Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-05-25

Chiefs of Division Under Civil Ser
vice Requirements.
PRESIDENT CLEVELANDS ACTION
Extension Of the Classified Service
in the Agricultural Department.


Probably the cause of civil service re-
form has never received more substantial
impetus than it did yesterday when Presi
dent Cleveland issued a series of orders
amending the civil service rules in relation
to the Department of Agriculture He di
rected that hereafter all chiefs of division
in the department, of whom there are
eighteen, should be taken out of what is
known as the accepted class, appoint
ments in which are subject to the per-
soral pleasure of the Secretary of Agri-
culture, and that any vacancies that
might occur hereafter should be filled by
promotion from the large corps of trained
experts employed in the department., or,
occasionally, when necessary. by compeu-
tive examination. These positions demand
skill on the part of those who hold them
of high technical and professional char
acter The cashier and the assistant dis
bursting officers, the chief clerks of the
weather bureau and the bureau of animal
industry and the scientific or professional
experts employed in Washington in the De-
partment of Agriculture have ALSO been
taken out OF the excepted list, in all about
twenty-five. The classification of the De-
partment of Agriculture is further amend
ed so as TO make subject to competitive
examination under the civil service rules
the clerks, microscopists, assistant micro
ScCpiSts, stock examiners, taggerS, agents
and all other employees except temporary
laborers In the bureau of animal industry
outside of Washington. Also all state
statistical agents and all messengers in
the weather bureau outside of Washing
ten. Those employed at Washington were
already classified The inspectors, veter-
mary inspectors and assistant inspectors
of the bureau of animal industry We're
already subject to competitive eXamna-
ton. This extension to the remaining
places in that bureau adds more than five
hundred places to the classified service.
Magnitude of the Chnnge.
Many of the more important places which
are put beyond the possibility of their oc-
cupants being removed in case of political
changes of administration are at present
held by gentlemen who have risen to them
step by step. For instance, the chief of
counts and disbursements first entered the
department in 1875 at a salary of sl5o per
day. and was promoted stage by stage
through the division of seeds, the division
of statistics, and the divisions of accounts
and disbursements, until he became its
chief.
Secretary Morton was asked today low
the Presidents order would affect the De-
partment of Agriculture.
THE magnitude of the change in the
classified service of the Agricultural De-
partment may be realized, said the Secre-
tary, when it is known that all places and
positions in the department are brought
into the classified civil service except the
Secretary and the assistant secretary of
agriculture and their private secretaries,
the chief of the weather bureau and his
private secretary, the chief clerk of the de-
partment and the laborers and charwo-
men. The extension of the clasStica ton of
the department outside of Washington will
include at least 100 taggers, 5 m:croscop-
iStS 200 assistant microScopiStS, Is clerks
33 live stock agents, 90 stock examiners, >
superintendent of quarantine stations in
the bureau of animal industry, all messen-
gers in the weather bureau stations and
all state and territorial statistical agents,
numbering 49,
Significance Of the Order.
The action of the President at this juno
ture is taken as significant of future i'm
portant extensions of the classified service
in other departments Before Mr.. Roose-
welt retired from the civil service COM
mission that body had strongly presented
to the President the necessity of extending
the protection of the merit system over
many of the positions now filled by politi-
cal favor. 1t was represented to Mr.. Cleve-
land that under the present mode of trans
acting the business of the government the
men most qualified by long experience and
familiarity with departmental work We're
not available for positions requiring direc-
ton of an executive character, such as
the chiefs of divisions and bureaus exert.
The reason for this was that after a clerk
appointed under civil service rules had
shown marked ability in the particular
duties assigned to him and won promotions
by reason of his excellence until he each
ed the highest grade in the classified Serv-
ice. he would prefer tG remain there. in
safety rather than accept higher app oint-
ment which might be taken from him
whenever the political complexion of the
administration changed
The Presidents Approval.
Mr.. Cleveland, it is understood, iecog-
nized that the public business could be
Offices up to those occupied by men who
directly assisted the shaping the policy of
the government in q political sense, filled
in accordance with the merit system. The
extension of the merit system, therefore,
to include the chiefs of division in the De-
partment of Agriculture is believed to in
dicate a similar extension 10 the other
departments at an early day. The appoint
ments of Mr.. Rice and Mr.. Harlow to the
places formerly held by Mr. Roosevelt and
Mr.. Lyman are also taken as indications of
the purpose of Mr.. Cleveland to give the
business affairs of the government all the
advantages that can possibly accrue from
the widest application of the merit system
in appointments to and promotions in office.
The civil service commission today re-
ceived petitions from the StereotyperS' and
pressmen's unions, signed by all tn, men,
bers of those organizations most OF whom
are employed in the government f-rinting
office, asking that the civil service rules
be amended so as to include the employees
of the government printing office under The
classified service.