Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-07-15

The civil service commission are in quite a
quandary as to what will be the natural out
come OF provision in the legislative. executive
and judicial appropriation act approved July
II. In the act the appropriation for the use Of
the commission is not made and then comes the
following words:
provided that hereafter every application
for examination before the civil service COM
mission for appointment in the departmental
service in the District of Columbia shall be &C.
companied by certificate of an officer, with
his official seal attached, Of the county and
state of which the applicant claims to be a
citizen that such applicant was at the time OF
making such application an actual bona fide
resident Of said county, and had been such
resident for period of not less than six months
next preceding; but this provision shall not
apply to persons who may be in the service
and seek promotion or appointment in other
branches of the government"
REDUCING THE NUMBER OF APPLIcANTs
One OF the commissioners said to a STAR re-
porter this morning that the first effect of the
provision would be to largely diminish the
number Of applicants for examination. This
will in q way make the work easier for the
commissioners, but it will complicate matters
for office seekers to an alarming extent. In the
first place the federal government has imposed
upon minor officials who are not subordinates
OF the federal government the duty
OF certifying to the applications without
with the act II the county officer decides
that he would rather not certify to any per-
sons name, there is SO far as now known, no
way of making him do it. This might even
furnish very easy way Of satisfying an old
grudge against person who is desirous Of en-
terlng the government service.
APPLICANTS FROM THE DISTRICT.
But according to the commissioners the Law
will work with most severity in the case of ap-
plicants from the District Of Columbia who
nevertheless have an actual residence else
where. 1t now becomes necessary for them to
furnish testimonials from a county officer al
their place of legal residence, and this will un-
doubtediy cause vast amount OF difficulty IN
cases where the applicant is not personallJ j
known to the officers. For the officer mus
swear thaS Of his own knowledge the applican,
is resident Of his state and county.
He cannot take the sworn testimony Of the
applicant nor will hearsay evidence be of the
slightest avail. AS can be readily seen the diff.
ficulties and complications arising from this
provision in the law are likely to prove very
numerous, and the outcome of il all is looked
for with good deal of interest. There is nc
doubt that those who filed their applications
before the law went into effect have saved
themselves great deal OF trouble and possible
disappointment.
THE FORM OF CERTIFICATE.
The civil service commission has provided
the following form of certificate, under the
provisions Of the act to be used with the pres
ent form Of applications:
a........ in and for the county Of. :.
....... =, state Of. ......... do hereby certify
that. ..........., whose application for civil
service examination for position in the United
States departmental service at Washington d.
C.. is hereto attached, is now an actual bona
fide resident of the county Of. and
state OF. and has been such resident
for. -. months (or years. next preced.
ing the date hereof.
Dated at. t...., county Of
and state Of .., this .day OF
............, 49,.
(Signature of offcer).
Official title).
(Offcial seal.)
NoTE.-The official seal must be put on after
the certificate has been attached to the appli.
cation, SO that the impression will appear upon
both documents