St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-11-16
CLEVELAND SCORED.
The New Civil Service Commission and
the Presidents Intentions.
Blaine's Retirement Permanent
Regarding Appointments.
Special to the Globe.

Special to the Globe.
WASHINGTON, Nov. 15.-The Post this
morning publishes an article which is of
interest because the Post has been aiming
to establish itself as the organ of the adj
miniStration. The article would be not
only interesting but important if the adj
minlstratiOn had recognized the paper as its
organ. TIL comfy indication of any such
recognition is the fact that the president
gave this paper his recent statement regard
ing the new civil service commission and
the Sterling case. The Post says: I'm
less we entirely misapprehend the meaning
of the presidents language as it appears in
his recently-published statement, the new
civil service commissioners are eXtrava-
gantlY at fault in the Interpretation of that
document. Mr.. Edgerton said on Thurs
day that the plan adopted in the
Sterling case, to-wit: That of certify
ing the whole number of successful
applicants, was not intended to become a
precedent. Yesterday Mr.. Trenholm, the
other new member of the board, Endorsed
Mr.. Edgerton's view of the matter, and then
came Hon. Dorman B. Eaton, the holding
over member, to sanction it with all the
weight of his long service and his supposed
authority. Evidently the president in
the public mind for an abandonment of the
unpopular methods recently in vogue and
return to position at once intelligent and
Ineligible. Just what the position was to
be is distinctly outlined in the following
sentence, where speaking of the New Y ork
weighership. He says: Il suggested that
the examination for this place be non-com-
petitive, but finding the law did not permit,
it was proposed, instead of sending to the
appointing Office only four names from
those who had proved themselves eligible
and oblging him to select one of them, to
send the whole number who successfully
passed, thus permitting an opportunity to
Judge of the qualifications as developed by
the examination. The Post, speaking of
the commission, says: ''They would oblt-
crate the significance of the wisest and most
encOurag ing announcement Of the year by
pretending that the president of the United
States has concerned himself to make a
| declaration to the people with exclusive
reference to an obscure Brooklyn ward poll
tician. If these gentlemen are correct in
their estimate the president has taken a
great deal of unnecessary trouble for very
little, not to say contemplate, purpose.
On this point, however, the president is
entitled to hearing. He says: Il might,
perhaps, add that at the time had not, and
I am quite sure no member of the commits
sion had, the slightest idea that MI. Ster-
ling would appear as an applicant" If the
president is to be believed, therefore, this
invitation was not made for Mr.. Sterling's
benefit. 1t was not intended to be tempo
rary and exceptional, and unless Messrs.
Trenholm, Edgerton and Eaton would have
the president speak idly and without pur-
pose, it had a distinct and deliberate sig
nifcance. We are quite satisfied as to the
nature of that significance. 1t is evident
from that the Post expects that at an early
day the appointing officer will be allowed
to select persons from the whole list of
those who pass the examinations. In other
words, that the competitive examination is
to be dropped.