Omaha daily bee., 1883-01-16
ENGLISH CIVIL SERVICE.

The civil service bill as passed By
congress Is modelled very closely after
the system now In operation in Eng.
land. OF the plan, methods and re-
suits Of the operation Of the British
civil service reform bill few of the
public and still fewer congressman, if
we may judge from the speeches
printed in the Record, have any very
definite idea. People were led to be-
lievo while the Pen dleton bill wss
pending In the senate that the abuse
Of patronage and all traces Of
the spoils system were entirely
eradlcated in England and that the
plan of competitive examinations as a
prerequisite to entrance Into the civil
service applied to ell classes Of gov.
eminent Cficials. The public will be
disabused of this idea by reading Con.
sui General Merritt's report to the
state department, which makes a prac.
teal comparison between the Ameri-
can and English systems of admission
into and tenure in the civil service.
According to General Merritt, the
English civil service is a compromise
between the patronage and the com.
petitive system, All positions com
handing moro than So. 600 a year in
the home service, and all without lin.
itation in the foreign service, are filled
by the heads of departments or by the
crown, and there does not appear to
be any serious complaint as to the
manner In which this patronage is
disposed. These higher positions are
occupied by the friends of the repre-
sentative men Of both parties, and
have never been brought under the
control of the competitive system.
At the same time patronage has prac-
tically ceased to be an important ele.
ment in political contests. The civil
service regulations apply to all posi-
tions In. domestic administration for
which the annual compensation ia less
than 81 ,000. The lower grades are
divided into classes; applicants who
succeed in passing a competitive tx.
animation begin with a salary of $500
or $40, which may b. advanced by
triennial increments to $1,000 or Sl,-
$50. In the 'Higher Division" a new
grade Of open competition, the sal
aries are raised triennially from a
minimum Of $500 to a maximum Ct
So, 900; and promotions cannot, as a
rule, carry the official out of the group
which he has entered, but can be
sanctioned by the civil ser.
vice commissioners in exceptional
cases after ten years service.
Life tenure is the fundamental
principle Ct the system, q pension be-
irg allowed whenever the incumbent
becomes unfit for flee. Gen. Mer'
rift finds that the weakest point In the
English plan LIS the pensioning system,
against which public CRITICS m is uni.
formly leyeled, He thinks it would
be wiser to compensate public servants
fully for services rendered than t.
"incur obligations that can be can
celled only by pensions or gratuitieI
otherwise unnecessary" He Is als'
disposed to question the wisdom o
making increase of salary dependan
entirely upon length of service and il
no measure upon exceptional talents
He warmly recommends, however
the disciplinary rules relating to pc
cunisry embarrassment of govern
pent employees, and is convinced the
their application to the civ
:. service of the United States woul'
have the most beneficial effect.
!, The praoticability of adopting l
the United States service the principl
. of life tenure has never been ger
orally conceded by the most INTEL
/ gent observers. Public opinion
generally opposed to 1t. Gen. Merri
advocates q limited tenure for repr
sentative positions of the highest elias
q the salaries being adjusted to IL
Importance and responsibility of Il
office, and for the lower or mere
,, clerical positions a tenure subordinat,
!. to periodical examinations every TO,
or five years. The application of the
principles, he thinks. would practical
secure tenure for life wherever Il
employees were jealous and faithfr
aud at the same time would promo
"A the efficiency of the service. &c
Merritt, as an old and we'll season,
4. eff er holder, is naturally In favor
In the life tenure principle. The peoE
he of this country will not agree wi
no him. They are opposed to the bull
;. ing up of a n ,ti,e holding a~rlstocra
n. as unrepublican and contrary to t
spirit of u government. They 9
"A in favor of throwing open the CT
service to every man ambitious enou
to desire entrance and more compete
than the official whom he would d