The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-06-10
THE CIVIL-SERVICE RULES.
Changes and MOdifica lions Suggested
by Acting Commissioner Wilson.

On April II Senator Pritchard, chairman
of the Senate committee on civil service and
retrenchment addressed to Mr.. G.. w. Will
son, deputy commissioner of internal reve-
nue., a letter submitting inquiries on GER
tain matters relating to the civil-service
law and regulations, to which Mr.. Wilson
made the following response:
TT is believed that some amendments
might be made to the civil-service rules
with advantage to the service. Rule 3
should be modified so as to increase the
number of excepted places in the Internal
revenue service. The positions of chief dep
uty and cashier should be excepted in every
district, and in the larger revenue-p producing
districts, where the collections reach $l2.-
900 or $15000,000 annually, the collector
should have the unrestricted choice of a
large number of mis- subordinates. This rec
ommendation is based upon the recognition
of responsibility as a valuable principle in
the transaction of government atfairs-one
which too wide an extension of the COM
petitive system will tend TO eliminate. In
all branches of the service any position the
duties of which are necessarily confidential
should be filled by personal selection on
the part of the officer between whom and
the appOintee such confidential relations ex-
list. | would also recommend the addition
to the list of excepted places of all deputies
employed exclusively in the sale of stamps
and that the number of excepted places in
each district be determined by the commits
sioner of internal revenue, who is in a po-
siton to estimate the comparative needs of
| the several districts in this regard.
9 be modified so that vacancies in the inter-
nal-revenue service caused by death or vol
untary resignation and places. established
| by the allowance of additional force may
be filled in the discretion of the nominating
officer by the reinstatement of former en-
ployes separated from the service through
no fault of their own, without regard to
the length of time the person recommended
for reinstatement has been separated from
the service. Training counts for much in
| the internal-revenue service, and In many
cases better results would be secured by
the restoration of experts formerly in the
| service than by selection from the eligible
| lists. There does not appear to be any
good business reason why the term of eli
| gibihty of persons specially fitted by expe-
| rience and training for the work in hand
should be arbitrarily limited TO one year.
An official record of faithful and valuable
| service covering a number of years as a
| basis of eligibility for reappointment would
be in accord with the principle of the pro-
stationary term, and no officer with practt-
cal experience in administrative work can
doubt the value to the service of a rule
making such reappointments permissve
Il do not recommend that the civi-serv-
! ice law be repealed or amended. The merit
| system is a valuable one. The present law
provides for competitive examinations for
| of good administration will warrant 1t
| contemplates notifications of the rules
made to carry it into effect. 1 believe that
| with suitable notifications or existing
| rules the law can be brought into harmony
| with good sense and good administration.
| The power of making and modifying regu-
| lations under this, as under other laws, is
| conferred for the purpose of giving suf-
| flcient fexibiity to the original act to meet
| conditions which could not be fully defined
and provided for at the time of it's passage.
| This power can be exercised freely when
| ever and wherever the interests of the serv-
I'm connection with the subject of this
| letter | beg to suggest a provision of law,
| either an amendment to an existing law or
| an Independent act, fixing a term of office
| for all classified employees of the govern
| ment, so that each appointee, after sue
| shall be appointed for a term Of years, not
| less than four or more than eight, and shall
not be removable, except for delinquency
| thus appointed to be eligible. in the dis
erection of the appointing officer, for re-
appointment, on the expiration of the term
Of office thus fixed, their eligibility for re-
appointment to be determined by their of
fetal record: Under such a law it would
the service at the end of a fixed time, while
the hope of reappointment would be a
greater stimulus than is now. afforded to
Jealous performance of duty and pro-
gressive efficiency on the part of the COM
petent. Such amendment would also re-
Iieve the civil-service law of the criticism
attaching to it in the minds of many that
it creates a life tenure in the CLASSIFIED
| service contrary to the will of the people
and the genius of our institutions.
In conclusion permit me TO say tnat II
the law were amended so as to make 1t alb
solutely perfect, If 1t is unwisely or UNI
faithfully administered it will fail. Some
of the ironclad rules made by the commits
sion have been more hurtful than helpful
to the reform, and have not been in the
interest of good service. liberalization
of the rules combined with a thoroughly
nonpartisan application of them, will com
mend the law to the people,. A condemna-
tion of unfaithfulneSs in the administra-
ton of the law may have it's basis in a
partisan sentiment as in some Instances
the enemies of the law condemn practices
under one administration which they are
quite willing to condone under the next.
This is too much in the spirit of the zealot
!, in faXy n having witches
until he found one in his own family The
remedy for wrongs permitted by the civil
service commission during any administra-
tion is not to be found in evasions of the
law under the next administration but such
wrongs should be remedied in "a straight
forward and direct manner. The sugges-
tions contained in this letter are made
from a purely business standpoint. with
fun and hearty recognition of the value of
n faithful and nonpartsan administration
Of the civil-service law as an instrument of
erood government -