Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-12-02
CIVIL SERVICE WORK.
The Commissioners Make an Inter-
esting Annual Report.
BUT FEW POLITICAL REMOVALS.
The Past Seven Years Show That the
Law Has Been Observed,
WITH TWO PROMINENT EXCEPTIONS

WASHINGTON, Dec 1.-The annual re-
port of the Civil Service Commission shows
that classified service has grown so as to
include 80, 900 people. The report gives the
figures for the departmental service at w ash
ingtoE for the entire period during which
the law has been in force, period Of nearly
seven years, and says:
''The number of designations and remov-
ais have to be given together, because it is
impossible to diferentiate the voluntary
from the forced designations of the 13S re-
movals and designations during the first of
the present administration. Ninety-one
were of appointments made during the
previous administration. In other
words, of the 1,109 appointees who
came into the departmental service through
civil service examinations during Mr.. CIeve-
lands administration little over per
cent were removed or resigned during the first
year ofthe present admin nistration. Similarly
of the 37S appointees who entered the SER
vice through these examinations during
President Arthur's administration about 35,
or between and S per cent were removed
or resigned during President Cleveland's s
first year, the proportion being about the
same.
During the last year of President Arthur's
administration two removals or designations
occurred, or between 6 and per cent. All
OF the force had at that time been appointed
under its own administration, and it is evil
dent that the difference between the per cent
age in this case and the per centages during
the first year OF President Cleveland's ad-
ministration, and OF the present administra-
tion, affords the probable measure for re-
movals which could by any possibility have
been for political reasons. This difference is
barely one-half per cent. 1t is so small that
it may be entirely disregarded, for it is
likely to have arisen from other than polit-
ical causes.
POLITICS NOT CONSIDERED.
In the departmental service at Washing
ton, the figures show that the question of
politics has been practically eliminated in
making removals, and for the past seven
years the law as a whole, has been faithfully
and honestly observed in the departments,
although having been subjected to the
changes of administration. When we turn
to the customs and postal services the result
is less satisfactory, because Of necessarily
less rigorous inspection.
After further review of the operations
be too often reiterated that, while the law
may not work with ideal perfection, actual
experience has shown that it produces on the
whole better governmental administration
than does the patronage system. Moreover,
what is more important, it timmeaSurably bet
tiers the tone of political life by making the
mass of Government employees simply what
they purport TO be, that is, public servants,
and not OF the party in power, and organ
lied for its support and straining every
effort to secure its supremacy. The merit
system is the American system, that is, an
unaristocratic system, and no system could
be less American and more undemocratic
than the patronage system, which it sup
plants.
POLITICAL ASSESSMENTS.
1.-THE portions of the civil service law in
terdicting political assessments, while they
have not succeeded in entirely stopping the
evil, have undoubtedly much abated it.
However, there is one point particularly
where the law is Systematically evaded.
The commission, in the course of its inyesti-
cations, has found that in both 1888 and
1890 there were certain campaign commit
tees of the dominant party for the time be-
ing which procured full lists of the various
employees in the Government service and OF
their home residences and then sent letters
soliciting campaign subscriptions to them
at their homes.
"These letters were signed bv men not
in the government service acting for the diff
ferent campaign committees. In some in
stances these agents even visited the clerks
in person at their homes. There seems lit
tie reason why an outsider should be al
lowed to solicit clerk at mis- home and for
hidden to do so in a government building,
and the commission is of the opinion that
the law should be amended SO as to forbid
the solicitation OF government employees bv
outsiders in any way at any time or in any
place. II the government employees wish to
contribute TO their parties, let them DO so
voluntarily, but they should not be permitted
to be harassed by outside parties who desire
to spur them to make contributions
WANT THE LAW AMENDED.
WEAK clerks, when solicited bv out
siders who are not in the Government serv-
ice, but who stand high in the ranks OF the
party to which the administration for the
time being belongs, often ieel that thev
jeopardize their places if they do not placate
the people soliciting them. As matter OF
fact the commission believes that the fear
exists in great number of cases, and they
think that many clerks are practically COM
PEELED to contribute when they do not wish
TO Oy the SOLICITATION OF campaign managers
who are not in the Government employ, and
who, therefore, the law cannot at present
touch.
''The commission, in view of these facts,
feels convinced that all considerations OF
public policy warrant the extension of the
law forbidding political assessments so as
to prevent a Government empIoye being
solicited by anyone at any time for cam
paign purposes. The commissions decision
to make public the eligible lists have
worked admirably and has given the great
est satisfaction.