Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-08-21
Suggests a Non-Partisan Board of e,
amfners for the G. P.O,,

Suggests a NOn-Partfsan Board of Ex.
aminers for the G. p. O.,
To the Editor of The Evening Star:
As the discussion in The Star of the SUBJ
tect Of civil service in the government
printing office has convinced the commits
sioners OF the errors they were being led
Into with regard to the apprentice question
and the age limit, and also led them to
considerably modify their original rules on
those questions. will you kindly allow me
space to point out what I consider another
mistake they are making, which may not
amount to much. but gives the opponents
OF the civil service law good grounds for
criticism?
1t is the general belief that the examin-
ing boards to conduct the practical exam
nations for the several trades in the gov
eminent printing office are the selection of
the public printer, or, at least, were sug-
gested to the commission by him, Now.
these gentlemen are all beneficiaries of the
spoils system and only very recent converts
to the idea that civil service should govern
compositors' board is an active member
and, II l mistake not, an officer-of the In
terstate Democratic Association, an or
sanization expressly for the purpose of de-
priving republicans of positions under the
government to make room for democrats
While that, in my opinion, is nothing to
the gentleman's discredit. still you would
hardly select member of the Liquor Deal
ers. Association to enforce the excise law.
The civil service commission should place
upon each one Of the examining boards a
man selected by themselves, without any
consultation with the public printer PLENTY
of men-good. competent men-can be found
in this city-employing printers and book
binders and pressmen, or ex-printers who
are engaged in some other business-who
would be willing to serve and whose service
In that capacity would disabuse the minds
OF many applicants of the idea that they
could not get absolute justice from the
nying the fact that there are certain pretu-
dlces existing between the employees and
ex-employes which will be hard to uproot
A man employed there today is very apt to
believe that a man discharged by the pres
ent public printer has no right to enter that
Office even under the civil service law, no
matter what his abilities as workman
and it Is very apt to be the belief Of the
ex-employe that he cannot get Justice from
any one selected by the public printer to
pass upon his qualifications. In fact,
know of several first-class workmen who
will not take the civil service examination
because they believe that, no matter what
their rating by the commission, they stand
no show of employment under the present
administration of the government printing
Office. The commission may decide that
they have no means to pay these exam
fners, and, consequently, for that reason
cannot select them. The public printer
employs experts in other lines, and why
cannot the commission employ them and
let the public printer pay them the same
as he does other experts? The cost GER
tainly could not be very great, as 1t would
only require four or five men, and I should
think their services would only be required
a very few days in a year.
I want to say, in conclusion, that l am
not believer in the civil service law as it
now stands, but it is the law, want TO
see 1t honestly and impartially enforced,
and especially given q thorough trial in
the government printing office.
PRINTER