The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1893-12-13


| report Of the civil service commission for
4 the present year is a voluminous docu-
ment Of about $1,000 words-as long as
the presidents message. The portion Of
! special interest is that bearing on the
extension of the classified service to free
delivery postoffices by order Of President
Harrison, Jan. 8. 1892. 1t is from this
portion that the minority report by Com
missioner Johnston dissented, causing his
removal by President Cleveland. The
majority report says of this extension:
This act brought into the classified
service 5S4 offices and since its promul-
| cation the free delivery service has been
extended to nine other Offices thus max
/ ing the total number Of classified post
offices at this time 61O, including the
| fifty-three classified. Service in the Gus
! tom house is condemned and classifca-
/ uon by grade recommended. Changes In
| the New York custom house are cited as
| examples
The satisfactory results of the classi-
| fication Of the railway mail service arc
| dwelt on at length. The work of fourth
! class postmasters subject TO removal for
/ partisan cause is cited in comparison
with that of railway mail clerks TO show
! the advantage of the system of choosing
the latter.
The extension Of the classified service
/ TO the weather bureau hasn't been in
/ effect long enough to justify state
ment upon its effect. No apprehension
! is expressed. however, that it will not
1 be beneficial.
Comparison with Other Countries.
Comment on this comparison with the
| civil service in other countries as shown
! by consular reports is made. 1t is said:
'In the classified service. taken as
| whole, the governmental methods of the
United States do not materially differ
/ from the methods of Colombia, and. in
/ deed, in part do not differ very radi-
/ cally from those of Turkey, and there
are SO utterly indefensive from the
standpoint Of decency and morality that
/ IL Is difficult for a man OF ordinary intel
/ lgenCe who wishes well to his country
I 70 discuss arguments advanced in their
! favor with anything like tolerance. AS
above pointed out the logical results OF
/ the spOils system is the method obtain
/ ing in Morocco, where the man pays for
/ his appointment and uses il as d means
/ for making money.
| This is precisely what is done in ex-
! treme cases in the spOils system here
/ Two years ago. for instance. the COM
mission found in the course Of an inVeS-
| tigation into one branch of the unclas-
1 sified service I'm Washington that in
some cases 1t still was the custom for
/ men who had influence in some of the
| Offices TO sell their influence and pro-
! cure appointments upon the receipt Of
| money. the appointees OF course seeking
| 80 reimburse themselves so far as prdc-
| ticable from the general public
! The commission believes that the
! time has fully come when suitable regu-
| latiOns prescribing a uniform system Of
| open voluntary completion Joined with
| a proper efficiency rating should govern
! promotions in all the departments and
! that the regulations should be admin
! istered by the commission as the law
| contemplates and provides"
| The latter part of the report consists
| of abstracts Of consular letters received
| i'm answer to a circular sent out by the
/ state department asking for Information
/ upon the subject of hours of labor Of
| government employees in other coun-
| tries"
The letters from consuls are ex-
| haustive upon this point and the re-
! port closes showing that the number of
| persons connected with the civil service
] in tn United States is about 200, 600, and
| giving in detail the regulation govern
| ing the hours of labor compensation,
| promotions, etc.
MIR. JOhnston's Report.
The majority reporto of Commissioner
| Johnson is in part as follows:
ITO the Preside mt:
| "Sir-I regret to have TO withhold my
| approval from the part of the annual
| report submitted by my colleagues, and
| especially so as ] felt compelled TO enter
a dissent to their last report.
| ''As my colleagues know. cannot give
| sanction to that portion of their reports
| which commends the extension Of the
| classified service ordered Jan. 3. 1893, to
| include the free delivery postOffice
| objected to this eXtention at the time
/ it was proposed After the order was
| issued and il became the law, 1 en-
deavOred as in duty bound to enforce It,
| but my opinion of the measure has never
changed. 1 thought then, and 1 think
| now, that under the attending circum-
! stances and conditions it was i'll ad-
| vised. unfair and harmful to the cause
Of civil service reform.
"The public service has unuuestion-
| ably been greatly improved through the
! agency Of what is known as civil service
| reform. This system, fairly treated, will
not only prove its usefulness but il will
| certainly fix itself in the respect and
| confidence Of the people. 1t ought not
| to be handicapped by such handling as
| will excite distrust and arouse prejudice
| Under a popular government like ours
! the people are quick to resent radical
| methods when resOrted to for the ad-
| vanoement Of measures of acknowledged
merit Civil service reform needs the
| employment of no such methods in its
behalf. COnservatiVely developed and
| conservatively administered, enforcing
| the law and respecting and obeying the
! law, just to others, and especially Just
| TO itself, il Is bound sooner or later to
work out it's own fulfllment to the salts
faction Of the people and the good Of
the government"
BOLD, BAD CRANK.