Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-05-26

| changed.
WASHINGTON, May 25.-The Civil Ser
vice Commission has made an important al
| teration to one of its rules, by providing
that hereafter the list of eligibles for ap-
pointment to the Government service and
their standing shall be made public. This
action of the commission was approved by
the President to-day.
In an interview with a reporter Com
missioner Roosevelt, speaking of this change
in the rules, said it was reversal of the
commissions policy hitherto. For what
were then deemed excellent reasons, the
commission, when it was first established,
had the eligible list kept secret, the idea
being that this secrecyiwould prevent poll
ticians from bringing pressure to bear upon
any public officer to secure the appointment
OF given man on the eligible list.
A WRONG RESULT.
1t has, however, IN practice, he said, re-
suited very frequently that politicians were
able to get hold OF the standing of appli-
cants on the eligible list while the outside
public and all but the favored applicants
themselves remained in Ignorance Of it; that
the commission are now inclined to think
the regulation has not produced the results
Intended, and which at the time there
seemed excellent reasons to think it would
produce.
The commission believes in the doctrine
that in our form of government publicity is
good thing, unless special reasons to the
contrary can be shown, and they are now
going to apply it fully in the case of the
eligible list, The commission feels that it
is above all things necessary to drill into
the minds of the public a belief in the abso-
lutte honesty and fairness of the present sys-
tenn of selecting public employees, and of the
way in which it is carried out. Gas far as
we have power" said Mr.. Roosevelt, I'VE in
tend to have the law enforced with absolute
honesty and without the least reference to
the politics OF the applicant. The commits
the law, and it feels that the best way to
bring about that result is to have the work
OF the commission perfectly open and above
board, and perfectly simple.
METHODS ON TRIAL.
"Of course" said Mr. Roosevelt. "vhiIeI
believe that the merit system, as opposed to
the old spoils system, has come to stay. I
realize that many of our methods are on
trial even yet, and the commission has to
make experiments all the time, and it is ab-
solutely inevitable that there should be oc-'
casional mistakes. When we find we have
made such mistake, we shall simply re-
verse our action. Now, it is exactly 50 in
this lease. 1t was believed, with what
seemed good reason by the original commits
sion, that secrecy In the matter of the ELI
gible list would work well. Now 0are
inclined to think that on the)whole q has
worked injuries, and the commission is 90
ing, therefore, to make the eligible list and
the standing of each applicant pu bIic. and
try how it works, reserving to itself full lib
erty to alter the course if it is found to work
badly.
"We recognize at theIoutset that there are
certain disadvantages connected with the
publicity, while the eertifeation for appoint
ment includes three names at a time There
is chance that people will bring pressure to
bear upon the appointing powers to have
them choose some particular favored one
of the three.
CAN'T BE HELPED.
"But even when the lists were.kept secret
It too often happened that the politicians
found out what the public renamed
gnorant of and brought pressure to bear
anyhow So the commission think
hat the numerous advantages of publicity
more than ever balance its disadvantages.
IF the commission finds that any serious
evasion of the spirit of the law occurs
through improper pressure being brought
20 bear on the appointing power, in conse-
luence of the lists being made public, then
We shall try to establish some regulation to
,heck the evil; we might advise that only
TWO names at a time be certified or take
some other step.
"At any rate, remarked Mr. Roosevelt,
in conclusion, "for the time being. we are
that we want to have everything
made as public as possible so as to do away
even with the possibility cf an accusation
IF tavoritism or underhand work in the e1-f
limitations and the arrangement of the
.linihlas %