The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-12-17
CIVIL SERVICE LEAGUE.
Continued from First Page.

Continued from First Page,
order on the 9th of July, by which he ex-
empted from the competitive rules certain
classes of positions in thu revenue service,
extended the rule over very few otners,
and then directed that no removal snaal
be made from any position subject 10
competitive examination except for JUST
cause and upon written charge filed wl0n
the head OF the department or other APP
pointing officer, and of which.th accused
shall have full notice and an opportunity
to make defence
The part of President Mckinley s
order which attracted the most attention
Is that concerning removals. 1t is no ex-
aggeration to say that its appearance was
greeted with round of applause that re-
sounded all over the country.
- The people SAW in President Mckin-
ley's order q vigorous manifestation OF
his patriotic purpose to make true his
words: Civil service reform has come to
stay Besides the intelligence of the
country recognized in the order concern
ing removals decided progress.
1t makes the reason assigned for every
removal as we'll as the answer thereto a
matter of public record. and 1t will thus
render the executive officer for every re-
moval from place under the competi-
tive rule amendable 20 the Judgment of
and the corresponding actions Of his
superiors. The new order if carried out
with fidelity and firmness, will thus be
apt to rid the service of very offensive
| and dangerous abuse, and President Nc
Kinley fully deserves oil the praise he has
| received for this achievement. To secure
the enforcement of the order the Score
tary of the Treasury, Mr.. Gage, with
commendable promptness issued excel
lent instructions to executive officers
under the Treasury Department prescrib-
ing an appropriate mode of procedure and
containing the important injunction that
reductions in grade and salary should be
treated in all things like removals.
Nothing would crafty me more than
to be able to add that the President 8
order had already borne all the good fruit
that 1t is expected to bear. But regret
to say that SO far it has not. Many re-
ports have come to us from Washington
as well as from other parts of the country
which represent executive officers as
making or recommending removals or re-
auctions without assigning any just
cause, or any cause at all. 1t is confident
~ expected that the President, as such
offences come to his notice and the facts
are fully ascertained, willEenforce respect
for his order by duly Furnishing the
offenders.
ga matter in which not only the civil
oOA f1SC UuU UI6 WllOlc COIlJnOI-
cial community takes lively interest, is
the improvement of our consular service
Pass examinations are apt to degenerate
into mere matter of form, in which as
a rule those succeed who have the strong
est backing and those who fail have none.
Pass examinations for the consular SER
vice!have been tried at various periods
and they have always taken that course.
Whether they have or not in the present
instance, am unable to tell, the matter
being strictly confidential But this
| may say with assurance: II our COM
mercial community wants real reform
in the method of appointment to consular
positions, 1t must insist upon three things
competitive examinations for admission
to the lowest grade of the consular ser
vice, promotion only for merit. and re-
moval only for cause. From this rule
should, at most only those few consular
positions be expected that have a diplo-
matio character. There Is good reason for
believing that the necessities of the
consular service have already engaged the
| Presidents care; and whoever undertakes
seriously the task of putting that branch
| of the government service upon a footing
OF thorough efficiency, will soon recog-
MIS- that the first requirement is its alb
solute emancipation kfromsthe influence
of the patronage mongerS.
The postmasters, too, are receiving
pIOiuiolhS H. ID d uop6iuI 6lSD
| that the POstrnaster-general, business
| man not suspected of being q civil SER
vice reform theorist. has from a mere
| business point of view found it exped1ent
to advocate the removal, by Congress, of
| those restrictions, by which the consoli-
dation of minor offices with those which
are central, had been hampered. And al
| though the subsection to proper civil ser
| vice rules Of the fourth class post offices,
| which so far have furnished the material
| for the most widespread scandals, may
| as yet seem ever SO far away, still it Is
approaching and may be nearer than even
the most sanguine among us now appre-
bend.
"The first onset against civil service
reform has been repulsed, but the fight is
still reseunds with lusty vociferation. In
three Republican state conventions reso-
lutions have been adopted hostile to the
merit system. An association has been
organized to agitate for the repeal of the
civil service law, and Republican mem
bers of the Senate OF the United States
and of the House of Representatives are
loudly threatening to bring the mat ter to
an issue at the next session of Congress
Two of them, Representative Grosvenor
of Ohio, and Senator Gailinger, Of New
Hampshire, have already been designated
by one of the spoilsmen's organs as the
antic1vil service reform candidates for the
Presidency and Vice-Presidenoy. Mr..
who in 1896 marched thousands and
thousands of miles to hear the words OF
Be just,-Don't compare
~