The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1881-12-07

test, and under similar conditions, it may
also be questioned whether admission to
the service should be strictly limited to the
| lowest rank There are very many char
acteristics which go to make model civil
servant, among them are probity, industry,
good sense, good habits, good temper
patience, order, courtesy, tact, self-reliance,
manly Difference to superior officers and
manly consideration for interiors. The alb
sence of these traits is not supplied by wide
knowledge of books or by promptitude in
answering questions, or by any other quail
| ity likely to be brought to light by com
| petitive examination. To make success in
| such contest, therefore an indispensable
condition of public employment would
very likely result in the practical exclusion
of the older applicants, even though they
possess qualifications far superior to their
younger and more brilliant competitors.
These suggestions must not be regarded as
evincing any spirit of opposition to the
competitive plan, which has been to some
extent successfully employed already and
which may hereafter vindicate the claims
of its most earnest supporters, but it ought
to be seriously considered whether the ap-
plication of the same educational standard
to persons of mature years and to men
fresh from school and college would not be
likely to exalt N ere intellectual proficiency
above other qualities of equal or greater
importance.
Another feature of the proposed system
is the selection by promotion of all officers
of the Government above the lowest grade,
except such as would fairly be regarded as
exponents of the policy of the Executive
and the principles of the dominant party,
IN oraN fast .,1
servants, by exciting in their minds the
hope of promotion if they are found to
merit it, is much to be desired. But
would it be wise to adopt a rule so rigid
as to permit no other mode of supplying
| the intermediate walks of the service?-
There are many persons who fill subor-
dinate positions with great credit, but
lack those qualities which are requisite for
higher posts of duty, and besides, the
modes of thought and action of one whose
service in governmental bnreau has been
long continued are often SO cramped by
routine procedure as almost to disqualify
him from instItuting the changes required
by the public interests, and the infusion of
new blood from time to time into the middle
ranks of the service might be very bene-
cial in its results The subject under dis
cussion is one of grave importance. The
eradicated at once. The work must be
gradual The present English system is a
growth Of years. 1t was not created by a
single stroke of executive or legislative ac-
ton. Its beginnings are found in the or
der in council promulgated in 1885, and it
was after patient and cautious scrutiny of
its workings. that fifteen years later it took
its present shape. Five years after the is
suance of the order in council, and at a
time when resort had been to competitive
examinations as an experiment much more
extensively than has been the case in this
country. A select committee of the House
of Commons made report to that house,
which, while declaring its approval of the
competitive method, deprecated, never-the
| less, any precipitency in its general adop-
tions as likely in the end to endanger its
| success. During this period, the results of
| two methods of pass examination and
competitive examination was closely
watched and compared. 1t may be that
before we confine ourselves upon this i'm
portant question within the stringent
bounds OF statutuary enactment we may
proftably await the result of further in
quiry and experiment The submission OF
| a portion of the nominations to a central
| board of examiners selected solely for test
ing the qualifications of applicants, may
perhaps without resort to competitive tests
put an end to the mischief which attends
the present system of appointment and it
may be feasible to vest IN such board a
wide discretion to ascertain the character
| istics and attainments of candidates in these
particulars / have already referred to, as
being no less importane than mere intellec-
tual attainments. Congress should deem
it advisable at its present session to estab-
lish competitive tests for admission to the
service. No doubts such as have been sug-
gested shall deter me from giving to the
measure my earnest support, and / urgent
II recommend, should there be failure to
pass any other act on this subject, that an
1 appropriation of $25, 900 per year may 'be
made for the enforcement of Section 1853,
| Revised Statutes. With the aid thus
afforded me, / shall strive to exc
cute the provisions of that law according
to it's letter and spirit. / am unwilling to
do injustice to the present civil servants
of the Government py dissmissing this
subject without declaring my dissent from
the severe and almost discriminate censure
with which they have been recently as
sailed. That they are as a class indolent
or corrupt in a statement which has been
often made and widely credited, but when
the extent, variety, delicacy and impor-
tance of their duties are considered the
great majority of the employees of the Gov
ernment are, in my judgement, deserving
of high commendation.
OUR CARRYING TRADE.
/ Ii continuing, the decline OF the mer-
chant marine of the United States is to be
| greatly deplored, in view of the fact thai
we furnish so large proportion of the
freights of the commercial world; and thai
our shipments are steadily and rapidly
increasing and is a cause of surprise
/ Not only is our navigation interest dimin'
ishing, but it is less than when our exports
and imports were not half SO large as now
/ either in bulk or value. There must bt
4 some peculiar hindrance to the develop
/ ment of this interest or the enterprise anG
/ energy of American mechanics and capital
lists would have kept this country at least
abreast of our rivals in a friendly contest
for ocean supremacy. The substitution O.
iron for wood, and of steam for sail, have
wrought great revolutions in the carrying
trade of the world. but these changes
could not have been adverse to America
if we had given to our navigation in
'i terests portion of the aid in protection
the Arrears Act. From this amour
Il ($25O, 600. .000) may be deducted from ter
to ID, ,000, 900 for cases where the claiman
4 dying there is no person who under th'
1oxr xuor,Id ha aufiflad tn auepae6 tn thu