Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1889-12-13

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of Columbia. Their report, which is not vet
completed, will be in due course Submitted
to congress.
The report of the commissioners of the
district is herewith transmitted and the at
tention of congress ia called to the suooes.
tons contained therein.
| The Worlds Fair.
The proposition to observe the 40Oth:anni-
versary of the discovery of America by the
opening of worlds fair or exposit;on in
some one of our great cities, will be pre-
sented for the consideration of congress-. The
value and interest of such an exposition
may we'll claim the promotion of the general
government,
Civil Service Commission.
On the 4th of March last the civil service
commission had but single member. The
vacancies were filled on the 7th day of May,
and since then the commissioners have been
industriously, though with an Inadequate
1orce. engaged in executing the law. They
would be given them in the faithful and i'm
and of the rules and Regulations
adopted in aid of it. Heretofore
the book of eligibles has been
closed to every one except as certifications
| ;l: o a spoi1 WIG y, rrSequAsltlon OF the ap-
source of much suspicion and of many
charges of favontism in the administrator
of the law. What is secret is always sus-
Rected, and what is open can be judged.
The commission, with the full approval Of
ITS members, has now opened the list of
eligibles to the public. The eligible lists for
classified postof6ces and CUSTOM houses are
now publicly posted in the respective Offices
as are also the classification for anpoint.
ments. The purpose of the civil service
law was absolutely to exclude every other
consideration in connection with appoint
ments under it, than that of merit, as tested
by the examinations. The business pro-
ceeds upon the theory that both the exam
ing boards and the appointing officers are
absolutely ignorant as the political views and
ASSOCIATIONS OF all persons on the civil
service lists. 1t is not too much to
say, however, that some recent congress
public confidence in the impartiality of the
selections for appointment. The reform
OF the civil service will make no safe or sat
isfactory advance until the present law and
It's administration are we'll established in
the confidence of the people. It will be my
pleasure, as 1t is my duty, to see that the
law IS executed with frmness and impartial
| ity. If some of its provisions have been
fraudulently evaded by appointing officers,
| our resentment should not suggest the re-
peal OF the law, but reform in its admins
tration. We should have one view of the
matter and hold it with a sincerity that is
not affected by the consideration that the
party 60 which we belong is for the time in
power.
My predecessor, on the 9th day of Janu-
| airy, 1883, by an executive order to take eff
feet March Is, 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, re-
ported to me in writing that it would not be
possible to have the list of eligibles ready
before May l, and requested that the taking
effect of the order be postponed until that
time, which was done, subject to the same
provisions contained in the original order
as to states in which an eligible list was
| sooner obtained. As a result of the revision
of the rules of the new classification and of
the inclusion 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 by the commission
| be appropriated for. The duty of appoint
ment IS devolved by the constitution or by
the law, and the appointing officers are held
to high responsibility in Its exercise. The
growth of the country and the consequent
increase of the civil list have magnified this
| function of the evidence disproportionally
1t cannot be denied, however, that the
! labor connected with this necessary work is
! increased often to the point of actual dis
tress by the sudden and excessive demands
| that are made upon an incoming admins
tration for removals and appointments
But on the other hand it is not true that
mbency is a conclusive argument for a
continuance in Office. Impartlality, moder-
alton, fidelity toa public duty and good
attainment i'll the discharge of it must be
added before the argument IS complete, and
when thus holding administration offices,
incumbents SO conduct themselves as
to convince just political opponents
that no party consideration or bias affects in
any way the discharge of their public duties,
we can more easily stay the demands for re-
movals.
am satisfied that both in and out of the
classified service great benefit would accrue
from the adoption of some system by which
the Office would receive the recognition and
benefit that in all private employments
comes from exceptional faithfulness and
efficiency in the performance of duty. I
have suggested to the heads of the executive
departments that they consider whether a
record might not be kept in each bureau of
all those elements that are covered by the
terms 'faithfulness" and Efficiency" and
rating made showing the relative merits of
the clerks of each class, this rating to be re-
s5d'AoO DO q UCSo VI A41CI4G AL LluhluS pIOlO-
| tions.
Ihave also suggested to the postmaster
general that he adopt some plan by which
he can, upon the basis of the reports to the
department. and of frequent inspections, in
dictate the relative merit of postmasters of
each class. They will be appropriately in
Dictated in the official register and report of
the department., and that great stimulus
would thus be given to the whole service I
do not doubt and such record would be
the best defense against removals from
Office.
The Negro Problem.
The interest of the general government in
the education of the people found an early
expression. not only in the thoughtful and
sometimes warning utterances of our ablest
statesmen, but in liberal appropriations
from the common resources for the support
of education in the new states. No one
vii! deny that it is of the gravest national
concern that those who hold the ultimate
control of all public affairs should have the
intelligence necessary to direct and deter
mine them. National aid to education has
heretofore taken the form of land grants,
and in that form the constitutional power of
congress to promote the education of people
is not seriously questioned. do not
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