Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1889-12-13

/ ana established IS bureau in the depart
/ ment Of agriculture This VIII involve
an entire reorganization both of weather
+ bureau and Of the signal corps making
OF the first purely civil Organization and
I OF the other a purely military staff Or
ganizatl0n. The report Of:the chief sig
nal OIncer shows that the work Of the
corps on its military side, has been de-
teriorating.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.
The Interests of the people of the Dis
trlct Of Columbia should not be lost
sight OF In the pressure for consideration
OF measures, affecting the whole country.
Having no legislature Of its own, either
municipal or general, its people must
look to congress for the regulation of
those concerns that are the subject of To-
cal control Our whole people have an
interest that the national capital should
be made attractive and beautiful and that
Its repute for social order should. be main
tanned The law regulating the sale of
Intoxicating drinks IN the district should
be revised with q view to bringing the
traffic under stringent limitations and
control.
L In execution Of the power conferred
upon me by the act making appropriation
Tor the expenses Of the District Of COIum-
bla for the year ending June 80, 1889, I
did on the 18th day of August last app
point Rudolph Herring of New York,
Samuel M. Gray of Rhode Island. and.
Frederick 2. SteaEns. Of Massachusetts,,
three eminent sanitary engineers, to eX--
anime and report upon the system of sew
erage existing IN the District Of Column
bio. The. report, which is not yet COM
pleted, viii be in due course submitted
to congress. The report of the commits
siOneTs of the district is herewith trans
mitted, and the attention of congress is.
called to the suggestions contained
therein.
THE WORLDS FAIR.
The proposition to observe the four
hundredth anniversary of the discovery
OF America by the opening of d worlds
fair, or exposition, in some one of our
great cities will be presented for the con
sideratiOn of congress. The value and
interest Of such an exposition may we'll
claim the promotion Of the general gov
eminent.
THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION.
On the 4th of March last, the
civil service commission held
single member The vacancies were
filed on the 7th day Of May,
and since then the commissioners have
been industriOusly, though with an inad-
eQuate force, engaged in executing the
law. They were assured. by me that a
cordial support would be given them IN
the faithful and impartial enforcement of
the statute and of rules and regulations
adopted in out of it. Heretofore the
book of eligibles has been closed tOeVery
one except as Qualifications, were made
upon the reqUisition of the appointing
officers. This secrecy. was the source
of much suspicion and Of many
charges of faVOritism- in the admins
trati0n of the law. What is secrets always
suspected and what is open. can be
judged. The commission with the full
approval of its members has now opened
the list of eligibIes to the public. The
eligible lists for classified pOstOf6ce and
custom houses are now publicly posted in
the respective Offices as are also the GER
ti1catiOns for appointments The purz
pose of the civil service law was
absolutely to exclude any other
consideration in connection with appoint
ments under it, than that of merit, as
tested by the examinations. The business
proceeds upon the theory that both the
examining boards and the appointing
officers are absolutely ignorant as to the
political views and associations of all per
sons on the civil service lists Is it not
too much to say, however, that some re-
cent congressional inYesug cations have
somewhat shaken public confidence inthe
impartiality of the selections for appoint
ment?
The reform of the civil service viii
make no safe or satisfactory advance TN
til the present law and its equal admins
tratiOn are we'll established in the conf
dence of the people. 1t will be my pleas
ure, as it is my duty, to see that the law
is executed with frmness and impartial
ity. If some of its provisions have been
Observation-Disclosures by appointing Off
GERS, our resentment should not suggest
the repeal Of the law, but reform in its
Oh
view Of the matter and hold 1t with a sin
cerity that is not affected by the consider
alton that the party to which we belong
is for the time in power.
Ny predecessor on the 4th day of January,
1889. BY an executive. order to take. effect
March 18th, brought the railway mail
service under the operation of the civil
service law. Provision was made that the
order should take effect sooner in any
state where an eligible list was sooner
obtained. On the 18th day Of March, Mr..
Lyman, then the only. member OF the
commission, reported to me in writing
/ that it would not be possible to have the
list of efigibles ready before May /, and
requested that the taking effect OF the
| order be postponed until that time, which
was done, subject to the same provision
contained in the original order as to states
in which an eligible list was sooner OBJ
! tanned.
As a result of the revision of the rules
of the new classification and of the inclu-
sion of the railway mail service the work
of the commission has been greatly in
creased, and the present clerical force is
found to be inadequate. / recommend
that the additional clerks asked for by the
commission be appointed and appropriated
! for. The duty of appointment -devOlved
| by the constitution OF by the
/ law and the appointing Off
/ GERS are properly held to q high
responsibility ia its exercise. The growth
of the country and the consequent in
crease Of the civil list have magnifed
| this function of the executive disprO-
pOrtiOnaIIy. 1t cannot be denied how