The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1889-08-12
He Would Have Competent Men Taken in at
Bottom and Top, Everything Closed up Be-
tweenand Places Filled by Promotion.
UnfavOrable Effect of the White House
Duties Upon Mrs. HarrisOn's Health.
Commercial Union to Be Discussed BY the Next
Congress-Knights Templars Conclave--In-
creased Number Of Army Desertions.
CIVIL SERVICE.

Commissioners Lyman Gives His Views as to
the Best Method of Reform.
Special to the indianapolis Journal.
WAsHINGTON,A Aug. .u.-Civil-serviceC Com
missioner Lyman spoke last night before
the Six O'clock Club and number of dis
tinguished guests. He said: "When we
want to reform thing we must study its
methods and characteristics. / presume
the discussion of the civil service, with
which we are engaged, relates to the ad-
ministrative functions of the government
and not to its legislative and judicial side.
We are to improve service in the great
custom-houses and places where the reve-
nues are collected, and in the handling of
the mail. The way to improve this service
is to improve tho people who administer
it. Up to the present time. the people
of the country have been fortunate
to high degree in having in the
public service men of character, honesty
and ability. / believe that is true in
spite of and not because of. the method by
which they have been selected. and true
because it is fact. which / think every
body will concede, that the great mass of
people in this country are worthy to hold
Office, and IL Is only now and then that a
man gets into Office who is disgrace TO it.
p TO get into the service honest and COM
Il people some method must be adopt
We must consider the difficulties in
tho way of change of methods. They
cannot be changed in day by an order; it
not accomplished in moment i believe
we are now In the midst of an evolution,
and this change must come through the
people who constitute the service. There
are two ways to improve the service, and
both depend on tho people who are em-
ployed to do the public work.
''One is to get in at the bottom men of bet
ter education, broader views and more
thorough purpose to do the public work
honestly and as a life business. They
should not be appointed because they be-
long to clique, but because they are
American citizens and are ready to seek
there is the slightest danger of a bureau
cracy or of an office-holding aristocracy.
When that is talked about the dignity and
intelligence of the American people is dis
credited. 1t is nonsense. The people of
this country will take care of that. These
young men Will have the public service at
heart and will be loyal to the government,
not to their particular chief.
Another way to improve a service is to
take men in at the top, and there is where
should fix the doors of the service with
the intervening doors closed absolutely TO
outsiders. The men to be taken in at the
top to be those known generally as receiy-
ing Presidential appointments. All other
places should be filled by promotion based
upon merit. i recognize that party must
control government in carrying out a
policy, but these men who are appointed
heads of departments should be business
pends upon this quality than outsiders
think. The difference between good and
poor administration does not depend mainly
on the men who do the work, but largely is
controlled by men who direct the work. L
have come to the conclusion that the best
method of selecting the men for the lower
grades is by examination, which shall be
open to all American citizens The charges
of the slow changes in the government are
not we'll sustained. Changes are more nu-
merous than most of the people suppose.
The employees in the classified service of
the POstofice Department undergo com-
plete change in five years, which fact is
largely due to the small compensation paid
to these people. OF the eight hundred EN-
ployes of the classified service in Washing
ton there is an annual change of about five
hundred.
"ln regard to the criticisms which are
heard of questions asked by the CIVIL
service Commission. ! wish to say that for
the past six years / have read the news
papers to find ont what sort of questions
the people objected to, and there has never
my observation whore the question criti-
cised had ever been asked by the commits
sion. They were always straw men. put
Up to be knocked down"