The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1896-11-25
Only 78l Employees Out Of $4,000 NOT
Under Civil Service Laws.
SWEEPING LAWS HAVE BEEN PASSED
Including Nearly All The Fat Jobs
that Once Belonged 60 tho spoiler
Even the Consular Omco Has
Beon AGectcd--A Few Out OF Many
"A Clear Sweep.

gradual development or the Jurisdiction
of the Civil Service Commission, 1t is al
most impossible to realize how entirely
the offices have been taken out of the
hands OF the spoilsmen. 1t was in 1888
that the first Civil Service Commission
was appointed, and, In the following
year it made its first report. President
Arthur Is generally conceded the credit
of being the first Chief Magistrate who
breathed life into the movement for a
reform in the civil service of this govern
ment. But as matter of fact, President
Grant was the first civil service reform
President.
In the thirteen years that the civil ser
vice law has been on the books, Presi-
dent after President,by successive steps,
has succeeded in taking out of the hands
or the dispensers OF patronage nearly ev-
cry office in the country. 1t must, OF
course, be always remembered in speak
ing of offices that are affected by the
civil service laws that such appoint
ments as are made by the President
which go Into effect only after confirma-
lion by the Senate, are necessarily ex-
empt from the operations of civil service
laws. All officers appointed "by and
with the advice and consent of the SEN
ate are outside the classified service.
A FEW OUT OF MANY.
As a result of the sweeping civil service
laws that have been passed in recent
years. out of $1,000 employees there are
excepted from the workings of the civil
service law only ISL employees Among
these latter, the President and each of
his cight Cabinet officers Is permitted to
appoin; two men each without competi-
tive examination; that IS, the Pre- sldent
ana the secretaries may so appoint their
own private secretaries and one man
cach IN addition. In word the com
bined patronage of the Cabinet Is limited
10 sixteen men, to which may be added
the two which the President himself
may appoint.
Outside of Washington the outlook
Tor the spokesman is no better The
PRESIDENT can appoint collector of Gus
toms, but the collector OF customs can
| make only one appointment, and that
appointment is his own cashier
So too with the postofhces. Every
postmaster may appoint his cashier and
an assistant postmaster. and every col
iector of internal revenue may appoint
cashier. The deputy collectors of in
ternal revenue have been placed under
| inc jurisdiction OF the civil service law
| Out OF these exceptions IL composed the
| entire list OF offices available is IA reward
| Tor political work. il is impossible TO be.
| lieVe that the collectors and pos;masters
will permit the offices of cashier to be
| hllcd by their respective party organiza.
| tons. and as the work required OF tho
| assistant collectors and assiStan. post.
| masters is in every case such as viii
! demand practical business men, 1t viii
be seen that the statement is entirely
accurate that only handful OF office:
are left in the treasury service.
| y CLEAN SWEEP.
| The rapidity with which Mr.. Cleve.
land has taken the offices out Of the
| hands OF the secretaries and placed them
under the Jurisdiction of the Civil Ser.
| vice Commission is evident from tbs
| statement of the commission itself that
| during the past three years, out of the
| $4,000 offices in existence, T., 900 were in
| Guided in the various orders issued by
Mr.. Cleveland in the past three years
| Every position which the language OF
| the civil service law covers has now been
| brought ihereunder. with the exception
| of that of the f9uNh-class postmaster
| and even his existence outside the clv.
! service is question Of time. II is true
that the fourth-claSS postmaster is ap-
| pointed by the President. but he does
not require confirmation by the Senate
and Therefore. can be brought under the
| jurisdiction Of the commission without
Il violation of the constitutional rights of
the Senate. But the spoil.men in the
senate are not disposed 10 surrender him
without Il struggle.
AS TO CONSULS.
Up TO September, 1898, the consular
service had never been touched by ihc
the ministers, are appointed by the