Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1893-01-26
TO NAIL THEM.
The Scheme to Retain Govern
ment Positions.
CALLED CIVIL SERVICE EXTENSION.

A Circular Received by Postmaster Wells
| Applicable to Postal Employees The
Meaning of the Order and the Purpose of
Its Issuance just NOVA Very Thought
ful Act on the Part of the President.
Notice has been received by Postmaster
Wells from Postmaster-G General Wsns.
maker setting forth the extension by
President Harrison of the civil service
commission to all free delivery offices.
The circular directs the postmaster to
select five employees from among those
included under the provisions of the
recent extension of civil service rules, to
act as board Of examiners of al sppli-
cants for positions. And it says further:
Extension of Civil Service.
| Prior To this action the civll service
rules applied only to those postoff1ces
which had as many as so employees
FIftY-th offices we're thus classified
Now the service extends to all nployes
below the postmaster, including postal
clerks, money oruer clerks. carriers reg
Hlar and substitute. and others, ca cepting
special delivery messengers, &C all offices
TO which the free delivery system has
been applied. OF the 54S Offices thus sd-
ded to the classified service, 81
have 25 or more, but less than
80 employees; 262 have 10 but less
than 25 employees, and 21e have less
than 10 employees The commission will
at once proceed with the orgs niz alton
of boards of examiners, the holding of
examinations, and the preparation of eli
gible registers. AS soon ss elig BILE reg
listers have been establis ned a. any office
the rules will 60 into effect az that office.
Some considerable time will necessarily
elapse before the rules will be in active
loperatiou at all of these Offices, The
whole number OF persons added to the
classified service by this &C ion 10 1910,
and these persons having been brought
into the cl ass fed civil service By an eX
tension of the classification under the act
of July 16, 1888, are entitled 10 all the
rights and privileges that they would be
entitled 10 had they been appointed sfte
examination under the act.
The authority and duty of removal at
a postoffice are left uadisturbed by the
civil service law and rules, except that a
removal cannot be legally made because
q person in the service has refused to be
coerced in political action. or has refused
to contribute for political purposes. or has
refused to render political service.
Want to Give Them a Cipcn
Postmaster Wells stated this morning
that his conception of the new order was
that hereafter all applications for postal
positions must go direct to the civil ser
vice commission by whom they must e
examined and by whom must be deter
mined the qualifications and eligibility of
the candidates. 1t is his opinion also.
that hereafter no employe of the Office,
n matter what the capacity, whether
clerk or mail carrier. could be
removed without cause accept Ible
Ito the civil service commission.
No one will for q moment. Of course,
fail to conceive of the purpose and in
tent of President Harrison's extension of
the civil service rules just at this psrticu-
lar time. Nor will anyone deny the
president the authority of taking his own
view of the extent and scope of the cons
missions duty and when and how it
should be applied and when and how it
should not be applied. Its poss-election
significance is too apparent to necessitate
expssisting thereupon. The president
msy have his own views of civil service,
and may enforce those views while in
Office. The same privilege will be ex-
tended his successor in the executive
chair.
1t will not be The part Of wisdom for
postal emoloyes TO lay too much stress
on the assurance thus offered than by the
powers which placed them in Office. For
unfortunately for them there is besides
the civil service law of this country q
tenure OF Office law that is quite as i'm
portsnt and effective and time honored.
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