Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1882-12-27
Regulating the Civil Service.

early days OF tine present congress VIII oe
conclusively discussed in the upper branch
of that body today and vote upon 1T
taken. We refer TO the bill to regulate
and improve the civil service of the United
States" The senate has been sitting daily
as in committee of the whole for the consd.
Grafton OF this bill since the 18th inst. Sew
eral set speeches have been made and much
discussion has been had over its various
provisions. Many senators without regard
to politics have favored the bill from a sim
cere conviction Of the necessity of change
in the system Of making appointments, a
change demanded more by the immense and
constantly increasing force of employees in
all departments of the public service than
by any special inefficiency in the service it.
self. The discussions have not been en-
tirely free from partisan politics. The
support of some senators has been given
with feeling that the bill cannot accom-
plish such a regulation and improvement of
the service as it should have. Others evil
IDENTIFY give the measure perfunctory sup.
port, while on the democratic side there is
an outspoken preference to defer civil SER
vice measures till after the next presidential
election. The hope born of tie result Of
the November elections that the next presi-
dent may be democrat does not reconcile
senators of that party to the idea of putting
up even the slight barriers raised by this
bill against the fullest possible enjoyment of
anticipated spoils.
The bill upon which the senate will vote
to-day provided, as reported by the commit
tee, for the appointment by the president of
commission of five persons of different
oltical parties, of whom three shall hold
10 other official place and two shall be ex-
erienced in the public service The duty
this commission is to aid the president in
preparing suitable rules for carrying this act
into effect. The office of the commission is
to devise and execute rules, its acts are re-
ally the executive acts of the president. 1t
relieves the president of attention to the de-
tails of the business of minor executive APP
pointments somewhat as the secretaries of
the great departments relieve him of the de-
tails of the executive business of the gov
eminent Among other things the bill
specifies in general way that the rules
which this commission shall devise shall
provide for open competitive examine
tions, that the offices to which this measure
relates shall be filled by selections from
among those graded highest as the result of
the examinations that there shall be Pc
riod of probation before there shall be an
absolute appointment that no person in the
public service is for that reason obliged to
contribute to any political fund or to render
any political service, and will not be re-
moved or prejudiced in any way for refus-
ing to do so and that no one in the public
service has any right to use his official inAu-
ence or authority to coerce the political &C.
tion of any person. The commission is to
make regulations for the examinations, to |
have control of them, and to make an an
nual report to the president for transmission |
to congress. 1t is authorized to appoint |
chief examiner, to designate boards of ex-
aminers, and to direct where examinations |
results which the bill is intended to accom-.
plish and the principal features in the ma
chinery devised to carry the act into effect |
The bill applies only to the executive de-
partment in Washington and to those offices |
throughout the country, post-ofices and |
custom houses, which employ more than
fifty persons. OF these there are not over
thirty-fve, and including the departments
at Washington, it is believed the bill will
affect not exceeding ten thousand employees.
1t does not touch the question of tenure of
office or of removal from office, because such
provision would take away in great
measure the responsibility and rightful
power Of the chief of bureau, division, or
cabinet officer. 1t yields to the executive
department in general full constitutional
power over removals as well as appointments,
and holds it to strict accountability for any
failure to do its duty This is right. The
placing of any barrier between the execu-
tive and his subordinates relieves him of full
responsibility for want of excellence in his
department. If there is mal-administration,
dilatoriness, inefficiency, lack of discipline,
an incompetent or perverse minor or chief
executive, like the superintendent of a rail-
way or manufacturing company, might be
able to shield himself behind arbitrary re-
strictions placed upon his actions, while the
efforts of a really capable official might be
baked by the mere fact that he is not mas.
ter in his own department.
The bill proposes to apply to large sec.
ton OF the government offices those princi-
pies and methods which have been evolved
and tested in limited area in places like
the New York postoffice and custom house,
and which have been attended with success.
full results If the plan works well in the
field over which it is now proposed to ex-
tend the provisions of the bill, if it tends to
correct existing abuses and makes merit |
instead OF favoritism or political influence
the basis OF appointment and promotion, es-
tablishes methods by which character, prac- |
teal capacity and special fitness as against
mere scholarship shall have due preference
in the examinations, cuts off existing super
fiuous appointments and prevents future |
abuses of the appointing power, thus in
creasing the efficiency of the public service
and reducing expenses after a fair trial it
can be shown the system accompishes re-
suits like these, the way will be open to its
extension over the departments of the pub
lie service to which the pending law has no
reference. The bill has been carefully ma
tured and an effort made to secure prac.
tcal rather than an ideal, school masters,
test of fitness of applicants; but all the evils
OF civil service will not vanish if this pro-
posed law shall be placed upon the statute
books. 1t may remedy some old abuses, but
there will still be evils. Evils of the new
will suPplant the evils of the old system
There will be abuse and corruption under
any system that may be devised. The pres
emit system has its evils and it has come to
be sort of evidence of superior intelligence
and virtue to magnify those evils. To de-
nounce the corruptions of the "spoils sys
tenn" is to affect fashionable kind of DO
litical excellence which seems to delight in
depicting ruinous state of things that has