The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-12-03
CIVIL SERVICE REFORM.
TIE COMMISSIONS ANNUAL RE-
PORT HANDED IN.

a Claim That the Ofces Where the
Best Work Has Been Performed are
Under the New Rules-About $4,000
Government Employees in the Clas-
sifed Services Over Which the Com
mission Has in Charge.
WASHINGTON. Dec. 2-The annual report
L the President of the United States by the
civil service commission was made public
to-day. The report shows that the classified
civil service, which alone comes under the
jurisdiction of the civil service commission,
now includes about 5000 governmental
employees, embraced in four divisions-de-
partmental service, postal service, Gus
toms service, and railway mail
service. The estimated aggregate or
the salaries of these $500 employees
about equals the aggregate Of the salaries
of all the other minor employees of the
government. Therefore. Of those in the
service OF. the government-that is in the
service OF the American peOple-nearly
fourth in point of numbers and half in
point of importance are now withdrawn,
the report says, from the influence of
the patronage system, and are appointed
not because they are adherents OF this or
that political leader. but because they are
deemed likely TO be honest and capable ser
wants of the people at large. The commits
sion emphasizes the urgent need OF
adequate means wherewith to carry on Its
work.
APPLICANTS DOUBLED.
During the last fiscal year the number of
applicants examined was about 10000, as
against 1000 the preceding year, while
the working force remains exactly the
same. There may be division of opinion,
the report says, as to whether there should
or should not be civil service law at all,
but surely there can be none as to its being
properly enforced while on, the statute
book, and as TO the commissions being given
sufficient means to enforce it. Common
honesty demands that while the
law exists there be sufficient
money appropriated to carry it
into effect An increase of SIS. coo in the
appropriation for the commission is re-
quested. making $4,000 in all
A large part of the report is devoted to
an argument in support Of the present civil
service system. The merit system of
making appointments, as contrasted with
the patronage system, it says, is no longer
in a merely experimental stage 1t is not
on probation. IL has been given full
trial, aud wherever this trial has been fair
the system has worked admirably.
ANSWERING ACCUSATIONS.
The commission answers several accuse
tons which have been brought against the
system. One of these is that examinations
are not practical in their character; that
they are of such character as to favor
boys fresh from school" at the expense of
men of maturer age, experience and
capacity. This, the commission says, is
simply incorrect, ard it calls attention to
the character of the questions as printed
from time to time in its annual reports
"All such statements" it says, las these,
are without foundation, and if those who
make them do so in good faith, it is only
because they have not taken the trouble to
ascertain the facts"
The commission emphatically asserts that
the examinations are of such character as
to afford good, common sense, business tests
of the fitness of applicants for the special
duties of their positions; and that in Wash
ington itself the law is faithfully and hon
estly executed without fear, or favor, all
competitors without regard to party stand
ing an equal chance, and being examined,
marked, and certified with impartial Justice,
while the effort to attain similar results in
local offices are being rewarded by a con-
stantly increasing measure of success.
Finally, it points to that best of tests, ex-
perience, as clearly showing that the offices
in which the merit system has been most
fairly tried are precisely the offices in which
the best public work has been done.