Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1886-10-28
THE REAL RECORD.

4
| Under Mr.. Blaine and Mr.. Ra yard.
| The Girl Service Record has rem
dered the public great service in
securing and publishing large collec-
ton of statistics as to the changes
which have been made in the various
executive departments since the new
Administration came in a year ago
last spring. The lack of such data
hitherto has prevented any thing like
a comprehensive exposition of the
facts, and it has consequently been
impossible to show with any approach
to exacsness the real state Of the case
The Records tables enable rs to get at
the TRUTH and the showing is full OF
| interest.
| The first thing which strikes one is
the evidence that the Clvil-Service law
has been strictly enforced, which is
furnished by the table of removals in
the classified SERVICE which Is the
term adopted to designate that part of
| the service subject to the law of 1883.
There are about $500 such places in
the departments at Washington, and
| under the old spoils system of a '~clean
sweep" upon change of National Adj
| ministration this army of clerks APP
pointed under Republican rule would
have been discharged in short order.
In point of fact between March 4,
1885, and June Is, 1886 (sinee which.
latter date very few changes have been
made), the whole number of remov-
ais aggregated but 500, or only one
in every fifteen persons. and thirteen
| of these were on account of reduction
of force. In some departments the
reasons for discharges are furnished in
every case, and it is evident that they
were made solely for the good of the
service. Thus in the War Department.
sixty-one persons were removed during
this period, and Secretary Endicott
gives these as the causes: Reduction
of appropriations, 10; services no longer
required, Is; to accept appointments in
other departments, 2; inattention to
duty, 2; for intemperance, z; absence
without leave, 6; inefficiency, To-; mis-
conduct, 8; political, 1. Ten persons
in the classified service in the Post
office Department were removed, and
the cause in each case is recorded, as
drinking to, excess" .4absent from
duty without permission" etc. It thus
clearly appears that the Civil-Serviee
law interposes no obstacle to removals
for the good of the service, while the
impossibility of filling vacancies except
upon proved merit, as established by
competitive examinations. removes the
motive for discharging efficient en-
ployes to make room for PERSONAL or
political favorites.
The moderation of the Administers
ton in the use of the removing power
is also shown by the record as to
changes in the unc1assified service, to
which the law does not apply. The
detailed statistics as to these are given
in the case of the Interior Department,
and they show that out of about /, 080
such employees only $685.. or one-fifth,
were removed. The los designations
doubtless include large number of
persons who weHld have been removed
had they not voluntarily taken them
selves out of the way; but even lump
ing all the removals and designations
together as forced. they amount to only
thirty per cent of the whole number
who might have been summary got
rid of without any violation of law.
Even in the Department of Justice.
among the Territorial Judges, the
United States Attorneys, Marshals, etc.,
only two-thirds, of the whole number
have been changed, and our readers.
have doubtless noticed that one of the.
Federal attorneys whose resignation
has just been demanded, because he.
has been nominated for another office
by his party. is an Ohio Republican.
The showing as to the diplomatic
service is peculiarly creditable and en-
couraging, since this branch of the
Government has long been the refuge
of broken-down party hacks. The
changes made in this service since Mr..
Bayard became Secretary of State.
counting every thing, from an Envoy
Extraordinary and Minister Plenipo-
Tertiary down to an interpreter, aggre-
gate only IA out of 1927 such officers.
in the service of the United States, or.
only forty-four per cent. The Admin
istration at Washington has changed
from one party to another for the first.
time in quarter of century, and a
list compiled in the second year of
that Administration shows that, in
stead of the oid-fashioned '.clean
sweep" abroad, much less than half
of the representatives of this Govern
ment in foreign lands have been
changed To understand what this
really means, one should contrast this
record with that made when four years
before there was not change
of parties but only of representatives
of the same party in the Executive De-
partments. When Mr.. Garfield be-
came President and made Mr.. Blaine
Secretary of State, he found the diplo-
matte service filled with men APP
pointed by Republicans, yet during the
four months between March 4, 1881,
and the day of the Guiteau tragedy.
no less than 55 changes were made
in total number of offices then
but little exceeding 800. In other
words, changes were made in Is per
cent. of the diplomatic offices within
four months by Mr. Blaine as Repub-
lican Secretary of State, against only
A per cent in more than a year by
Mr.. Bayard as Democratic Secretary,
although the change of parties pre-
sented the strongest temptations and
excuses for wholesale changes in the
latter case.
Such figures as these are full Of en-
couragement to the friends of Civil
Service reform. They show that the
system of treating public offices as pub
lie trusts is steadily making Roadway;
indeed. that it has already become too
thoroughly entrenched ever to be over
thrown by the spoilsmen.-N r. Post.
BOYCOTTING A DEPARTMENT.
Unhusinesslike and Unpatriotfc Attitude
OF the Ship Builders Who Formerly
Had Every Thing Their Own Way.
sFV1