Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-05-07
DEMOCRATS FROZEN OUT
The Civil Service Law Extended
by the President,
AFFECTING 10000 EMPLOYEES
Fifty-eight Thousand Clerks Now Protected
ty the Law,
F0UR-FlFTHS OF WHOM ARE REPUBLICANS
The President Forestalled Any Possible
Action of Wire Pullers Throughout
the Country by Putting the Law
Into Execution at Once.
AFFECTING 10000 EMPLOYEES
OF WHOM ARE REPUBLICANS

Washington May 6.-The president by
his signature today extended the provis-
ions of the civil service law to 10000 gov
ernment employees, increasing the num-
ber of positions on the classified list from
65,136 to S5,135, and with few minor ex-
ceptions between the extremes Of Of
fcials whose confirmation by the senate
is constitutionally requisite, down to
mere laborers and workmen, govern
mental appointments are withdrawn as
far as possible from political influence
and protected in their tenure of office by
the merit system. The presidents sigma
ture at II o'clock this morning canceling
all former orders issued and substituting
the new rules was Immediately filed in
the state department and went into ef-
feet at once, thus forestalling any possi-
BILE action throughout the country by ap-
pointing officials or transferring en-
ployes or In any other way evading the
rules before being formally notified of
them. From the moment of it's sigma
ture the new order made all government
officials directly responsible to the COM
mission for appointments and changes.
Today's revision of the rules divides the
executive civil service into five branches,
as follows The departmental service,
the custom house service, the postoffice
service, the government printing service
and the internal revenue service.
In the departmental service are clas-
sified all officers and employees Except Ia
borers and persons who have been nomi-
mated for confirmation) in the several
executive departments, the commissions,
the railway mail service, Indian service,
the District of Columbia, pension
agencies, steamboat inspection service,
marine hospital service, mints and assay
offices, revenue cutter service, sub-treas-
,..so
forces employed by custodians of public
buildings. The only exception made in
the treasury department Is In favor Of
those in the life-saving service.
In the custom house service are clas-
si1ed all officers and employees in any GUS
toms district whose employees number as
many as five.
In the postoffice service are classified
all officers and employees in any free de-
livery postoffice. .-
In the internal revenue service are
classified all officers and employees in
every internal revenue district, except.
of course, as In the other cases, mere
laborers.
The number of classified places ex-
empted from examinations has been re-
duced from 2099 to TIE, which are mainly
positions of cashiers in the customs,
postal and internal revenue services.
Indians employed in minor capacities
in the excepted list The only classified
positions in Washington which will be
excepted from examination under the
new rules will be private secretaries or
confidential clerks (not exceeding two)
to the president and to the head of each
of the eight executive departments.
Four-fifths Republicans.
Notwithstanding this Is supposed to
be democratic administration, still the
republican party have eight-tenths of all
the best offices here at Washington
This remarkable fact has been ascer-
tained by several bright democrats in
each of the departments making a cam
vass in their respective departments and
then comparing notes. They find that In
several large bureaus there is not DEM
ocrat employed. In the postoffice de-
partment, with three exceptions, all the
good, soft berths are held by republicans.
The same condition prevails in the war.
state and navy departments. In the
treasury and interior departments DEM
ocrats have a better showing, though
even in these departments seven out of
ten of the employees are republicans The
disbursing office of the treasury, as we'll
as the internal revenue division, Is still
in the hands of the republicans. The
names of all the employees, with their
salaries and politics, are to be printed,
and it will no doubt create much surprise
among the boys in the trenches.