New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-07-31
CIVIL SERVICE REFORM.
SEEKING ppAcTrc.r Mrruoro

LINE OF SUGGESTED LEGISLATION.
ibf TELEGRAPH TRIBUNE.l
"AshiNGToN, July 3O-Soon after the members
oi PRESIDENT Garfeld's Cabinet entered upon the
performance of their Duties the need of some reform
=" 'o method OF making appointments to Office
i'iecu itsoH upon their attention as well as upon
'Has OF the President, and the matter became the
subject OF frequent Cabinet consultations Since
.ne shooting of the President this suh
Jo'' mas not been lost sight of, but
On Inc contrary, the members of the
a'os nave taken advantage of the partial cessa-
od vi opportunities by ofico-seekers and their
,,ienos 10 study and discuss the problem before
eho" "hiio nothing has been decided upon. GER
'", pias are looked upon with considerable favor
anu IL Is probable that sentiment in favor of some
u 'heh VIII take form after the President shall
nave become able to consider and approve Them
lor IL Is 10 he noted that all the members of the
cabinet now believe that President Garields life is
to be spared. ~ 40
Within the last few days a TRIBUNE corresnord-
emf mas conversed with several mombers Of tho
C"phee rogarUng their plans for the reform os the
Ni'h 0cTVice. 10 two of them, in whom il vested
'n ~ "ppoihSirent OF many thousand subordinate
ohcers, the correspondent put this question: "In
'he appiicatons for Office thus far made to Won bv
o"noiuates ana their friends, in what proportion of
c''Scs mas 'he special ability, experience fitness or
QUALIFICATIONS of the applicant been urged as the
reason FOR his appointment, and in what proportion
Oh cases were the personal necessities of the cand
uato MADE the prominent consideration in his
behalfp ~
Both promptly replied that, in at least netentbs
Oh ue cases, personal necessities or msfortunes of
'o "ppic'hts or reasons other than fitness to dis
charge the duties of the offices were tho consid-
erations urged in behalf of their apnont
mont SAID one Cabinet officer: at is
notably the case hero in Washington that
special ability to perform the duties of an
once ~ very rarely urged in behalf of an applicant
In az least nine cases out of ten the persons who
app'y LOT places in this Department, or in whose
poh''iL Applications are made are persons who are
,'i""uoo III washington persons who have
nero expecting to secure Government en-
pioyment or who, having once been in
suoh employment, have lost it. They
sPehd all their savings if they have
nhy' ana after getting out ut the elbows go TO their
congressman and say that they must have some
thihs TO do OF they will starvc. OF course Congress
men come hero, and go to Other Departments. and
importune and plead until they find place for
ther distressed constituents. This is in brief a his
tory OF hundreds of cases.
once Government clerk always o Governments
cierA' appears to sum up the philosophy of Wash
inRton oihce-seekcrs,' sail tho head of another i'm
portant Department yesterday. "Some of the cases
OIL distress are perfectly heart-rending Fully nine
teh'hs OF inc persons in whose behalf applications
cause Oh their personal necessities or because Con-
gressmen desire to pay political debts in this man.
her. Ability experience and fitness are the last
things thought Of"
There IL another difficulty" continued this off,
cer' In most cases whore discover that man
already in the service isincompetont inefficient lazy
or otherwise unfit for his place. always find that
he has the strongest kind of political backing: and
when my sense of duty compels me TO reduce hin,
n hia nnlff nj ,pH,
aroused to oppose the change 1t really seems AZ if
tho moro unfit the clerk officer the stronger ia the
political influence which he bring to bear in his
behalf"
PROVISIONS OF TIE LAW.
In the discussions of tho Civil Service pobIem
thus far by tho members of the present Administra
ton, 1t appears that two branches of the subject
have been mainly considered: tho method Of max
ing original appointments and tho means to be
adopted to weed out incompetent and Inefficient ON
Pioyes now in tho service and increase the efficiency
of those who remaip. The tenure of Office Is a mat
tor for future consideration and the action of Con-
gress
As the laws now stand, the President is author
lied to require all applicants for appointment in the
Civil Service to pass an examination " in respect to
age, health, character knowledge and ability for
tho branch of service into which no seeks to enter
ana the President may employ suitable persons 10
conduct such Inquiries, and may prescribe their
duties and establish regulations for tho conduct of
GeIs?ns wh2 may receive appointments in the Civil
ceiNicc'' lhc law also provides that honOrably
discharged soldiers and sailors shall be preferred for
appointment to civil offices when found to possess
the business capacity necessary for the proper
discharge OF the duties of such Offices" The law
further requires that person shall receive an an
pointmcnt TO the grade of first second, third or
foth class clerk IN either of the executive depart
ments IN Washington without having first been OK
slnined ana found qualified by board composed of
three examiners appointed by the head of that De-
partmont from among the officers and clerks of that
Department.
A law enacted in 1875 requires that after January
l, 1870, AL appointments in the Treasury Depart
ment Shall be equally distributed among the several
States and Territories and tho District of Columbia
according TO population. Several memhers of the
Cabinet are inclined to the belief that this last pro-
VISION could be wisely extended to embrace all
CIVIL appointments especially those held in Wash
ington
SUGGESTED CHANGES.
Said the head of an important Department in con-
vcrsation on this subject yesterday 1t is no use
talking. We must take human nature as we find it.
Tho people of this country will never be satisfied
until the Civil Service il so reformed that ap-
pointmsnts will not DO largely monopolized as
they now are by citizens Of the District of
Columbia and of the States from which the Capital
is most easily and cheaply reached. Ambition to
eli ter tho public service has been instied into tho
mind OF every schOol-bOy In tho land for years. 1
think 10 Is u mistaken ambition, but 1T cannot DO
called an unworthy one, and at all events the citi
IONS or every State remote we'll ought to
enjoy equal opportunities to crafty 1T.
Several members Of The Administration strongly
IN favor OF radical change in the method of select
ing persons to fill appointive Offices and cerkshps.
plan, which is regarded with considerable favor,
is briefly az follows:
Psrst-Provide by law that i'm all cases rs now in
appointments for the Treasury Department. all civil
appointments shall be distributed among the several
States and Territories and the District of Columbia
III proportion to tho population, and require that
every appOintec shall DO citizen or resident of the
State from which he is appointed.