Omaha daily bee., 1884-05-16
CIVIL
Hon. John NJ. Gregory, VI the Com
mission, in Omaha.

Hon. John M. Gregory, of the civil
service commission, arrived in Omaha
Wednesday, and registered at tho Paxton.
MIR. Gregory was seen by a reporter and
gave n lengthy account OF the aims and
workings of the civil service commission.
Tho original civil service commission
was organized in 1874 under Gen. Grant,
the appropriation for it amounting to
$50 5000. OF it G. w. Curtis was the
president. 1t continued three years, but
congress failing to make appropriation
for it, tho commission died.
The present commission consists of
Dorman Il. Eaton of New York, l.. ID.
Toman of Ohio, and Mr.. j. NJ. Gre CORY,
of Illinois. Its duty is to formulate
rules for the exaltation OF the civil ser
| vice of the country and 10 see that the
laws in this respect are carried ont. 1t
prepares the blanks for all matters no.
quired in the examinations, p%ropounds
the questions, and c~ertities to The heads
of departments, the eligible candidates
or those who have successfully undergone
the examination required.
The appointment of eligible applicants
are in proportion to the population OF the
state, and this a~pportionment is based
upon tho number of congressman of zach
state who are considered representatives
of the people. Although this arrange
ment does not affect tho older clerks, still
it affords u better state representation i'll
departmental positions than before. Be-
fore its creation, the District of Columbia
had more clorkships than any two of the
states. 1t il, Mr.. Gregory claims, tho
first time i'll the history of the country
that there has been an equitable distribu-
ton in the matter of clerkships.
The commission has Jurisdiction over
the applications OF people to 5000 clerk
ships in tho different departments, and
has been extended to postotiices which
employ fifty people and upwards. 1t is
within the power of the president to ex-
Tend it to Others, and it is expected that
before many months tho executive will
extend its operations to Nebraska.
The questions of tho commission for ex-
animation are all printed, with accompa-
nying blanks, upon which the answers
may be written.
All applications for examination must
be forwarded to Washington. ETho appli-
cant is then notified when the commission
will sit at place nearest him for examina-
ton. The clerkships range from copyists
receiving 500, to Others commanding
respectively $1,000, $1,400, 81 600 and
81, 800 per annum. When an applicant
passes examination no is placed upon a
register. From the number 80 placed,
according to the a%pportionment above
mentioned, the man who stood highest in
the examination is selected when n clerk
is required for work. Following this
recommendation come six months of trial
in the labor before the party is accepted.
At the end of this period the s%uperinten'
dent of the work upon which the new
man is engaged reports upon all the feat
ures of his work ard character, and if
this report be favorable the clerk is
retained and promotion laid open to
him.
The commission System is n positive
boon to congressman. 1t takes hours of
ungrateful labor from their shoulders and
removes some of the A. opportunities of
making deadly enemies, When some of
the legislators ask to have n constituent
advanced, they are told that nothing can
advance him, nothing can keep him back
but his competency or inefficiency. MIR.
Lincoln says the system saves him several
hours a day.
The system affects ladies the same as
gentlemen, though since its establishment
fewer of them have been appointed than
formerly. Up to January of this year
nearly four thousand clerks had been
examined. OF these nearly 60 per cent
passed, while but GIG were given
positions.
The examination in this city will be
presided over by Messrs. Co%utant,
Woodland and Lawton. They will be
public and commenced this morning at
10 O'Clock.
Mr.. Gregory leaves for Lincoln to-
morrow, where an examination will be
held Saturday.