of Office,
will be the SUBSTITUTION OF an open coinpetlton OF
merit between the applicants, III which everyone
can make his record with the assuI ance that |
his success will depend upon his alone.
also recommend such legislation as, while lcav-
inc every officer as free as any other citizen to
nrrss his pOlitjcal opinions and to use his means
for their advancement. shall also cnablc HIM to
feel as sale any private citizen in refusing all de-
mandS upon his salary for p0itlcai purposes.
law which should thus guarantee true liberty and
Justice TO all Who are engaged III the plc service,
and Likewise contain stringent PROVISIONS against
the of official authority 10 cocrcc the political
action of private citizens or OF oihca suDordlnaies,
is 81 Icatly 10 be desired.
IHY sPoIIs" InEORY OF CONGRESSIONAL PAT
RONAGE.
The most serious obstacle. however, to an i'm
prOvemcnt of the civil service, and especially to
reform IN the method OF appointment and removal.
has been found to be the practice, under what is
known rs the spoils system, by which the appoint
ing power has been SO largely encroached upon by
members of Congress. The first step in the reform of
the civil service must be- a.complcte divorce between
Congress and the Executive III the matterof appoint
mcnts. The corrupiing doctrine that ito the
yictors belong the spoS,' is inscparabc from Con-
gressonal patronage the established rule and
practice OF parties III powet 1t comes 10 be under
stood by applicants fOr Office. and by the people
that Representatives and Senators are
entitled to dlshursc the patronage OF their respect
i've districts and States. Ii is not necessary to re-
cile at length the evils resulting from tins invasion
OF the Executive functions. The truc principles
OF government on the subject of appointments TO
Office as stated in the National Conventions of the
leading parties of the country, have again ana
again been approved by the American people, and
In We rnt been called III question III any duartcr.
These authentic expressions of public opInlou upon
this all-important subject, are the statement Ol
that belong to the constitutional siruc-
lure OF the Government. .
$ 'ndcr the Constitutions the President and heads
Of Departments are to make nominations Tor Office.
The senate is 70 advise and consent 10 appoint
,nt ntS and the House of Representatives Is TO
accuse and prosecute faithess officers. Tie best
interest of the public service demands that these
distinctions lie respected that Senator's ana Repre-
scntatIves may be Judges and acCuScrS, should
not dictate appointments to Office" To this end |
the COOPERATION of the Legislative Department of
thn Government is required alike by the necessities
of tho case and by public opinion. Members OF
Congress will not be relieved from the demands
rafep IN fItnn nfl
to office unit. by legislative enactment. the per
nlcious practice is condemned and forbidden.
II is therefore recommended that an act b6 passed
defining the relations OF members OF Congress with
respect to appointment to Office bv the President,
and also recommend that the PROVISIONS OF section
7G1 and OF the sections following, OF the Revised