The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1896-12-24
THE CIVIL SERVICE LAW.

Receiving q cordial kindly letter from
our old friend A. p. Edgerton, of Hicks
vile, o., we take pleasure in introducing
MIR. f. to the readers of the News-Demo-
crat.
Mr. Edgerton is we'll preserved gentle
man of "a years and has capably and
faithfully filed public positions. He
served in Congress in the fifties, but was
defeated in 1854 by the know.nothing Re.
publican conspiracy that swept Ohio that
year The Democracy of Ohio elected no
member of Congress that year and it
may be said for Mr.. Edgerton that he
came the closest of any Democrat run
ming, being beaten by only some 20.
In the summer or fall OF 1885 Mr..
Edgerton was appointed civil service
commissioner by President Cleveland
and was summarily removed in January,
1880, being too much of straight for.
ward man and Democrat to please his
mugwump colleagues on the commission
and their especial friend, the President.
With Mr.. Edgerton's letter came a
pamphlet of his on the "civil service law"
Mr.. L. shows how the commission has
opened the door for wrongful construc.
tions and evaGions of the law by permit
ting non competitive examinations and
says: "It seems to be law which its
friends can make successful only by dis
regarding or multiplying It,"
After this introduction of our worthy
friend, we extract from his pamphlet
dated 1896, which indeed we would be
glad to give entire:
The law sought to disregard by ingen-
ious devices the great underlying princi-
pies of this government, that "a due
participation of Office was matter of
right" These are the outgrowths Of the
iuadequacy of the Civil Service law, as
adm inistcred, TO meet the requirements
of the government business. Something
more Is needed than mere theories of re-
form; something more than a commits
sion to assume that every appointing
officer in any Of the executive depart
ments of the government is either ignor-
p, ant or dishonest, or morally unfit TO con-
duct public business; and therefore a
comm isslon oan OF itself be invested with
legislative, executive and judicial powers,
and by virtue thereof supply In Its own
devious ways any defect in the law
itself. Hence special examination Is
prov ided for places which, in the opinion
of the com IL issiop, require certain tech.
nical. professional or scientific knowledge
or skill.
A supplementary examination Is fol
places which, ain the opinion of the com
mission require, In addition to the
knowledge necessary to pass the copyis'
or clerk examination, certain technical
professional or scientific knowledge oi
knowledge of language other than the
English language or a peculiar or special
skill. (See Department Rule 2).
The government of the United State:
had something to do in scientific and
expert way before the creation OF tht
commits sion, and 1t has something to de
yet, which is to continue tc do scientific
and expert work that the commission o.
itself has been unable to do, and to keel
a continual warfare against the extrava
ganoe, unreasonableness and conoeit o.
the commission which ignores the prac
tical business intelligence Of the country
heretofore believed to be part of iti
productive and sustaining power.
This commissions great triumph IL
craftsmanship has been to make "Civi
Service hyphenated word. Had Ill
members been memb bers of the oonven
zion which framed the Constitution Of thu
United States, they would have made {
like effort to make our Uni5ed States {
hyphenated word to prevent dis-union.
The law sxoepts nobody but lnborerl
and workmen, and the Presidential nom
inees for confirmation by the senate, ant
not even those If the senate shall diroe
their examination. (See Section of Civi
Service Aot).
Why does not the senate sometimes dC
itp II the civil service is good for de
termining the qualifications for office o.
all other citizens of the United States
why not for presidential nominees tt
be confirmed by the senateP Th'
commission deals with the public very
cautiously on exceptions, Withholding
all the definite information possible
They would suppress the truth who dsr'
not suggest falsehood.
Now the commission is partisan, ant
as 1t has cen conducted, certainly insults
the intelligence, virtue and honor of the
best citizens of the country In Official
suspicious and persistent attacks.
1t invites the abandonment OF honorable
industrial pursuits and creates a passion
for the ignoble work of offios getting
1t makes competition for office greater
than competition for the higher and more
honorable fields OF labor. 1t gives thu
conoeits of theorists such control il
public affairs as to induce the president