Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-05-07
A Stroke of the Pen Puts Near
10000 Places Under the Rules.
FINISHING THE WORK OF REFORM
Nearly Every Official in Wash
ington Now Included.
e RY FEW EXCEPTED

| rules for the classification of the civil sery-
ice wss the most sweeping and compre-
| hensive act in connection with the whole
movement of civil service reform that has
ever taken place.
| By 1t not only are the rules simplified
| cleared of many abstrrse and complicated
| provisions but the whole system is made
| to stand squarely upon the principle of
| competitive examinations for official places
| and nearly 1880 positions are brought
within the rules. increasing the number Of
| classified places from 81 156 to 81, l:}5.
| The number of classified places which are
| excepted from examination has been re-
duced from 2,O99 to 40, these places being
| chiefly those of cashiers of the customs,
| postal and internal revenue departments of
| the service. Indians who are employed in
| minor capacities in the Indian service are
| necessarily also put in the excepted list.
Nearly all the positions in Washington
| heretofore excepted from competitive CX-
| animation were by this order included in
| the competitive list. The only places here
| which now remain excepted from eyamina-
| ton under the ew rules are private secre-
| taries or confidential clerks (of whom there
| may be not more than two to the Presi-
| dent and to the head Of each Of the eight
| executive departments. All places nereaf-
| ter which have been brought within the
| rules will he subject to competitive exam
| nations, with the single exception in the
| case of Indians employed to teach in gov
| eminent schools on the reservations. Their
examinations may be non-competitve.
Exceptions Miscellaneous.
| The civil service commission has found
| from experience that the existence of any
| large number of excepted placs in any
| branch Of the classified service is a menace
| to and has an evil effect upon the parts Of
| the service which are subject TO competitive
| jra nd tn no
| good effects of the examination. In the new
| rules, by the reduction of the excepted list
| It is stated that great good will result 20 the
| rest of the classified service. When the
| higher places in the classified service, such
| as chiefs of division, deputy collectors and
| others, were left to be filed in the old way,
| the best men were deferred from entering
| the service, as they We're cut off from rising
| by promotion. The lower grades will now he
| recruited by a still better class OF men, who
| Will be invited by the opportunity Of pro-
| motion on merit. The commission statei
| that where so large a part of the service
| was left to be filei by political Influences
| ana wnen the men appointcu were possibly
| active working politicians, the rest of the
| force tended to fall under political infiu-
| ences. BY this new action Of the President
| the classified service Will be more complete
| ~ made subject TO merit principles and
| taken cut of politics.
Therefore. after full consideration dur
| ing several months, large reduction is
| made of the list of excepted places which
| usually are the higher and more important
i places in the classified service. This it is
| claimed. will have far-Ieaching and Dene-
| nclal results. In theory, excepted places
| are SO excepted with the object Of filling
| them with the best men who possess quail
| hcauons that cannot be tested by cornpeti-
| tive examination. In practice, they are
| often filled with men who are distinctly in
| ferior to those who would secure them by
promotion or transfer, or be provided
through the examinations of the commits
| sion.
The New Classification
The revision Of the rules divides the ex-
| ecutivs civil service into five branches as
| follows: The departmental service the Gus
tom house service, the post office service,
the government printing service and the in
| ternal revenue service.
In the departmental service are classified
| all officers End employees except persons
merely employed as laborers or workmen
| and persons who have been nominated for
| confirmation by the Senate who are serving
| in or on detail from:
| The several executive departments, the
| commissions and offices in the District of
| Columbia The railway mail service. The
| Indian service. The several pension agen-
| cieS. The steamboat inspection service.
| The Marine Hospital service. The light
| house service The several minis and ASSAY
| offices. The revenue cutter service The
| force employed under custodians of public
! buildings. The several subtreasuries. The
| engineer department AT large.
| Employees outside OF the District of Co
| lumDia, not employed in any of the above
mentioned departments. offices or services.
| employed in any of the following capacities
| are also classified in the departmental serv-
| ice:
Those who are serving in a clerical ca
pacity. whose duties are in whole or in
| part of a clerical nature.
Those who are serving in the capacity OF
| Watch1nen or messengers.
| Those vino serving IN the capacitv az
| physician, hospital steward or nurse OF
whose duties are of a medical nature.
Those who are serving in the capacity OF
| craftsman, civil engineer. steam engineer
| electrical engineer computcr or fireman
Those who are in the service of the super
visins architects office in the capacity Of
| superintendent of construction, superin-
| tendent Of repairs or foreman.
| Those who are IN the service of the Treas
ury Department IN any capacity, except
| those in the life-saving service.
| In the custom house service are classified
| all officers and employees in any customs
| district whose employees number as many as
five. except persons merely employed as
| laborers or workmen, and persons who have
been nominated for confirmation by the
| Senate.
| In the post office service are classified all
| officers and employees in any free delivery
| post Office, except persons merely employed
| as laborers or workmen, and persons who
have been nominated for confirmation by
| the Senate.
| fed all officers and employees in any internal
| revenue district, except persons merely en-
! ployed as laborers or workmen, and persons
| who have been nominated for conflrmatio
| by the Senate.
| The order has naturally created a scnsa-
| ton among department clerks. The new
| regime takes effect at once, and the service
| in the stroke of pen has passed from one
| condition to another, almost as widely diff
| ferent was the change in 1852. when. I'M
| der an order signed by President Arthur,
| the beginnings of civil service reform were
officially undertaken. These first rules Is
| sued by President Arthur We're revised by
| President Cleveland in 1SSS, ard have con-
tnued in force, with amendments from
time to time. until now. These rules in
| volved repetition COR each of the branches
| of the classified service of provisions which
| were common to all. When the elias sified
| service was small this plan worked well, but
| row the service has grown to large proper
| tionS, and there are seven branches. In the
| new rules the repetition of common pro-
visions for each branch is avoided by put
| ting the common provisions into general
| rules.
Hats In German Theaters.
| From the Savannah News.
| In New Orleans. years ago, 1 found that
| it was much the custom to have a hair
| dresser, or the hair dressed, for the even