The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1883-01-12
THE CIVIL SERVICE.
The Reform Bill as Amended and
Passed by the Senate Dec. az,
and by the House Jan. a.

Passed by the Senate Dec. az,
and by the House Jan. A.
The civil service reform bill as
finally passed by the Senate Dec. 81.
and by the House Jan. 1, Is. in its full
text as follows:
A BILL To Regulate and Improve the
Civil Service of the United States
Whereas, common justice requires
that so far as practicable, all citizens
DULY qualified shall he allowed equal
opportunities on grounds of personal
fitness for securing appointment. EN-.
ployment, and promotion in the sub
ordinate civil service of the United
States and
Whereas, justice to the public like.
wise requires that the government
shall have the largest choice among
those likely to answer the require.
ments of the public service and
Whereas, justice as well us econ
omy, efficiency and integrity in the
public service will be promoted by
substituting open and uniform COM
petitive examinations for the exam.
inatiOn heretofore held in pursuance
of the statutes of 1853 and 1856;
Therefore he 1t enacted by the
Senate and House of representatives
OF the United States of America, I'm
Congress assembled. That the Presi.
dent is authorized to appoint by and
with the consent of the Senate, three
persons. not more than two Of whom
shall be adherents of the same party,
as civil service commissioners, and
the said three commissioners shall
constitute the United States civil
service commission. Sand commits
sioCers shall hold no other official
place under the Uuited States.
The President may remove any
commissioner, and any vacancy in the
position OF commissioners shall he so
filed by the President, by and with
the consent of the Senate, as to con.
form to the said conditions for the
first selection Of commissioners.
The commissioners shall each re
ceive u salary Of $500 a year, anu
each of said commissioners shall he
paid his necessary travelling expenses
incurred In the discharge ot his duty
as a commissioner.
SECTION That it shall be the
duty of said commissioners
First-rO aid the President rs he
may request, in preparing suitable
rules for carrying this act into effect.
and when said rules shall have been
promulgated it shall he the duty of
all officers of the United States In the
departments and offices to which any
such rules may relate, to aid in all
proper ways I'm carrying said rules
and any notifications thereof into
effect.
Second And among other things
said rules shall provide and declare us
nearly as the conditions of good ad-
ministration will warrant as follows :
a. For open, competitive examin.
ations for testing the fitness of appli.
cants for the public service now clas-
sified or to DO classified hereunder |;
such examinations shall be practical in
their character, and so far as may be.
shall relate to those matters which
will fairly test the relative capacity
and fitness of the persons examined
to discharge the duties of that service
into which they seek to be appointed
(2.) That all the Offices, places and
employments 50 arranged, or to he
arranged in classes. shall be filled by
selections. according to grade from
among those graded highest as the
result OF such competitive examina.
ton.
(3.) Appointments to the public ser.
vice aforesaid in the departments at
Washington shall be spportioned
among the several States and Terri.
tories and the District of Columbia,
upon the basis of population as ascer.
tanned at the last preceding census.
Every application for an examination
shall contain, among other things, a
statement under oath, setting forth
his or her actual Donna fide residence
at the time of making the application
as we'll as how long he or she has been
resident of sue h place.
a. That there shall be period OF
probation before any absolute ap'
pointment OF employment aforesaid.
(5.) That promotions shall be from
the lower grades to the higher on the
basis OF merit and competition.
Co., That 10 person in the public
service is for that reason under any
obligation to contribute to any pOlit-
ical fund, or to render any political
services, and that he will not be re.
moved or otherwise prejudiced for re.
fusing to do so.
a. That no person in said service
has any right to use his official an.
thority to influence OF coerce the
political action of any person or body.
(8.) There shall be nOl.cOmpetitive
examinations in all proper cases be.
fore the commission, when competent
persons do not compete, after notice
has been given of the existence of the
vacancy il under such rules as may be
prescribed by the commissioners as to
the manner of giving notice, cOmpe-
tltion may not he found practicable.
o. That notice shall be given in
writing by the appointing power to
said commission OF the persons select,
ed Tor appointment or employment
from among those who have been
examined, of the place of residence
of such persons, OF the rejection of
any such persons after probation, of
transfers, designations and removals,
and of the date thereof and 4, record
of the same shall be kept by said com.
mission. and any necessary exceptions
from said nine fundamental prOvi.
sions of the rules shall be set forth in
connections with such rules, and the
reasons therefore shall be stated in
the annual reports of the commission.
Third-Said commissioner shall be
subject to the rules that may be made
by the President, make regulations
for and have control of such eXamin.
ations. and through its members or
the examiners it shall supervise and
preserve the records of the same: and
said commission shall keep minutes
of it's own proceedings.
FOurth-Said commission may
make investigations concerning the
facts aid may report all matters
touching the enforcement and effects
of said rules and regulations and
concerning the action of any exam
liner or board of examiners hereinaf.
ter provided for, its own subordinates
and those in the public service, in re.
spect to the execution Of this act.
Fifth-Said commission shall make
an annual report to the President for
transmission to Congress, showing its
own action, the rules and regulations
and the exceptions thereto in force.
the practical effects thereof. and any
suggestions it may approve for the
more effectual accomplishment Of the
purposes of this act.