Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-08-13
THE CIVIL SERVICE
Some Ideas About It by Gen. Gros-
V6nor.
NEVER DELIVERED
His Views as to a System Of Ex-
animation.
PLEA FOR PARTY WORKERS

The latest issue of the Congressional
Record contains a fifty-two column attack
upon the civil service law, from the pen
of Representative Grosvenor. 1t is emit
tied the speech" of Gen. Grosvenor but
| it is one of those congressional speeches
| that was never spoken.
Just before Congress adjourned last
! month Gen. Grosvenor arose in his seat
| in the House, while the conference report
On the deficiency appropriation bill was
under consideration, and calmly announced
| his desire to deliver a few remarks upon
| civil service.
This announcement created CONSERVATION
| in the House. 1t was hot day. the end
| of the session was in sight and men were
| anxious to get home. The bare thought
| of Gen. Grosvenor, the statistican, who
| juggles with figures the man in the cir
| Gus does with balls and keeps dozens fly
ing at once, .tackling the civil service QueS.
| ton, caused a profuse perspiration to
break out upon the House and look OF
| despair and hopelessness came upon every
| face.
Had Leave to Print.
Therefore, when Gen. Grosvenor intimat-
| ed that he would be content with leave
| to print" the permission was accorded
| with alacrity and cheerfulness, not to say
up from the whole House.
The general waited until President Nc
| Kinley acted upon civil service matters.
He waited confidently, smilingly, expectant
| of executive action which would lower the
civil service bars. When the reverse cc-
! CURED and the President virtually added
| another rail to the fence, it is said it was
| a great shock to Gen. Grosvenor. 1t was
| limited that the blow almost killed
| father
Con GroSvenor,S contribution To tho orr
| rent literature of the Record hanks back
upon the civil service trail to the days of
| George Washington. He follows it closely
| down through later years. and with much
| ton, but loses the scent entirely as soon
as he strikes President Mckinley'S tracks.
! He is strangely silent then.
His Idea of Civil Service.
Gen. Grosvenor states his idea of the true
| civil service in the outset as follows:
Il would have established in every de-
partment of this government a system If
| examination SO that when a man came and
presented himself and asked for APP
| pointment, if an appointment was con-
| ferred upon him, before he should take his
place, office or position. he should be eX-
amined by an examination so rigid as to
bar the possibility of an inefficient appoint
| ment, but the examination should not be
competitive with somebody else, for the
| upon which the whole failure of this ma
| chinery has been erected 1t should be fit
| ness for the place to which he aspires
Now, let see what has happened.
| The man has come there, come to the APP
pointing power, which need be somebody.
J Who shall it be? Who better than the rep
| resentative from his own congressional dis
| trict? There should be furnished to the APP
pointing power l have already said, an
absolute assurance of good character, good
| habits, good morals, pleasing address, good
tendencies in the estimation OF somebody
entitled to respect and commence. ne
! should be a friend of the current admins
tration. Then let him be subjected to the
| test which 1 have already mentioned. not
whether he is superior to anybody else In
| the details of his examination, but whether,
with his proof of good character and good
| morals he shows adaptation and peculiar
fitness for the business to which he is to be
detailed.
Matter of RecOmme ndatiOn.
ct may not be that the congressman has
judged rightly as to the future eXamina-
| ton of the young man, but upon the mere
statement of the congressman, he holds
| the right to an examination to fill a va
cancy that has been created by the opera
| ton of law, and he takes his position to be
examined-to be examined in the branches
| of education which he is to pursue in the
| future; and if he is admitted, he is told
| and he understands, 1t comes to him, that
| no congressional interference can benefit
| him, no wealth of parentage, no distinction
| of lineage shall benefit him.
Thus would ] administer the civil service
of the government Let the young man
| come upon the nomination of some suitable
authority. Let him be nominated with the
understanding that he is a man of sound
| ness of health, soundnesS of mind, sound
| ness of morals, and a desirable young man
for the place; and then let him under
stand that the future of his term is to be
| struggle for excellence, and that If he
| does not meet the full requirements of his
place he will go home, and that his de-
parture will be upon the notification of his
| removal. I scorn condition that says
| that a young man or an old man shall not
| be removed from a public position under
| the government only upon charges and a
| trial."
A Plea for Party Workers.
General Grosvenor makes an eloquent plea
| for the rewarding of the men who bear the
| heat and burden of the day. He says:
1.-THE young men of my district have toll
ed by day and by night to build up,
| strengthen and perpetuate the principles Of
| the republican party, and incidentally they
have conferred political favor upon me.
| 1t is no degradation for me to ask them to
work in our political cause. 1t does not
| lower my sense Of personal dignity to rally
the young men and the old men of my dis
| trict in support of the principles of the
party to which / belong, and 1 have not
reached the browning idea of self-aggran-
diZement where look with contempt upon
| the men who are my constituents; and 1
am willing and anxious to aid them in
| sharing in the blessings and emoluments of
| the administration of my government
The men, Mr.. Speaker, who in 1896
marched thousands and thousands of miles
| to hear the words of encouragement and
instruction from the President, as he stood
upon the steps of his home in Canton are
! entitled to have something to say about
| the government of the United States with
out being subjected to irritation and dis
| tress and trouble in trying to secure ad-
mission to these departments. They worked
| for the country and they worked for the
candidates, and l protest when find that
when they apply for admission to participa-
| ton, upon equal terms, in the administra-
| ton of the government door of bureau
is slammed in their faces and they are
told that they are good enough to vote and
march and carry banners and Transparent
| cies, but they are not good enough TO hold
| office under the government unless they
can compete in scientific literary knowledge
with the students of colleges with wealth,
and whose friends my friends and your
| friends cannot successfully meet"
| Camp Meeting at Congress Heights.