The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-12-03

Washington, Dec. 1.-THE eleventh
anns.al report of the United States civ
ii service commission shows that from
July i. 1893, to June 80, 1894, there
were 4372 appointments made in the
CLASSIFIED service, an increase of SS4
over the previous year. The number
is divided as follows:
Departmental service, 3S5; railway
service, us; INDIAN service. 1G6; Gus
toms service, $50, and postal service.
1888. The whole number of applicants
examined for the several branches Of
classified branches vas 37,ST9, of which
22,131 passed and 1928 failed to pass.
The total number examined is an in
crease for the year of 12,141, an in
crease of S.123 IN the number who
passed and 4,41S in the number who
failed. Figures for The different
branches are:
Departmental service, 1872 exam
ined, of whom 1855 passed; railway
mail service, 4,267 examined, 5,129 pass
ed; Indian service. AL examined, 299
passed; customs service, 1872 exam
1ned, 3,0f3 passed and postal SERVICE
25,777 examined and 1888 passed. The
report states that every state has re-
ceived substantially its due share of
fundamentally exact apportionment
being caused by the need, occasionally,
OF filling a place requiring technical
qualifications with the best qualified
person without reference 10 his place
of residence. The commission claims
that experience shows that all posi-
tons in the government service, with
possibly a few exceptions, can well be
filed under the competitive system.
About. one-half of all the employees of
the classified service are in the 610
classified postoffices The law it is
said, is now better observed in the
larger offices than ever before The
Indianapolis and Baltimore offices are
cited as having been very badly man
aged from civil service standpoint,
but now are considered as we'll con-
Quoted as those of Boston AMI Chica-
go. Politics are said to have been
practically eliminated in making ap-
pointmentS and removals in almost all
of the large postoffices as well as in
most branches of the departmental
service at Washington. There have
been complaints from many of The
smaller offices, showing that a, large
number of removals have been made
for political reasons, although other
offenSes, generally of a minor charac-
ter, are alleged as the ground of dis
missal. In some offices there have
been practically clean sweeps. The law
way mail service and neither appoint
nents nor removals have been made
for political reasons.
Gratifying progress is reported in
the administration of the civil service
law in the Indian school service. The
majority of the appointees have been
retained and new appointments have
been made without reference to polit-
fcal considerations The report states
that from the terms Of the law politics
should nave nothing to do with con-
tinuance in exit from the SER
vice, but that to some extent religious
and political reasons viii influence dis
missals until there is requirement of
law that not only shall the reasons for
dismissal be made a matter of record
and be made known to the person dis
missed, but that an opportunity be
given for defense. The postmas ter-
general has introduced a practice in
this line in the postal service which. so
far as results are known, works well
in the direction of security, stability
and efficiency and to complete elimina-
ton of politics. Concerning offensive
partisanship. the commission says:
THE rules against offensive parts
anship are usually construed strictly
against the opponents of the party in
power and leniently against their ad-
herents. Persons in the classified SER
vice though unrestricted as to vote
and opinions on all political subjects,
should not take any active part in po-
lftical campaigns and should be de-
barred from turning official positions
to the benefit Of either political
party
After speaking of the conviction of
Postmaster Lockes, of Newark, Ohio,
and of Internal Revenue Collector RAJ
ney. of Kentucky, for making political
assessments in the presidential COM
paign of 1892. reference is made to the
case of c. n. j. Taylor, recorder OF
deeds for the District of Columbia, of
which a report is now in the hands OF
the president for action. OF this the
commission says:
In investigating this case the COM
mission was much struck by the con-
dition of terrorism that obtains in the
unclassified civil service. in the SER
vice there is no security of tenure. Re
movals are made for purely political
and personal reasons and there is an
amount of coTTuptnesS in consequence
In the unelassified civil service and til
the excepted places at Washington the
conditions are as bad as ever. These
evils Will be largely cured 10Y the re-
cent extension of clasSif1caTlon IN the
department service.
The commission reviews the attempts
made at assessment in the campaign
OF 1894. and the opinion of the attor-
ney-generai that solicitation by letter
an public offices is not solicitation
within the law, and after reviewing
recent extensions, cites the fact thai
aTnere are few important branches OF
the government service yet unclassl'
fed