New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-11-17
THE CITY'S CIVIL SERTICE.


The rules submitted by the State Civil Ser
vice Commission for the reform of the civil SER
vice of this city seem iudicious and citizens
will watch with care Mayor Edson's action upon
them. The responsibility for the sincerity OF
the movement will rest upon him. If any other
arrangement were desirable, it would not DO
feasible. The appointment OF examiners ana
the like must be vested in the central authority,
and upon the character of these men the accom-
plishment of the reform depends. President
Arthur could have defeated the will of Con-
grcss and the desire of the Republican party by
naming as Civil Service Commissioners men
who would simply have played at reform, who
would have prOfessed to be carrying 1t into
effect while they were in reality allowing the
old abuses to continue Instead of this, he put
men in charge of the work who believed i'll it,
and intended to do ii honestly. The result is
that, so far as the methods of appointment to
clerical positions are concerned, the Civil Ser
vice of the National Government is on a most
satisfactory basis. Nothing now is needed but
the slow and equitable operation of time. All
vacancies will be filled by clerk, selected by the
new methods, and the result must be- a. years
pass, to raise the standard of the service.
VIII Mayor Edison do the same thing? Or
will he iugglc with the reform, and try TO fool
the public The people are disposed to be in
cred,llOus about Civil Service Reform under a
Tammany Mayor. The City Government Is
Tammany's feeding ground. Tammany Demo
Gratis care comparatively little how Presidential
elections 20, so long as they can hold the City
Government and State elections hardly inter-
est them. The idea of competitive cxamina-
lions applied to cerkships in the City Govern
mcnt seems almost udicrous What, A time
coming when Alderman Tommy Mulligan
and Assemblyman "B:ll . Swccny cannot 20
into city bureau and say they must have II
man put in there. Impossible! And yet wha:
will Mayor Edison do2 He cannot refuse to put
the reform into operation. Public opinion Is
too much alive for that If he proposes to
dodge the issue, he will need to do ii very skill
fully in order not to have it seen that he Is
lodging.
One of the proposed rules provides that the
reasons for all removals must be filed with the
Boards of Examiners. Another that all APP
pointmcnts and removals of laboTcrs must be
reported TO the examiners. This will she'd the
keen, bright sunlight of publicity" on Tia" bus!-
nc>q Of hiring laborcrs for election purposes.
But there ought to BE- something better than
this-an annual. or biennial. publication of the
entire list of persons employed by the CRY Gov
clnmcEt. The United States Government pub
fishes every two years two volumes giving the
name of every person it employs, with his pay,
from members Of the Cabinet down TO the men
who gauge whiskcy in Kentucky OF North Caro-
lima the men who stamp letters in the New
York Post Office, or the women who scrub the
Treasury floors in Washington. Ii any one of
these persons is holding a s;nccuye position, or
is unfit for lis place, it is in the power OF any
citizen 10 move against him. But what does
any citizen Of NcwIork know Of the city ser
vice below the chief; of departments and bu
reausP Let lis have all the names, and the pay
each D!an is getting. Mr.. Burt says that some
men are getting 80 per cent more pay thar
Others for doing precisely the same work A
list would shed light eli these points and many
others. Let It's have it.