The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-09-30
They Remember Roach's Treatment by the
Navy Department and Are Shy of Making
Contracts with the Government.
Important Proposed Changes and Modi-
fcatiOns of CiVil-SerVice Rules,
By Which It Is Claimed Ex- Soldiers and Sail
Ors Will PrOft-A Chill of Apprehension
Among RepV hlican Office Holders.
THE CIyIL-sERvICE RULES.
Important Changes and Notifications Sug-
gested by the Commission.

WASHINGTON, Sept 29-The Civilservce Com
mission has been busiy engaged for time past in
revision of the rules and regulations relating to the
civil service, and within short time it is probable
that number of important of the existing
rules will be submitted to the President for his formal
approval The Commission has changed the
strueton heretofore placed the law and rules re-
lating to the appointment of soldiers to the classified
service by the issue of the following order:
1T is directed that upon any requisiton being made
by appointing officer for egibles to fill any vacancy
IN the classified civil service the certifying officer shall
certify from the eligible register from which the elgi
bles are to be drawn, the of all persons who
have claim to preference to appointment under Sec
ton lT54 United States Revised Statutes Provided.
however, that If there are upon said register the
names OF more than four persons who have claim of
preference, only four of them shall be certified in the
order OF their grading If upon the register of the
State entited to the appointment there not pref
erences claiming eigibes enough to fill the certifca
ton or if there upon said register the of no
preference claiming egibles. the certifying clerk
shall complete the making Of the certifcaton by TAX
ing the names OF claiming eligbles from
the tn from OF sues Shef State sng
order of the right of each State to the
appointment under the apportionment authorized to
be made by the Commission. If upon the register of
no State entitled to the appointment there is the
name of preference-caiming eligible and the
OF such an eligible appears upon State the quota of
which has been filled. the of such preference
claiming eligible shall be certified.
In explanation of this action of the Commission,
Mr.. Oberly to-day said that Section 1854 of the Re-
vised Statutes which in force at the date of the
passage of the cyservce law gave the preference in
appointments to persons disabled in the military or
naval forces of the United States. Section of the
cvil-service act provided that person should be
employed promoted in the classified service until
he had passed an examination or had been shown to
be exempt therefrom. But it also provides
that no preference right conferred by the
section of the statute already quoted should
be taken away. Taking the two sections
together, the Commission concluded that when per.
showed that he had been honorably discharged
from military service he had right to be preferred in
the cerihcation for appointment to civil Office in the
classified service When this applicants name came
before the appointing officer that officer had no dis
cretion but under the law compelled to appoint
idea - s destroyed Therefore, the Commission had
come to the conclusion that the Two statutes taken
together established two classes of competitershon
oraby discharged soldiers and sailors and persons
who had not been discharged and the construction
above given was placed the law. It's effect would
be to cause the names of four soldiers to be certified
at once to the appointing officer thus afording fair
competition between them. It establishes the idea
of competition in that class of egibes and DESTROYS
sent with those of the soldiers but who stood
no chance of appointment and were credited with
certfcaton.
Commissioner Oberly also said that the Commission
has under discussion rule for the regulation of
promotions in the classified service The law posi-
lively forbids promotion in that service unless the
person promoted has passed examination. There
had never yet been an attempt made to provide such
rules. The Commission had IN contemplation a set
of rules to govern promotions which would be ap-
pcable uniformly to all departments. One of them
allowed the head of bureau to request the examina
tion of any person who had been appointed without
examination and had been promoted since the civil
service law had gone into effect failure to reach
required standing in this examination might result
in the reduction in grade of the person examined or
his dismissal.
Mr.. Obery also said that it in contemplation to
arrange definite schedule of dates and places for
holding examinations in the various States thus re-
eving candidates of the doubt and frequent long de-
lays which have heretofore existed. The Commission
he added had decided that it not wise or econon
cal to appoint examining boards from officers in
the cvil-service to examine and grade applicants in
each State and Territory suggested by the National
Civl.service Reform League. Instead of this the
board would submit to the President. for his approval
plan to reduce the number of departmental examin
in this city from fourteen to six and assign them
entirely to the duty of going the examination
papers of applicants from all parts of the country and
grading them, thus insuring uniform rating.