Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-05-29
HOW CIVIL SERVICE WORKS.
A Chfef OF Division who Thinks thu
Government Gets Better Work,

us the civil service a success or a failure IN
securing the right kind OF clerks for the govern.
ment service?" asked STAR reporter of q
prominent chief of division in one of the M
town departments
Emphatically success" was the reply, "that
Is SO iar as my experience goes. lam not preju.
oiceo either, and am free to say that at first
was very much opposed to the whole thing. ]
was satisfied that it was a very pretty theory
out that In practice 1t would prove q dead
failure. Naturally watched the civil service
clerks who were brought into our department
with great deal of interest TO see how they
would turn out. OF course there have been
instances OF men who examined well but
WORKED poorly, but the class of clerks sent Us
oy the civil service commission are as rule
through influence"
did you notice that young man." resumed
laid a paper on his desk. 9" cot him se throng ugh
the civil service about six months ago. and he
intelligent and aaiei lie eee
celved his permanent appointment the other
day after probationary term of six months,
ton at the first opportunity. A good many OF
our civil service men are like him. Yes, sir, 1
and wha b snaI ahs ef ea is
the head OF the department.. If an additional
clerk 10 needed nowadays simple requisition
is made upon the civil service com mission and
We are soon supplied with one without having
performed favor for some politician and made
enemies OF several Others. OF course. the politi-
cians don't like 1t, and call civil service ridic-
ulOus fraud. They have to content themselves
with securing positions for laborers and char
women women ana naturally feel that they are de-
prlved OF their prerOgatives. This is the way
The appointment business worked in the ante
civil service days. The Secretary was always
besleged by congressman and others OF in1iu-
ence TO put some one in his department. When
there was an opportunity to make an appoint
msnt II was not the best man that got the
M hf uvo kxont ynl hxy m
strongest influence. When he was once as
signed his desk he felt thoroughly safe, for he
had the power to keep him there, and he knew
that If he was interested enough to secure the
appointment hewould continue to be sufficiently
would be the result? The probability is that
the clerk would take advantage of his position
ana would shirk, without the fear of cOnse-
quences His chief would, perhaps, 60 80 far as
TO enter complaint against him, and then
what? That afternoon after office hours the
clerk would hunt up his Congressional hacker,
and he would put in an appearance early the
next morning to see about this thing. He would
represent to the Secretary that the square
thing was not being done by his protege. He
knew all about his man, he would say, and was
satlsned that the complaints were instgated
Dy Jealousy or some other unjust reason. Well,
the Congressman, would smooth over the mat
ter. The clerk would feel that he had won the
light and would shirk worse than ever. The
result would be that the work for which he was
pald would be done by the other industrious
clerks, and the clerk with influence would con-
tlnue TO have u soft time. Now that's not exag-
Serated. l have seen too many similar in
stances. The civil service has certainly done
away with that Objectionable feature of
the government service, and has certainly
made an improvement. The influence which
enters into an appointment nowadays Is
very limited. Asa general thing it is awarded
on merit, and the man who gets 1t feels
that he secured it because he deserved it,
ana that he can only keep 1t by deserving TO
Keep 1t, There is where the probationary term
Daf a mo- ,np,f
appointment until he has served six months,
and after he has worked well for six months to
show what he can do he can't afford to let up on
MS record. The chances are therefore that the
department has secured a clerk who will do
good work right along for he knows that there
Is chance of promotion. No. the politicians
don't like the civil service, for 1t has clipped
their wings quite little, but am sure that the
government service is the gamer by It"