Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1883-05-10
The Civil Service Rules.

The draft of the Civil Service Rules,
rs prepared by the Civil Service Com
missioners is now in the hands of the
President for examination and approval
They are twenty-three in number, and
some of them have several subdivisions.
Following is an abstract of the princi-
pal provisions:
The fifth rule divides the civil service
into three divisions or classes. The first
class embraces the departments at
Washington, the second the customs
service throughout the country, and the
third the postal service, including the
local postoffice at Washington. The
rules are made to apply to all custom
hoases and postoffices giving employ
ment to fifty persons exclusive of labor
ers. Rule six provides for open compe-
titige examinations both in testing the
fitness of candidates wishing to enter
the service and those desirous of secu-
ring promotion from lower to higher
grade. The examinations are to be
practical in character, and will embrace
penmanship. original letter-writing, the
fundamental rules of arithmetic togeth-
er with fractions, percentage and
interest, bookkeeping, elements of the
English language, particularly orthogra-
ply and the proper construction of SEN
tences, and, lastly, elements. of the ge-
ography, history, and government of the
United States. For positions in which
lower grade of education will suffice
the commission are authorized to limit
the examination to penmanShip, copy
ing, orthography, and the fundamental
arithmetic. The commission, however,
are not debarred from holding examina-
tions of a higher grade, or upon addi-
tional or special subjects, when necessa-
ry To test the fitness of candidates for
any special place or branch of. the SER
vice. No person can be examined for
the classified postal service who is un-
der sixteen or over thirty-five years OF
age, or for the classified service at Wash
ington, if under eighteen or over forty
five years of age, and no one can be ex-
amined for a custom house inspector
ship who is not of legal age. The eighth
rule forbids the questioning of candi
dates upon religious and political views
and affiliations, and provides that the
commission and its examiners shall dis.
cOuntenance all disclosures before them
of any religious or political opinion by
or concerning applicants for examina.
tion, or by or concerning any one whose
name has been registered for appoint.
meut. Candidates for examination will
he obliged to state in advance their
names, residence, pOstoliice address, cit
jZenship, age, place of birth, moral char
-acieT. health and capacity for the pub
I.c service, right of preference by reason
nf military or naval service, business OF
e.nbloyment. and. residence for the pre-
c.ding five years, education, and such
o. her facts as the commission may pre-
scribe. The exemptions from examina
tiOn are very few, and embrace cOniidsn.
tial clerks or secretaries of heads of de.
partmentS or offices, cashiers of collect.
ors, uperintendents of money order di.
visions in postoflices, the direct custodi.
ans Of money above the grade of assist
ant cashier or teller, for whose fidelity
another officer is under official bonds
persons employed exclusively in the Sc
cret service of the government or as
translators, anG persons whose employ
ment is exclusively professional, such
as lawyers and doctors. None of the
persons so exempted can be transferred
appointed, or promoted, unless in some
excepted place, without undergoing an
examination. Any violation of the
rules of the civil service act relating to
political assessments will be deemed
good cause for the removal of any officer
employed in the executive civil service
The balance of the rules apply to the
government Of the commission and the
service.