The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1884-03-06
CIVIL SERVICE REFORM.
EirHt Annual Report of tho ConInissIon-
President Arthur EndorBcs tho Law and
Its Administration.

WAsnINGroS, February 20.-TLs
President to-day sent to Congress the
first annual report of tho civil service
commission. In his message OF trans.
initial the President says: Upon the
good results which the civil service law
has already accomplished congratulate
Congress and the people, and avow my
conviction that it will henceforth prove
to be still more signal benefit to the
public service. heartily commend the
zeal and fidelity of the commissioners
and their suggestions for further legisla.
ton, and advise tho making of such All
appropriation rs shall be adequate for
their needs"
The report Of the commissioners makes
n volume of sixty-seven closely printed
pages. After u general review Of the
Civil Service law and the preliminaries
Of the organization Of the commission,
the report states that several results
which appear to be the more direct ob.
jects of the law and civil service rules, as
understood by The commission, are:
First. That official authority and in
iucnce must no longer be used to impair
freedom of elections or to cocrce the po.
litical action of citizens
Second. Extortion from those in pub.
lie service, whether under tho form OF
political assessments or otherwise, for
the purpose of paying the expenses of
parties or candidates, must come 10 an
end.
Third. Selections for executive service
on the basis Of official favor and partisan
influences must be suppressed BY requir.
ing examination and other adequate
tests of character and capacity as condi-
tions of entering this service.
Fourth. The true responsibility and
independence OF the legislative and ex-
ecutive departments under tho Constitu-
tion must be restored and preserved.
Rules and 2 of the Civil Service en-
body the principles set out under the
first and second heads.
The repor' ,ays that it Is too early to
speak with oefnIteness of the effects OF
these rules. The influence Of old habito
and theories affects conduct long after
new standards of duty have beer accep.
ted. Although the violation Of either
rule is made good cause for removal, the
utility Ct such rules must in some de.
gree rest in their power as precepts; for
obviously only gross forms Of their vio-
lation eau be easily proved.
The frat step toward the protection Of
all rights is tho distinct recognition Of
them and the public acknowledgment OF
the duty to protect them. That step at
least has been taken. In the face Of
pledges at once formal aud public it
3!il require more audacity to invade and
there will be reader courage to defend
tho freedom which it is the object of the
| first two rules to guarantee. No case OF
violation of eithe7 In the particulars re.
ferred to has been laid before the COM
| mission. Whether IA the period since
the civil service rules went into effect
there has not been diminished tendency
on the part of Federal officers to med.
die with the political action Of citizens
and more vigorous and general condem.
nation of the practice by the public, are
questions to be decided upon q careful
observation Of the facts which are as
open to all others as to the members OF
the commission.
Upon the subject Of political assess.
ments the report says: An investigation
now being conducted by the commission
tends to show that the twelfth section OF
the Act has been violated by q private
citizen from each OF two States in the
iorIl of surreptiliouslS sending or car.
rying circulars into the departments at
Washington by which contributions
we're solicited from those in public ser.
vice in aid of tho political fund Of those
States, and one or more of the employees
in those departments appear to hsve
assisted in the distribution of those cir.
culars, but apparently without knowing
their contents or the purpose of their
distribution. We are satisfied that bu,
trifiing sums have been secured, and this
illegal practice appears to have ceased
npon. public attention being called to it.
Inquiries have justified the conclusion
that the amounts for corresponding peri.
DDS collected from the same number oil
Federal officers since the Act vent into
effect have not been more than from one.
half TO one.fOurth as much as formerly,
and that while a. feeling of complete
safety in declining to pay Is by no means
Fattained, this diminution In the amount
\ collected would otherwise measure the
proportion Of the whole amounts before
secured, which was paid by reason ol
fears OF removal or hopes of promotion
The evils Of the spoils system are se!
out at iength, and the defects Of the civil
service system practiced during President
Grants administration ars pointed out
and Its failure explained. 5@sse &,
w. J. Whipper Is said to be in III.
race for ongressional honOrc In ID.
1 Black District H Il, ,.3 q ~