Weekly Chillicothe crisis. (Chillicothe, Livingston Co., Mo.) 1878-19??, 1881-12-15

IN my letter accepting tine nomination Tor vice.
] presidency slated that In my Judgment no man
| should he the incumbent Of nu Office, the duties
! Of which he is for any reason unfit 10 perform,
Who ls lacking IN fidelity, ability or Integrity
! which proper administration of such Office de-
| nands. This sentiment would doubtless meet
WIN General gcqniesccncc, but opinion has been
! widely divided upon the wisdom and praCicabiltty
! Olthc various rClOrmntOry schemes which have
| been suggested, and of certain proposed roglla-
| liun- governing appointments for public offices.
| The efficiency Of such regulations have been dis
| trusted mainly because they have seemed 10 eXac
mere educational and abstract tests above general
! business capacity, and even Of special iOndnCsss
| for the particular work in hand, II seems to me
that the result that should he applied to the man
| n.rmCnt Of the public service may properly con.
form in the main to such as regulate the condition
OF successful private business. Original appoint
| mcnts should he based upon asccrtRincd fitness.
| The tenure of office should be stable Positions
Of possibility should 50 far as practicable, be
dlled by the promotion of worthy and efficient
officers, The inv -tgatOn Of all complaints and
| the punishment ui all official misconduct should
be- prompt and thorough. The views expressed In
the foregoing letter arc those which will govern
my administration of the executive Office. They
are doubtless shared by all intelligent and pa
lriotic citizen, however different In their opinion
az the the best method OF putting them into prac'
teal use,
For ryamplr, the assertion that original ap.
puiuimcnt- should he based on asCcrtaincd fitness
is not open to dispute. But the question how in
practice such fitness can be cicCtunlly asccrtaincd
Is one which has for years excited interest and
: discussion, The measure, which, with slight
variation in its detail, has lately been urged on
tho attention Of congress and the executive, has
as Its principal feature the scheme of competitive
| cSamnation, with certain exceptions which need
not here be specified. This plan would permit
admission tu the service only through its
LOWEST GRADE,
and would accordingly demand that all vacancies
i Ia l,,.,
alone. In these particulars 1t Is in conformity
| with the existing civil service system of Great
Britain, and indeed the success which has attend
ed that system in the country Of It's birth Is the
strongest argument which has yet been urged for
Its adoption here. The fact should not, however,
hU overlooked that there are ccrrain features OF
| the English system which have not generally been
| received with iuyOr In this country even among
| the foremost advocates of civil service reform.
| Among them arc First, tenure of office which
| Is substantially life tenure; second limitation
OF the maximum age at which an applicant can
enter the service whereby oil men in middle life
or under are, with some exceptions, rigldly ex'
Cludcd; third, giving an allowance upon going oni
Of office These three elements arc as important
| iUCtors of the problem az any Of the Others. To
eliminate thcrelrOm, English system would effect
u most radical change in its practice. The ayowod
purpose of that system IL to induce the educated
Young men of the country to devote their lives 10
| pub3 employment, by an assurance that having
once entered upon 1t they need never leave II, and
| that after voluntary retirement they shall be re-
| clpiCnts of an annual pension. That this system
has entirely proved very successful in Great Brit
ain seems to be generally conceded even by those
who once opposed its adoption. To statute
which should incorporate all its essential features
| | should feel bound to
GIVE MY APPROVAL
hut whether 1t would bo for the best interests Of
| the public to fix upon an eXpedicnt for immediate
and extensive application, which embraces certain
| features of the English system, but excludes or
l ~ al taN. he
seriously doubted, even by those who are im'
| pressed as am myself with the grave importance
Of correcting the evils which arc In the present
methods of appointment. IT, for example, the
| English rule which shuts out persons above the
age OF % years from large number public EN-.
| poyments Is not to be made an essential part oil
our system II is questionable whether the attain
ment of the highest number Of marks at com
| pctitive examination should bo the crteron by
which all applicants should be put to test and un.
der similar conditions II may also be questioned
whether admission TO the service should be strict
ly limited TO it's lowest ranks.
| There arc very many characteristics which 90 10
make a model civil servant. Prominent among
them are probably industry, good sense, good
habits, good temper, patience, order, courtesy,
tact, selfreliance, manly Difference TO superior
officers and manly consideration for interiors
The absence of these traits is not supplied by wide
knowledge Of fbooks, or by promptitndc In answer
ing questions, or by any other quality likely 10 bt
brought to light by competitive examination Tc
make success IN sncn contest, tnereiurc, an IN
: dispensiblc condition Of public employment
would very likely result in the practical exclusion
Of the older applicants, even though they NIGH
possess qualifications far superior TO their younger
and moro brilliant competitors. These sugges
tons must not be regarded as evincing any spiri
of opposition to the competitive plan, which hal
been to some extent
, SUCCESSFULLY ENfPIoYED
already, and which may hereafter vindicate claim
OF the most earnest supporters. But II ought 4
be seriously considered, whether the application
Of the same educational standard, to persons o
mature years, to young men, which, from schoo
10 college would not be likely to exalt, wero In
tellectnally proficient above other qualities O
! equal or greater importance. Another feature Q
the proposed system Is the selection by promotion