St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-07-24
ANENT CIVIL SERVICE.


ANENT CIVIL SERVICE.
President Cleveland's Message
Accompanying the Fourth Re-
port of the Commission.
WASHINGTON, July 23.-The presi-
dent sent to congress to-day the follow
ing message:
To the Congress of the United States-Pur-
suant to the second section of chapter 27 of
the Laws of 1888, entitled IAN act to regu-
late and improve the civil service OF the
United States,'' l herewith transmit the
fourth report of the United States civil
service commission, covering the period be-
tween the 10th day of January, 1886, and
the LIST day of July, 1887.
While this report has especial reference to
the operations of the commission during the
period aforementioned it contains, With its
accompanying appendices, much valuable
information concerning the inception of
civil service reform and its growth and pro-
gress, which cannot fail to be interesting and
instructive to all who desire improvement in
administrative methods; During the time
covered by the report 10, S52 persons were
examined for admission In the classified
civil service OF the government in all its
branches, of whom IL, TAG passed the exam
nation and ), LOG failed. OF this exanlina-
ton 2, 1877 were applicants for admission to
the departmental service at Washington,
2.547 were examined for admission to the
customs service and ), 222 for admission to
the postal service. During the same period
547 appointments were made from the
eligible lists to the departmental service, GAL
to the customs service and 3, 254 to the postal
service.
Concerning separations from the classified
service, the report informs us as to such as
have occurred among employees i'll the public
service who have been appointed from
eligible lists under civil service rules. When
81.
the persons then in the service, comprising
full complement of employees, who obtained
their POSITIONS
INDEPENDENTLY OF THE NEW LAW.
The commission has no record of the
separations in this numerous class, and the
discrepancy apparent in the report between
the number of appointments made i'll the
respective branches of the service from the
lists of the commission, and the small num-
Der of separations mentioned, is, to great
extent accounted for by vacancies of which
no report was made 10 the commission, &C.
curing among those who held their places,
without examination and certification which
vacancies were filed by appointment from
the eligible lists.
In the departmental service there occurred
between the 10th day of January, 1886, and
the 30th day of June, 1887, among the EN-
ployes appointed from the eligible lists under
civil service rules, seventeen removals,
thirty-siX designations and five deaths. This
does not include fourteen separations in the
removal, five by resignation and five by
death. 0
In the classified customs and postal service
the number Of separations among those who
received absolute appointments under civil
service rules are given for the period between
the LIST day of January, 1886, and the 3Oth
day of June, 1887. 1t appears that such sep
arations i'll the customs service for the time
mentioned embraces 81 removals, 5 deaths
and Is designations. and in the postal service
$50 removals. % deaths and 469 resigna-
| tons. More then year has passed since the
| expiration of the period covered by the re-
port of the commission. Within the time
| which has thus elapsed many important
| changes have taken place in furtherance of
| reform in our civil service. The rules and
regulations governing the statute of the law
| upon the subject have been completely re-
| modelled in such manner as to render the. en-
| forcement OF the statute more effective and
| greatly
| INCREASE ITS USEFULNESS.
| Among other things the examination pre-
| scribed for those who seek to enter the class
| flied service has been better defined and
made more practical; The number of names
to be certified from the eligible lists to the
| appointing officers from which a selec-
! ton is made has been reduced from
| four to three, of the maximum linn
| itation of the age of persons seeking
entrance to the classified service to forty-tive
years has been changed, and reasonable pro-
| vision has been made for the transfer OF en-
| ployes from one department to another in
| CdSeS- "A pldll HAS diSO DeeIl u6NlSeu
| providing for the examination of applicants
| for promo ion in the service, which, when in
| full operation, will eliminate all chance of
favoritism in the advancement of employees
| by making promotion reward OF merit and
| faithful discharge of duty.
Until within few weeks there was no uni
| form classification of employees i'll the differ
| ent executive departments of the govern
| ment. AS a result Of this condition in some
| of the departments positions could be OBJ
| tanned without civil service examination be-
cause they were not within the classification
| of such department, while i'll other depart
| ments an examination and certification were
| necessary to obtain positions of the same
| grade, because such positions were embraced
| in the classification
APPLICABLE TO THOSE DEPARTMENTS.
| The exception of laborers, watchmen and
| messengers from examination and classified
| ton gave opportunity in the absence of any
| rule guarding against it, for the employment,
| free from civil service restrictions, of persons
under these designations, who were immedi-
ately detailed to do clerical work. All this
has been obviated by the application to all
the departments of an extended and uniform
| classification, embracing grades of employees
not heretofore included, and by the adoption
of a rule prohibiting the detail of laDorers
watchmen or messengers to clerical duty.
The path of civil service reform has not at
all times been easy or pleasant, the scope and
| purpose of reform having been much mis-
apprehended; and this has not only given
rise to strong opposition, but has led to the
| luVOCdIlOu Dy It's W cOLlpdSS ODJecLS
not in the least related to it. Thus partisans
of the patronage system have naturally con-
demned it. Those who do not understand its
meaning either mistrust it, or, when disap-
| pointed because in its present stage it is
| not applied to every real Or imaginary i'll,
accuse those charged with its enforcement
| with
| FAITHLESSNEsS TO CIVIL SERVICE REFORM.
| Its importance has frequently been under
estimated and the support of good many
has thus been lost by their lack of interest in
those responsible for the administration of
the government in its executive branches
have been and still are often annoyed and
irritated by the disloyalty to the service and
the insOlence of employees who remain i'll
place as the benefciaries, and the relies or re-
mainders of the vicious system OF appoint
ment which civil service reform was III
tended to displace. And yet these are but
the incidents of an advance movement which
is radical and far-reaching. The people are,
Notwithstanding, to be congratulated upon
the progress which has been made and upon
the firm, practical and sensible foundation
| upon which this reform now rests
| With continuation of the intelligent hdel
| ity which has hitherto characterized the work
| of the commission. with a continuation and
| increase of the favor and liberality which
| have ltely been evinced by the congress OF
| the proper equipment of the commission fol
| its work, with firm, but conservative and
| reasonable support of the reform by all its
| friends and with the disappearance Of oppo
| sition, which must inevitably follow its bet
| ter understanding, the execution Of the civil
| service law cannot fail to ultimately answer
/ the hopes in which il had Its origin.
! (Signed) GROVER CLEVELAND.
Executive Mansion, July %, 1888.