New-York tribune., 1896-12-03
LECTURE BY r. H. DANA.
HE ADDRESSES THE wOMAN'S AUX1L-
larry OF THE CIVIL SERVICE RE-
FORM ASSOCIATION.
DWELLING PARTICULARLY ON THE MAssAcHU'
sETTs sYsrEM-ExPI.AINING ITS LAWS


SETS NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. ITS LAWS
FOR THE APPOINTING OF WOMEN
Richard Henry Dana addressed the Woman
Auxiliary OF the Civil Service REFORM Associat'o"
Yesterday afternoon on The Massachusetts sys-
tenn" and dealt principally with i's pracncai opera
ton particularly the points in when IL oiners
,,or, that NJ New-York and those on which II has
been attacked.
Massachusetts" he said. INSISTS upon one single
commission which has charge OF the STATE aho
municipal service. This has been found 10 be oe''e'
because it makes only one commission TO watch
and. moreover the various municipal governments
are unreliable that tney cahno' oe " ~
correct themselves
Tho State has also adopted sysiem resua'"e
the employment Of aborers which has no counter
mart anywhere else A strenuous enort was nhaoe
a. one time 10 overthrow it, but deieeauoh ol
xorkmen came forward and testified to its fairness
.,,,rs that :, had enabled them 10 get work with
Nh, having morey to an Alderman or being the
followers of a politician and this snoea al az
tennis 20 have the law repealed
When this system Of competitive examination
mas instituted IL objected 10 by some VINO
r.sllv feared that examinations would not de-
,e-mine satisfactorily whether or not a man was
n.uAad for particular position; that II would MI
tho service with schoolboys and college graduates;
mat 4, would provide a sufhcieh, guarantee VI
Tho good character o. employees; that IL was not
fair 10 give positions only 10 those WIZ 'oOh INV
bigbes, marks but that all who attained certain
percentage should nave c"a"'e' am ''''''' ~
WAS expensive
NJ Dana touched all these points and as
.or,ed that the experience Of twelve gears mad
shown such objections TO be groundless
.rhe object OF civil Service Reform" he said. rs
no only TO secure efficient service IN Government
oe5ces but 10 take the s250O0coo spent annually In
the cvil service OF the country out OF the hands or
ke
rre,, bribery fund. mere pass examination
would not effect this end. for the boss "ou'o SUE
10 able TO appoint any one he chose except such
&c were absolutely unable TO attain the pass per-
cen,age.
Is n fact that they have not done So excep, In
vary email numbers and any ona who has seen
the handwriting tho spelling and the EnSlish OF
Young men applying for admission to Harvard
can readily understand that they could not pass
the examinations set for clerks and copyists. ana
they certainly could not pass any set OF questions
given for the forenen Of aborers inspector
Of plumbing Each AMIN nc bt Is d end 70 ucS
WU1x rseeied re noi II, ob,sined at college
"Regarding the character or candldates IL naS
n,ss,on n' ,haf 1hose who pass the best oxamna
tions likely to be honest Upright ana IN ~,
dustrious persons. IL they were not so they wouid
not haze learned to do their work so well
Tire cost OF the system has been found 10 Pea be
minus quantity. for II has saved me State thou. na
sands Of dollars besides paying the expenses OF the
Commission. -,
Speaking OF the position OF women under the
reform regime. the lecturer said that their appoint
nnent had become much more frequent than former
w. and that they had been placed in many new
positions account Of a peculiar law which com
peled the appointment, In certain cases. or vet
erans in the service. instead Of throwing open the
position for competitive examination For some
reason women were excepted from the operation
Of this law. and as the veterans were often wholly
unfit for the places 70 be filled there was no re-
course but place women In them.
In conclusion Mr.. Dana said that the govern
reni of the State had become much better since
the Civil Service law passed and the fact
that In the counties where Civil Service rules do
ROT prevail. things bad as ever shows that
the Improvement is the result OF the reform. and
nor OF an enlightened public sentiment. has
some times been maintaired
Mr. Dana Is a member Of the Executive Commit
tee OF the Civil Service Reform League. and par
ticnaied m the drafting OF the Massachusetts law.
His father was the author OF Two Years Before
the Mast" and he Is the husband Of Longfellow's
daughter the Edith with golden hair" well
known a OF the characters In The Chiidren's
hour