Evening star., 1897-04-29
PROMOTIONS OF CLERKS
New Regulations to Be Adopted in All Gov
eminent Departments.
The Civil Service CommisxiOn Claims
Well as Applicants for Work.

AS soon as the present rush Of Office seek
ers IN all the departments in this city is
over the question of adopting new regula-
tions for the promotion of government EN-
ployes will be taken up in all the depart
ments which have not already arranged to
have prOmtions made in conformity with
regulations formulated by the civil service
commission. and approved by board Of
the department to which they are to apply.
About a year ago the civil service COM
mission began to seriously consider wheth-
er 1t was within the meaning of the law
that promotions in the government service
should be made without regard to the COM
mission, which could only, as the law was
then applied, regulate appointments to the
government service. The commission began
TO consider section of the act to regulate
the civil service of the United States, which
reads as follows:
That after the expiration of six months
from the passage of this act no officer or
clerk shall be appointed, and no person
shall be employed to enter or be prom oted
in either cf the said classes now existing.
or that may be arranged hereunder 2urSu-
ant TO said rules, until he has passed an
examination. or is shown to be specially cx
empted from such examination Ill conform
ity herewith
Claims of Civil Service COmmissiOn.
This provision in the civil service law
had previously been construed to warrant
examination for appointment only by the
civil service commission While all exami-
nations for promotion were conducted by
examining boards appointed by the heads Of
departments and regulations for examina-
tions, and the eXamina;io themselves
we're carried on Independently by such
boards The commission argues that the
law authorized it TO examine for promotion
as well as for appointment and taking the
matter up, succeeded in having the Post
Oihce Department and the railway mail
service adopt regulations for promotions
which were formulated by the commission
ard approved by the department. this
action being taken under the direction of
PRESIDENT Cleveland. Rules were formu-
lated for the government of the Navy De-
partlnent. and were approved by Secretary
rle.Dert' put they did not go into effect
until secretary Long came into office and
approved them during the first days of his
administration ~
An OTHER government departments are
now operating under their own regula-
tions, and clerks in them are greatly in
terested In the matter of the change which
1t IS believed. will lie brought around T.,
the next six months. At present clerks
are entitled to sick leave in departments
otner than Post Office and Navy Depart.
ments, without lowering their efficiency
records, on which promotions are based
Onder tne rules now enforced a clerk
or other employe receives credit in his
ehciency record for application and gem
eral good behavior in the pursuance of his
work.
The Civil Service Idea.
The rules as adopted by the civil service
commission regulating promotions Go not
give clerk credit for application and gen.
eral good conduct, on the ground that he is
Sta rd
these two points, and provide for marking
his record down II he fails on them; also
provide for marking down the efficiency
record of clerk kept away from the Office
by sickness, claiming that while such sick
ness is a misfortune to the clerk, it is also
a misfortune to the government in the
loss of time. and does actually lower the
efficiency OF the clerk.
II the departments in which this new
regulation has been put in force it ts
claimed that there is very much less alb
sence from sickness than was formerly
the case. The civil service commissions
promotion rules also provide a special
mark on the character of work, SO that
clerks doing work requiring a high degree
of skill receive credit for that fact, where
as formerly they were placed on the level
with clerks doing labor Of routine and
very ordinary character.
AT present there is no inclination on the
part of cabinet officers to interfere with
the rules governing promotions in their
offices. and they are not likely to do so until
they have corrected what has been claimed
to be acts of injustice on the part of the
last administration in lowering many re-
publican clerks. But Just as soon as
changes Of this character are made the
departments will take up the question of
providing new rules governing promotions
according TO the executive oraer issued by
President Cleveland about a year before
he retired from office.