River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1888-04-05
NEEDS OF T.g CIVIL SERVICE.
President Cleveland Writes n Letter on
the Subject and Urges Extension OF
the Limits of the Ciassfaed Servfee

President Cleveland Writes Letter on
the Subject and Urges Extension OF
the Limits of the Classified Service.
WASHINGTON, March 3L--The President
has sent the following letter to the Civil
Service Commission recommending an ex-
tension OF the limits of the classified
Service:
EXECUTIVE MANSION, wAsHINGroS, d C.,
March p. IsSS.-T0 fhs United states Cipil-
Ssrrios NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.: l desire to
make q suggestion regarding subdivision. gen
eral rule 8, OF the amended Civil-SerVice rules.
promulgated February .. 1855. II pro
vides for the promotion 81 an
employe in department who is below
outside OF the classified service, 10 a place
within said class fed service in the same
department upon the request OF the appointing
ofiicer upon the recommendation OF the COM
m ssion and the approval OF the President,
after a non-competitive examination, in case
such person has served continuously for two
years in the place from which IL is proposed 20
promote him AMI because Of his faithfglness
and efficiency in the position occupied by him
aud because OF his qualifications for the place
TO which the appointing officer desires his pro
notion
at has occurred to me that this provision
must be executed with caution. 10 avoid the
application of il TO cases not intended and the
undue relaxation OF the general purposes and
restrictions Of the Civll-Service law NOn-com-
petttve examinations are the exceptions TO
the plan of the act and the rules permit
ting the same should be strictly
construed. The cases arising under the excep-
tion above recited should beyery few, and when
presented they shcuIi precisely meet all the re
quirements spec fled end should be supported
by facts which Will develop the basis ana reason
OF The application Of the appointing officer and
VIII Oh will commend them 10 the Judgment OF
the commission and the President The sole
purpose G. the provision j. 70 benefit
the public service and il should never be per-
mitted TO operate evasion of the main
feature Of the law whiCh is competitive exam
nations. AS these cases will first be pre-
scented 70 the commission ~ recommen-
dat on, 1 have to request thai YOU will
formulate a plan by which the. mer-
its be tested. This will nat rally
involved a statement OF all the facts deemed
necessary for the determination OF such appl-
cat ons including the kind OF work which has
been done by the person proposed for promo
tiOa. and the considerations upon which the al
legations OF the faithfulness efficacy and quail
incat ons mentioned IN the rules are predicted.
What has already been written naturally
suggests another very important subject, 10
which invite your attention. The deslrability
OF the rule which 1 have commented upon
would be nearly, II not entirely removed,
and other difhculties5 which now embar-
rass the. execution OF the Civil-Seryice
law would be obyiated II there was
better and uniform classification OF the
employees in the different departments. The
importance of this is entirely obvious. The
present imperfect elassifications hastily made,
apparently with but little care for uniformity,
and promulgated after the last Presidential
election, and prior TO The installation Of the
present Administration should not have been
permitted to continue TIL this time. II appears
that in the War Department the employees we're
divided on the 18th day OF November, 1884. into
eight classes and sub-classes embracing those
earning annual salaries of from S9oOIo $4,000.
The Navy Department was classified Novem-
Der - 1884. and its employees were divided in
10 seven classes and sub-elasses embracing
those who received annual salar es OF from
500 to s1,600 In the Interior Department
the classification was made on the 9th day OF
December 1884. 1t consists OF ght classes
and sub-classes, and embraces employees re-
ceiving annual salaries of from 500 TO $1,000.
On the I'd day OF January, 1885, classified
ton Of employees in the Treasury Department
was made, consisting Of six classes and sub
classes, including those earning annual salaries
OF from 500 10 $3.50.
I'm the Post-ofice Department the employees
were classified on February 6, 1885, into nine
classes and sub-classes. embracing persons
earning annual salaries OF from $50 TO ?. 900
"On the 18th of December, 1886 the Bureau
of Agriculture was classified in a manner diff
ferent from all other departments, and present
ing features peculiar TO itself.
" IL appears that the only classification in
the Department OF State and Department of
just ce is that prov ded for by section 163 of the
Revised Statutes, which directs that employees
in the several departments shall be divided into
four classes 1t appears that no more definite
classification has been made in these depart
ments.
Il wish the commission would revise these
classifcltiOns and submit TO me a plan which
VIII as far as possible make them uniform ana
which will espec ally remedy the present con-
dition which permits persons to enter grade
in the serv ce in the one department without
any examination, which in another depart
ment can only tie entered after passing such
examination. This think could be done By
extending the limits of the classified service
rather than by contracting them.
GROVER CLEVELAND"
One of the Commissioners said yesterday
that the views of the Commissioners are in
full accori with those of the President