The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1891-09-14
LIVE WASHINGTON TOPICS
Ths Civi' Service Merit System n Missr
able Farce,

| WARRINGTON. Sept 19.-The suicide In this
city few days ago OF q young lady. through
fear that she POSSIBLY had failed In n civil cor
| vice examination. Is tho first case OF the kind
on record There is direct evidence that many
young women who havo passed the examine
ton with great credit have been driven almost
to desperation and sucide.throush disappoint-
ment at not having received appointments
| after months and months OF weary waiting but
the case OF Miss Sius 10 the first In the list OF
| suicides One bad feature OF the civil service
| system, especially In Its effect upon ambitious
young men and women. is tho false hopes that
| itholds out to them. Tho wording OF the law
| Is very plain. and person OF even ordi-
| nary intelligence can understand lis mean
ing. The rulos adopted by the Commission
| for the enforcement OF the law, however. and
the Interpretation OF them by the men who
made them. are tho things that no ordinary
mortal can master. No ono as far as heard
| from has yet learned what the Commissioners
| are authorized to do and what they are pro-
| hibited from doing. under the power given
them or which they have assumed. In
language rs plain as 1t is possible 10 DO made
| the law sBys that in certain grades OF the pub
lie service removals shall not be made except
for cause" which means. OF course. nom
political reasons. and that appointments shall
be made only from a list OF ellgib'es. certified
ing satisfactorily passed the required OK
aminations Yet It cannot BIO denied that re-
| movals are made without cause" and APP
| pointments made without the proper cortin-
cation almost every day In the year. It's useless
for the Commissioners or my one else to deny
that political influence is still potent not
only In securing promotions, but original np-
polntments as we'll and while it il true that
certain parts OF the law are respected and GER
tain OF the Chinese rules observed, 1t is also
true that the devil Is driven around the stump
by department officials generally. No one has
ever attempted to explain how 1t Is TINT large
minority OF appointees under the present Adj
mnistration are Republicans. or how it hap
pens that when number OF young men and
women have pass I'd the examinations. those
who have influential political friends are al
ways chosen. even whom their averages were
no higher than the others. There are great
many cases Of this kind on record. and It is no
secret in department circles that. TO matter
what record applicants may make at the OK
aminations. they stand little show OF appoint
ment unless they have some good political
backing.
In any one OF the great departments here.
where hundreds OF clerks are employed, dcz-
ems Of then can be found ready to testify that
promotions are made without any regard what.
ever to merit. but solely on the ground OF fav-
orltism. They cannot explain why this Is, be-
cause. like the general public, they can get no
enlightenment at the rooms OF the Civil Ser
vice Commission. That is the last place In the
world to seek Information, for there they have
an excuse for everything and find no trouble
whatever In demonstrating that black Is white
and that two and two make five Every month
or two the Commissioners solemnly advertise
the face thu. examinations will be held at
various places In the United States and in
vite ambitious youth to come forward aud on.
Ter the race, With no tnt!mation whatever
tenn is practoaiy AZ farce ; a. at present man
aged. Not one nerson IN a Thousand who
mens. and then rarely ueon u merit It. epp short
time ago young lady took the examination
In answer TO the advertisement o! the Com
@ % les
she passed we'll up in the hineties. she
was no. appointed. .and moreover was
nation Of Why s fs' was no IN aeohsr
case case Young LADY passed ri the ,examna!i0n
sh Ph Of state also 10 was n ~
inH she has not beon called. seyel al persons
much below - Or did NOT Ssss At ALL Y1 nave
n.sa to Places 10 the Esry depart
Of indispu,aSle sSidenos Of the fact that s the
pIOteR on OI u CoTthlu luuuoullal SenhlOE nave
been promoted rs often as once month until
tho limit mas been reached. while other equally
s asns T Ee s
These are but samples OF hundreds OF cases
that can he pointed to In Masnington going
civil servce law is in shirt. in practice it is
worse than useless for the purposes it was de-
eom@itisd Suicide on Waited unt sns had
been ohnc ALLY informed tina! she had rnssed
heart might have been made Sick With hop" "p
long deferred aud she would thus have had a
sufficient reason for her rash act.
The representatives OF the Congressional
party OF Chilli. who came TO Washington early
In the summer with the purpose OF securing
for their cause the good Offices Of the State
Department In which errand they were SO con-
spIcuously unsuccessful. still retain their head
rSher ,d honse on
he assumed the task OF doing. the talking for
the delegation superseding Mr.: julio Fo.ter.
up to the time Of Bal macedas overthrow WIS
the !, outhpiece OF the Congressional party. 1t
statemen! that young lawyer Of this city had
been retained to post Senior MONT and his COL
Won't then from committing any breach Of
official etiquette. i was this eminent. coun-
,onF Ro GSn the
presence OF Acting Secretary Of ta.e Wharton,
who treated them with ma mar discoqWT'esy.
hat not set eyes on Senior Monu. Mr.. Foster.
or any one representing him or his cause. The
Chiians wero made the subjects 81 much ridi-
Guile whom 1t became known that the young
lawyer who had besn retained for his Inowi.
edge OF international law wa. the same. young
man who a few years ago gained not0riety by
sending au In 'ernn machine" to Oh ef JUS
tice Waite. and then securing the publication
nrosdcast t.ao ,h o th9 country ., sehsa
beer made to kill tho Chief Justice. Alter that
stroke OF genius the young man retired from
Journalism and now, it seems; has developed
Into an expert In International law.
On tho mantlepIece In the room occupied by
Mr.. Marshall Cushing. the private secretary Of
the Post master General. there stands large
panel photograph OF the Emperor Of Germany.
Across the upper left: hand corner is the auto
graph OF the young Kaiser, and on the oppo-
site side OF the card the date Jnnuaryi 1891.
the handwriting OF Wilhelm. this sentiment
The world at the end Of the nineteenth CEN
fury stands In tho signs OF traffic. wi ich breaks
down the barriers which sepa,ate the different
people. and creates new rel atoms between
the natI2ns.,", This pilot .graph was present.
charge Of the postal affairs of. Germany