Huntsville gazette., 1888-07-28
THE CIVIL SERVICE.
Message of President Cleveland to Con-
gress Accompanying the Fourth Report
of the CiviI-Service Commission-What
the Commission Has Done In the Way of


OF the CiviI-Service Commission-What
the Commission Has Done in the Way of
Reforming the Methods of the Service.
| WASHINGTON, July 24.-The President
! yesterday sent the following communioa-
/ ton to Congress-:
! To THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES
! Pursuant TO the second section OF Chapter 2T
! of the laws of 1sS3 entitled An act TO regulate
and improve the tfNii Service of the United
States herewith transmit the fourth report
I of the United States Cvl-Service Commission.
covering the period between the sixteenth day
of January, 1886, and the first day of july 1887.
\ While this report has especial reference to the
! operations Of the commission during the
+ period above mentioned, it contains,
/ with its accompanying appendices, much
/ valuable information concerning the
inception OF Civil Service reform and its growth
and progress which can not fail to be interest
| ing and instructive to all who desire improve
/ ment in administrative methods. During the
time covered by the report 15,S52 persons were
examined for admission in the classified civil
service OF the Government, in all its branches;
/ of whom 1916 passed the examination
and 5,l06 failed. OF those who passed
! the examination 1917 were applicants
| for admission to the department
service at Washington, 2,547 were examined
for admission to the customs service, and 5,222
for admission to the postal service During the
same period 5i7 appointments were made from
the eligible lists to the departmental service,
GIL to the customs service 1884 to the postal
service. Concerning separations from the
classified service, the report only informs us Of
such as have occurred among employees in the
| public service who had been appointed from
eligible lists under Civil-Servlce rules. When
these rules took effect they did not
| apply to the persons then in the
service, comprising a full complement Of
! vbn in
! dependently of the new law. The commission
| has no record of the separations in this numer-
| Gus class, and the discrepancy apparent IN the
| report between the number of appointments
made in the respective branches of the service
from the lists Of the commission, and the small
| number Of separations mentioned is, to great
| extent, accounted for by vacancies, of which no
| report was made to the commission, occurring
| among those who held their places without
| examination and certifcation, which vacan-
! cies were filed by appointment from
the eligible lists. In the departmental
| service there occurred between the
sixteenth day OF January, 1885, and the thir-
tieth day OF June, 1887, among the employees
appointed from the eligible lists under Civil
Service rules, II removals, 36 designations and
| deaths. This does not include II separations
in the grade of special pension examiners, by
| aemoval, ) by resignation, and by death. In
the classified customs and postal service the
| number of separations among those who re-
| ceived absolute appointments under Civil
Service rules are given for the period between
the first day OF January, 1886, and the thirtieth
day of June, 1857. 1t appears that such sepa-
| rations in the customs service for the time
mentioned embraced u removals, deaths,
| and 18 designations, and in the postal service
256 removals, y deaths and 469 designations
More than year has passed since the exp-
ration of the period covered by the report of
the commission Within the time which has
thus elapsed many important changes have
take place in furtherance OF reform in our
civil service. The rules and regulations gov
erning the execution of the law upon the sub
ject have been completely remodled in such
manner as TO render the enforcement of the
statute more effective, and greatly increase its
usefulness. Among other things, the scope
of the examinations prescribed for
those who seek to enter the CLASSIFIED
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 selection made has been re-
duced from four TO three the maximum limita-
ton of the age of persons seeking entrance to
the classified service to forty-fve years has
been changed and reasonable provision has
been made for the transfer OF employees from
one department to another in proper cases. "A
plan has also been devised providing for the
examination of applicants for promotion in the
| service, Wnlcn, WneH IN lull OpSTdIiOu, Will
eliminate all chance of favoritism in the ad-
vancement OF employees, by making promotion
| a reward of merit and faithful discharge of
| duty.
Until within few weeks there was no uni
form classification Of employees in the different
executive departments of the Government AS
q result of this condition, in some Of the de-
partments positions could be obtained without
| Civil.Service examination, because they were
not within the classification of such depart
ment, while in other departments an examina-
ton and certification were necessary TO obtain
positions Of the same grade, because such po-
sitions were embraced in the claSsiticat1ons
applicable to those departments.
The exception of laborers watehmen and
messengers from examination and classiflca-
ton gave opportunity, in the absence OF any
rule guarding against, it for the employ
ment, free from CivilService restrictions, OF
persons under these designations who were i'm
mediately 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 laborers watch
men, or messengers to clerical duty. The path
of Civl-Service reform has not at all times been
pleasant nor easy. The scope and purpose OF
the reform have been much Inexperienced
and this has not only given rise to strong oppo
| SlbiOD, out mas leu 10 us lufOCdJIOH W
its friends to compass objects not in the
least related to it, Thus partisans of the
patronage system have naturally condemned it
Those who do not understand its meaning
either mistrust it, or when appointed, 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 underestimated, and the support OF goot
men has thus been lost by their lack of interes
in its success. Besides all these difficulties
those responsible for the administration of the
Government in It's executive hranche!
have been, and still are often annoyed
and irritated by the disloyalty to the service
and the insolence Of employees whC
remain in place as the benefciarie!
and the relics and reminders of the vicious
system of appointment which Civil-Service re
form was intended to replace. And yet these
are but the incidents of an advance movement
which is radical and far-reaching. The people
are, Notwithstanding, to be congratulated upor
the firm, practical and sensible foundation
upon which this reform now rests
With a continuation of the intelligent hdellt.
which has hitherto characterized the work o
the commission; with a continuation and in
| crease of the favor and hberality which hav'
lately been evidenced by the Congress in th'
| nror1er eOuiument Of ne corn for III