National Republican., 1883-05-09
THE CIVIL SERVICE RULES.
No Person to Use Official Authority TO Inter
fere With Any Election.
Political and Religious Convictions OF
Applicants Not to Be Questioned.
The Throe Divisions Of the Service-The Branches
to Be Covered by The Examinations.
form Of AppIication-Certihca of Char
Rctor-Probations and Promotions.

In the exercise of the power vested in tho
President by tho constitution, and by virtue
of the 1753d section Tof the Revised Statutes
and of the civil service act approved Jan. Is,
1883, the following rules for the regulation,
and improvement of the executive civil ser
vice are hereby promulgated:
RULE I.-No person in said service shall use
his official authority or influence either to
coerce the political action of any person or
body or to interfere with any election.
RULE II.--No person in the public service
shall for that reason be under any obligation
TO contribute to any political fund, or to
render any political service, and he will not
be removed or otherwise prejudiced for re-
fusng to do so.
RULE Hit shall be the duty Of collectors,
postmasters, assistant treasurers naval Off
GERS, surveyors, appraisers, and custodians OF
public buildings, at places where examina-
tions are to be held, to allow and to arrange for
the reasonable use of suitable rooms in the pub
lie buildings in their charge, and for heating,
Lighting and furnishing the same, for the
purpose of such examinations; and all other
executive officers shall in all legal and proper
ways facilitate such examinations and the ex-
ecution of these rulds.
RULE W.. All officials connected with
any office whore, or for which, any examina-
tion is to take place will give the civil ser
vice commission and the chief examiner
such information as may be reasonably re-
quired, to enable the commission to select
competent and trustworthy examiners; and
the examinations by those selected as exam
iners and the work incident thereto, will be
regarded as part OF the public business to be
performed at such office.
q II shall be the duty of every executive
officer promptly to inform the commission in
writing of the removal or discharge from the
II .sV.an h Hoo
or Of the inability or refusal of any such ex-
aminer to act in that capacity.
RULE Where shall be three branches OF
the service, classified under the civil service
act mot including laborers or workmen, OF
officers required tdbe confirmed by the SEN
ate), as follows:
1. Those classified in the departments al
Washington shall be designated THE CLASH
fed Departmental Service"
2. Those classified under any collector, naval
officer, surveyor, or appraiser in any custom:
district, shall be designated "The Classified
Customs Service"
3. Those classified under any postmaster al
any postoffice, including that at Washington
shall be designated "The Classified Postal
Service"
4. The classified customs service shall EN-
brace the several customs districts where tn,
officials are as many as fifty, now the follow
ing: New York city, N. VI Boston, Mass.
Philadelphia, Pa; San Francisco, CAL; Balti
more, Md; New Orleans, La; Chicago, Ill.
Burlington, vt; Portland, Me-; Detroit, Mich.
Port Huron, Mich.
5. The classified postal service shall en-
brace the several postofiices where the officials
are as many as fifty, now the following: Al
bany, N. Y; Baltimore, Md; Boston, Mass.
Brooklyn, N. Y; Buffalo, N. Y; Chicago, Ill.
Cincinnati, Ohio; Cleveland, Ohio; Detroit
Mich; indianapolis, Ind; Kansas City, Mo.
InuisyilIa XIV. Milwauknn Wis. Newark
N. j.; New Orleans La; New York city, N
Y; Philadelphia, Pa; Pittsburg, Pa; Proyi
dence r. L.; Rochester, N. Y; st. Louis, Mo.
San Francisco, CAL; Washington, d. c.
RULE VI.-1.-Theres shall be open, competi
tive examinations for testing the fitness o
applicants for admission to the service. Sucl
examinations shall be practical in their char
acter and, so far as may be, shall relate Il
those matters which will fairly test the rela
tive capacity and fitness of the persons exam
ined to discharge the duties of the branch OF
the service which they seek to enter.
2. There shall also be competitive examna
tions of suitable character to test the fitness
of persons for promotion in the service.
RULE WILL. The general examinations
under the first clause of rule vi for admission
TO the service shall be limited to the follow
ing subjects: LIST. Orthography, penmanship
and copying. I'd. Observation-Disclosures
rules fractions, and percentage. Sd. Inter
and of accounts. 4th. Elements of the Eng
lish language, letter writing, and the proper
construction of sentences. 9th. Elements o
the geography, history, and government o
the United States.
2. Proficiency in each of these subject
shall be credited in grading and standing o
the persons examined in proportion to tn
value of a knowledge of such subjects in th
branch or part of the service which the ap
plicant seeks to enter.
3. No one shall be entitled to be certife,
for appointment whose standing upon jus
grading in the general examination shall b
less than 50 per centum of complete prof
cheney in the first three subjects mentioned
in this rule, and that measure of proticienc.
shall be deemed adequate.
A. But for places in which lower degree O
education will suffice, the commission ma,
limit the examination to: First, penmaDshI
copying, and orthography second, the funda
mental rules of arithmetic; but no persol
shall be certified under this examination of
less grading than 65 per centum ON each sub
ject.
5. The commission may also order exami
nations of a higher grade, or upon additions
or special subjects, to test tho capacity an
fitness which may be needed in any speca
place or branch of the service
RULE VIII.-No questson in any examina.
tion, or proceeding by, or under the commits
sion or disclosure of any political or religion
opinion or aiiiliation, nor shall any discrimi
nation be made by reason thereof, If known
and the commission and its examiners shal
discountenance all disclosure, before either q
them of such opinion by or concerning an
applicants for examination or by or concern
ing any one whose name is on any registe
awaiting appointment.
RULE IX.-All regular applications for tn
competitive examinations Tor admission
the classified service must be made on blank
in form approved by the commission. AL
requests for such blanks, and all application
for examination, must be addressed as fol
lows: l. III for the classified departments
service, to the United States civil seryic
commission, Washington, ID. q. 2. If for tn
classified postal service, TO the postmaster un
der whom service Is sought. 3. III for th
classified customs service, to the head @
either customs Office in which service
sought. All officers receiving such applica
tions will indOrse thereon the date of the re
ception thereof, and transmit the same TO tn
proper examining board of the district or otfic
where service is sought, or, II in Washington
to the civil service commission.
RULE EX.-Every examining board shall kee
such records, and snch papers ON tle, ant
make such reports as the commission shal
require; and any such paper or record in tn
charge Of any examining board or any office
shall at all times be open to examination a
the commission shall direct, and upon its re
quest shall be forwarded to the commission
for inspection and revision.
RULE &I.-Every application, in order I,
entitle the applicant to appear for eXamina
tiOn or TO be examined, must state unde