The Portland daily press., 1885-11-13
EMASCuLATlNc THE CIVIL SER
VICE LAW.


1t will be recollected that some time ago
the collector of the New York custom house
removed Capt. Bacon, one of the oldest and
most efficient weighers in the service, and
appointed in his stead one Sterling, a Brook
lyn ward politician and keeper of gin mill.
Such storm of indignation followed this
scandalous appointment that the President
interfered and decided that the civil service
law applied to the office of weigher. Accord
ingly Sterling was not commissioned. A
competitive examination of candidates for
the place was ordered, and among those who
presented themselves was Sterling. He
passed the examination, but way down on
the list, ranking 20. Under the ordinary
method of procedure the names Of
the four highest in rank would
have been certified to the collector
to choose from. But in compliance with in
structions from the civil service commits
sion, the examiners did not certify the four
highest names to the collector, but forward
ed the whole eligible list to Washington.
The only explanation as to why this instruc-
ton was issued was given by the Washing
ton Post, which reported the President as
using this language:
sit seemed to me, that the good of the service
required that the person to be appointed should
be possessed of certain traits and qualifications
which no theoretical examination would develop
One having in charge two or three hundred men
OF the class with which a welgher has TO deal,
should possess personal courage. energy,
decision and firmness of character
1t is entirely certain that the possession of such
qualifications could not in the least be determined
by the result of an examination organized for the
purpose of testing an applicants knowledge and
education So | suggested that the examination
for this place be non-compettive, but finding that
case it was proposed that Instead Of sending to
the appointing power only four names from those
who had proved themselves eligible upon examin-
alton, and Obliging him to select one of Them the
whole number who successfully passed should be
sent up, thus permitting an opportunity TO judge
of the qualifications not developed by the eX,
animation. This, as l understand it, was agreed
to among u.s."
1t has since been proved that the above
paragraph was written by the President
himself.
For three days past the civil service COM
nilsson has been trying to decide whether
to adhere to the rule which would certify to
the collector only the four highest names on
the eligible list or to break it to oblige the
President and Secretary Manning, both of
whom were very anxious that the whole list
should be submitted Yesterday it gave in
to the President and Secretary and sent the
entire list to the collector
1t remains to be seen what the collector
will do with it. Had the standing of the
different persons on it not been made public
there is not much doubt that he would have
promptly selected Sterling, but the fact that
Sterlings rank is known and the other fact
that at the head of the list stands vet
eran soldier to whom the law re-
quires preference shall be given, other
things being equal, will give him pause.
But whether the final outcome is the APP
pointment of Sterling or not, the decision of
the commission to certify the whole list is a
staggering blow to civil service reform
With the entire eligible list to select from,
the appointing power will find no difficulty in
selecting a Democrat every time, and the
law will soon become laughing-stock. We
venture to say that every Jacksonian Demo-
crat in the country will grow twenty years
younger when he hears of this decision.