Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-01-22
CIVIL SERVICE REFORM.
Branche. of the Government I'm which the
system Can BE Advsntageously Extended.

System Can BE Advantageously Extended.
REPRESENTATIVE AxpREw EXPRESSES HIS VIEWS
UPoy THE sUBJEcr-IHE POST oFFICE DEPART
MENr. CONSULAR AND CUSTOMS SERVICE AND
NAVY YARDS LABoRERs SHOULD BE INCLUDED.
Representative Andrew, the chairman OF the
House committee on civil service reform, talks
IS though he intended to use his efforts to Sc
cure every extension Of the reform system
which Is in his power. The committee will
soon DO asked to arrange for hearings upon
bills abolishing the four years term act and
providing for the choice of postmasters by
some non-partisan system Mr. Andrew said
today regarding the outlook for reform legis-
lation:
The civil service rules have been gradually
extended from year to year by both President
Cleveland and President Harrison. number
Of extensions have yet to be made, however,
some OF which can be made by the President
without any further action by Congress, and
some require legislation 1t is in the power of
the House, and 1 suppose there would be no
improperly IN using the power, to request the
President to make some of the extensions which
are already authorized by law.
Zone of these extensions of the rules which
could very properly be made would bring into
the classified service all the post offices with
twenty-five or more employees. The limit at
pEescuL i cllplOEeS anu Ohiy
Offices are under the rules. One OF the reasons
why the system has not been extended more
rapidly Is the lack OF appropriations, but the
civil service commission obtained some addl-
tional allowances IN the last Congress and
think they would be quite willing to extend the
rules to post Offices with twenty live or more
employees. even il they could get no increase
Of appropriation. Another extension which
could easily be made Is to the heads OF divisions
In the various departments. Some of these
officials under the spoIls system when a change
of administration threw them out of office
could not pass the civil service examination for
entrance TO the lowest places. StIil another
extension. (which would be emIuentiy proper
would take in the superintendents OF the out
lying postal stations at large, post Offices like
New ork and Boston. Either of these extensions,
or all Of them, could easily be made by the
civil service commission, even if no increase of
appropriation Is obtained, and the President
would probably direct such extension if
either house OF Congress should express a wish
for IT.
NAVY YARD LABoRER4
"a most important extension of the noa-
partisan system which mas been proposed is to
the laborers in the navy yards. A system of
registration of all proper applicants without
regard to politics has been tried in Massachu-
sets with remarkable success, and Secretary
Tracy has recently applied it in some of the
Eayy yards. Secretary Iracys system. how
ever, is entirely his own affair and might be
overthrow by The next Secretary Of the Navy
who came into Office. The system ought to be
established by law. and this is one of the sub
iects to which our committee will probably
give attention. The civil service act gives the
PRESIDENT considerable discretion in extending
the rules, but provides that no person not In
the executive branch of the government nor
any person merely employed a labOrer or
workman, shall be classified. Ii might be suffi-
Gent simply 10 strike out this exception TO the
law. but II an act were passed on the subject il
would nrObubly he adyl-abla make
affirmative declaration The details of the
rules would be worked out of course. by the
ciyh service commission. This reform would
be an important one IN congressional districts
like Brooklyn. Boston and Philadelphia, where
large numbers Of men employed in the
haVy yards, and would remove an element of
corruption from the elections.
TEE POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT.
The great citadel of the spoilsmen is the Post
Office Department, and a tremendous step will
have been taken toward making the civil serv-
ice non-parti,an when the 1000 or more post
Offices are taken out of politics 1t is difficult
to provide for this by competitive examina-
tions, but something would probably be accom-
plished by the passage of such bill as Mr.. Sher-
man Hoar has introduced, &bOilshing the four
year term for public officers. The abolition CT
the term alone would not end the difficulty, for
the fOurth-class postmasters have no fixed term.
and yet the report of the Postmaster General
shows that they have been removed by thou
rAi4G- every sCGE- MI IlOur Oil goes
In regard to the pOstmasters OF the highest
grades and provides that they shall hold Office
during good behavior and be transferable from
smaller offices to larger offices they may
merit promotion.
COLLECTORS OF CUSTOMS
The latter principle, which takes away from
officers something o: their local character.
would probably encounter opposition. and
am not prepared to say without careful con-
sideration whether should iudorse il. 1t has
been suggested. however. not only with regard
to postmasters, but with regard to collectors of
customs Secretary FSIrchlid, who was one of
the most sincere civil service reformers who has
been in the cabinet of any President. said in his
annual report for 1855 that If the customs and
internal revenue services were amalgamsted
into one service and then made strictly non
partisan, like the revenue marine, it could be
freed from its local character and made a gen.
eral service. SO that a peculiarly efficient col
leetOr, appraiser or other officer could be sent
TO a port where his services were especially
needed
TIE CONSULAR SERVICE o.
IF this principle Of transferring and pro-
noting eompeten. officials is accepted as q
sound one. it might be applied to the consular
service as well as the customs and postal sery-
ice There would probably be less serious OBJ
lection to applying II to the customs and con-
sular service than to the post Offices and it has
already been applied more or less to the con-
sulaf scrFlce Inc state department employs
number of consular clerks. who are supposed
TO be in training for diplomatic careers and
they are about the only trained diplomats we
have The consular service ought 10 be essen
italy permanent and hope 10 be able to pre-
pare a bill on this subject during the present
session, Tor which shall endeayor 10 obtain the
Endorsement OF the committee.
The field Is still a wide one for extending
the civil service rules. at least extending the
scope OF the non-partisau system, and 1 think
some forward step ought 10 be attempted at
every session OF Congress until the system has
much wider application than at present
There are now about 10000 employees of all
grades IN the clyll service of the government
and OF these only about ., coo are appointed as
the result Of civil service examinations. The
bulk OF the remaining places consists of the
tJ.VUO pOstmasters and - 600 mail contractors
and SPECIAL mall messengers. The postraasters
ought To be appointed IN some way which
would secure their efficiency and take them out
OF po!ltIcs, anu the same may be said of Dumer-
Gus other classes of officers embraced in the
2S.OcO which are neither pOsimasIers. mail con-
tractors nor IN the present classified service
The work probably cannot be done all at once
Dat steps ought 10 be taken 70 prosecuteit and
even II favorable action by both houses cannot
De Obtained az once upon measures of reform
L. worth WHILE IN my opinion, 10 consider the
subject anu 20 make the idea of extending the
reform familiar 10 the uI.b.lc mind"