The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1886-11-05
THE COLO FACTS.

Actual Statistics - - Chnnges - 60
Civil serslce-The Depsrsmess - staes
Undsr ~. Isiains aaa -. nsysra
The Civil Serrice RecorS has rem
dcred the public . great service In
securing and publishing large collec-
lion Of statistics As 70 the changes
which have been made IN tho various
executive departments since the new
Administration came In year ago
last spring. The lack Of such data
hitherto has prevented any thing like
comprehensive exposition Of the
facts, and il has consequently been
impossible to show with any approach
20 cxactness the real state Of the case
The Records tables enable Us 10 get II
the truth. and the showing Is full Of
interest.
The first thing which strikes one II
the evidence that the Clvil-Seryice law
has been strictly enforced. which Is
furnished BY the table Of removals in
the classified SERVICE" which il the
term adopted 10 designate that part Of
the service subject to the law q 1883.
There are about $3.50 such places in
the departments at Washington. and
under the old spoils 81 stem Of ''clcan
sweep" upon . change Of National Adj
ministration this army Of clerks ap-
pointed under Republican rule would
have been discharged in short order.
| In point Of fact between March Z.
1885. and June 16, 1856 (since which
made), the whole number Of remoy-
ais aggregated but Sos. 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 1t Is evident that they
were made solely for the good Of the
service. Thus in the War Department
| sixty-onc 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. ?; inattention TO
| duty, 2; for intemperance. z; absence
| without leave. 8: inefiiciency. 10; mis-
conduct. s; political. l. Ten persons
| in the classified service in the Post
Office Department were removed. and
the cause in each case is recorded. as
ssdrinking to excess" s.absent from
duty without permission etc 1t thus
clearly appears that the Civil-Servicc
law interposes no obstacle to removals
for the good Of the service. while the
impossibility Of filling vacancies except
upon proved merit ~ established BY
competitive examinations. removes the
motive for discharging efficient en-
ployes to make room for personal or
political favorites.
The moderation Of the Admini<tra-
ton in the use of the removing power
j. also shown by the record as 10
changes In the unclassifed service 90
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 -O8O
such employees only 223. or one-fifth,
were removed The los designations
doubtless include a large number Of
persons who would have been removed
had they not voluntarily taken them
selves out of the way: but even lump
| ing all the removals and resignation.
together as forced. they amount 10 ONLY
, thirty per cent Of the whole number
! who might have been summary GOT
lid Of without any violation Of Law.
+ en- in the Department Of Justice.
among the Territorial Judges, the
United States Attorneys. Marshals, etc.
have been changed. and our headers
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
II The showing IS TO the diplomatic
service is peculiarly creditable and en-
couraging. since this branch Of thu
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 327 such officer.
: In the service Of the United States. Of
only forty-four per cent The Admin
} istration at Washington has changes
from one party to another for the mrs
I time in . quarter Of = century. and I
7 list compiled in the second year o
that Administration shows that. in
/ stead Of the old-faSlioned s-cleaz
sweep" abroad. much less than hal
. Of the representatives Of this Govern
: ment in foreign lands have beer
; changed. To understand what thi
] really means. one should contrast thi
. record with that made when four year
2 before there was not chang
I OF parties but only Of representative
: Of the same party in the Executive De
! partments. When Mr.. Garfield be
{ came President and made Mr.. Blain'
Secretary Of State. he found the diplo
E matte service filed with men ap
> pointed BY Republicans yet during IN
{ four months between March 4. 1881
! and the day Of the Guiteau tragedy
. no less than IS changes were mad
. in . total number Of Offices sheI
{ but little exceeding 800. In othe
Q words. changes were made IN Is pc
D cent of the diplomatic Offices within
: four months BY Mr.. Blaine as Repuh
: lican Secretary Of State. against onl
Z "A per cent in more than > year b
. Mr. Bayard a. Democratic Secretary
e although the change Of parties pm
/. scented the strongest temptations an
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