Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-08-17
SEEKERS FOR PLACES.
RULE NINE OF THE CIVIL SER
VICE LAW AMENDED.

Applications for Examination Blanks
Must be M Rds by Bona Eide Contestants
In their Own Handwriting Prevention
ofPOiitioaI Knows edge Concerning APP
plicants by Appointing Officers the
Aim.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 16.-Upon the adj
vice OF the Civil Service Commission
President Cleveland has amended rule
OF the amended civil service rules TO
read as follows:
RULES. All applications for regular
competitive examination tor admission TO
the classified civil service must be made
on blank forms to be prescribed by the
commission, requests for blank forms of
application for competitive examination
for admissi on 10 the classified civil SER
vice, and all regular applications for such
examination shall be made: III for the
classification departmental service, to the
United States Civil Service Commission
at Washington, d. G.; second, II for the
classified customs service, to the civil
service board OF examiners for customs
district in which the person desiring TO be
examined wishes to enter the customs
service; third, il for the classified postal
service, to the civil service board OF ex-
aminers for the post office at which the
person TO be examined wishes to enter the
postal service.
REQUESTS FOR FORMS.
Requests for blank forms of applica.
tion to the custom and postal boards Of
examiners must be made in writing by
the persons desiring examination, and
such blank forms snail not be furnished
to any other person. The commission In
submittingthe rules as amended gave 10
f1aap fdas, F1l1
reasons for advising the amendment:
Under the rule, as 1t ia now written,
applications for competitive examination
tor admission to the classified customs
service and to the classified postal SER
vice, must be made to the appointing or
nominating officer"
PRESENT EVILS.
The evils of this way of making appli.
cations have become apparent to the COM
mission. An applicant who is a member
OF the party to which the appointing or
nominating officer belongs exposes to
that officer his political opinions and az
hllatlons by statement of them, and aa
applicant who is a member of the oppos-
ing party exposes his political opinions
and Affiliations by hIs silence concerning
them. After the examination, when
notices OF the standing have been given,
applicants who have been passed make
haste to inform the appointing or nominal
ting officer OF their standing. Thus that
officer becomes Informed not only of the
political opinions and affiliations of all
applicants, but also OF their relative stands
ing on the eligible registers.
INFORMATION HE SHOULD NOT HAVE.
In this way he obtains all the informa-
tion he should not have, and all he could
acquire II he were custodian OF the reg
listers. In this connection it may be
stated that the commission has lately
Instructed its customs and postal
boards OF examiners not to permit
the appointing or nominating officer or
any other person to have possession Of, or
have q copy OF any eligible register, not
to permit an appointing or nominating
officer to inspect or see any eligible regis
ter or copy thereof, for the reasons al.
ready herein stated. This order will be all
most nugatory II rule 8 remains un.
changed.
THE OPPORTUNITY IMPROVED.
Under rule as it is now written an
appointing or nominating officer can OBJ
tain information oft political opinions
and affiliations and OF the grading of APP
plicants, and he is the person ON whom
the friends OF applicants exert
partisan and personal influence
TO induce the selection by
him OF applicants In whom they are
Interested. In this way the appointing
or nominating officer may be led, without
intention on his part Of wrong doing, into
violations OF rule 3, and into discrimna-
tlOns IN favor of or against applicants on
account of their political opinions Oh
affiliations.
EFFECT OF THE AMENDMENT.
Under rule 0, amended as herein above
set forth, an appointing or nominating
n M ha bn ug
is in an apparently legal manner, with in.
formation concerning applicants which
he should not possess. Under thia
rule, II amended as suggested. ALI
applications would he made 10 the Board
OF Examiners, and applicants would have
no good reason for calling on either the
board or appointing or nominating officer
after their standing had been ascertaIned
and notice thereof had been given to thems
DISTRIBUTING THE BLANKS.
The commission has observed that
the members OF boards OF examiners, as
we'll as appointing and nominating otii-
GERS, furnish blank form Of application
TO personal and political friends, not Tor
their use, but for distribution among
persons these friends desire to please.
Thus many persons who have
no desire to enter the civil service are in
duced to become applicants for admls-
SluD, anu III bulb W Tue hIcdS luCOH~
venence OF the commission and the DIS
appointment OF many hundreds OF per-
sons who do desire admission, the num-
ber OF applicants 10 increased much
In excess Of the needs OF the service. fol
the purpose OF preventing interested par.
ties from thus using blank forms OF
application. sin this Injurious manner
the commission proposes TO have rule
so amended that requests for blank forms
Of application TO customs and postal
boards OF examiners must be made in
writing by persons desiring examinations
and 30 that no blank forms shall be fur-
nIshed 30 anv person who does not re-
quest IL for his own use. In view OF
these facts and considerations the COM
mission respectfully advise that rule o be
amended al above herein set forth.