Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-12-26
THE CIVIL SERVICE LAW.
How Its Operation Has Benefited the
City of Washington.

From the New York Times.
There is plain and important lesson in the
history of the effect of the ciyil-service reform
upon the business interests Of the city of Wash
ington. The population of that city is neces-
sarily mainly made up of persons connected
with the national government and of those
who provide for their wants. OF the former
the clerks in the departments form a very large
and very valuable portion. Previous to the
passage and enforcement Of the civil-service
law every man in the departments knew that
he might be turned out at moments notice
for reasons not at all connected with his own
fitness or with the needs of the service and
without his having the least power to control
or even foresee the change. 1t was a wretched
condition for any large body of men to live in
aud it necessarily made all their business plans
to the last degree uncertain, as well as the
plans OF those supplying their wants. 1t was
rarely that government emplOye bought a
house or made any provision for the future.
They lived from hand to mouth sometimes
carelessly and extravagantly, sometimes with
extraordinary economy, but always with the
consciousness on their part and on that OF those
who dealt with them that their position and
their means were as uncertain as gamblers.
Since the law went into effect some 5000 to
10, 600 places have been brought within its pro-
visions and the system has been developed and
established and confidence has become fixed
regarding it, these employees have begun to
live as honest and faithful men have right to.
Fairly secure in their incomes so long as they
are efficient, they have begun to plan for the
future, to buy homes for themselves and their
families, to fit them up AZ they could afford,
and to take themselves and the comforts and
advantages that other men in corresponding
positions in private life are free to seek.
With this change the city OF Washington has
also undergone an improvement. Its trades
men find themselves dealing with steady Gus
toners who have trustworthy resources and
can make their purchases without reference to
the possibility of being deprived OF their in
comes at any moment Real estate has found
definite and safe market, due, not to specula-
tion-though, OF course, there has been spccu-
lation-but to healthy and growing demand
FOR 1t. The city from having been Q sort of
camp, from which the occupants might be
marched out at any hour and replaced by
others equally insecure, has become a city
OF homes, where thousands OF r. les
dwell in as much peace and security as -. any
other town. One would say that this il no
more than what ought to be, and it il not But
it throws fierce light" upon the spoils sys-
tenn to know that 1t was impossible SO long as
that system prevailed, and would immediately
disappear were that system to be re-estab-
hshed. An American can hardly think with
out shame that our national government made
the national capital a city where thousands of
men In service were compelled to live and
where home life was nearly as difficult as In q
traders caravan. The shame would be inf
nitely worse II this outrageous evil, having been
almost wholly done away with, should now be
re-established