The sun., 1897-08-05
THE CIVIL SERVICE ORDER
M'KINLET'S RECENT ACTToN Salts
FIES THE REFoRMERS.


Ear-neaehins ERect Of the Rule PrsvidinE
That No Renewals shall Ne S1nde EHcept
Tor Just Cause and written CharEee-
Some OF Clcveinnd'ss Appointeeu Protected.
WASHINGTON, Aug. A-Mr. George McAneny.
Secretary OF the National Civil Service Reform
League. has undertaken to point out and OK.
plain the force, meaning and effect Of President
McKinley's recent order modifying" the civil
service rules as extended by his predecessor.
Grover Cleveland. According 10 Secretary Mo
Aneny, tho now rule OF President Mckinley, re-
quiring that no removal shall be made from
position subject to competitive examination ex-
cept for Just cause and upon written charges, OF
which the accused shall have full notice and an
opportunity to make defence, will have q far
reaching application. II will apply to every
officer and employee In the departments in
Washington. excepting officers confirmed by
the Senate, certain attorneys in the Depart
ment Of Justice, q few private secretaries and
the common laborers.
"In the great local offices" he says, "such as
the New York Custom House and Post Office, IL
will apply to all between the extremes of officers
confirmed By the Senate and laborers. except
the principal deputy or assistant and the cash
Ter. In the case Of each ofice employment
affected II win mean that the incumbent shall
not be removed except for reasons having to do
with the good Of the service and having nothing
to do with politics or religion, and that may be
safely put in writing.
The new order will protect a certain number
| Of political appointees Of the preceding Admin
istration. Mr.. McAneny says, but not nearly as
many as some people suppose and mono at all
who are incompetent or unfit. The extensions
OF May @. 1896 tCleveland's). covered 80, ,Os2 po-
sitions. or these, b,o63 were the employees Of
| the navy yards. who b ad been placed under merit
| rules by Secretary Tracy In 1891. and whose
| classification as part Of the general system was
q nero formality; 5.025 were employees of the
lighthouse and life-saving services and other
Treasury branches that had been previously
were nonpolltical; 2O6l were Indians em
ployed in the Indian service and excepted from
&C, in the Engineering and Ordnance bureaus
| OF the War Department, also non.political and
4,l2o were pension examining surgeons, paid by
With regard to President McKinley's genera
civil service policy and his prob, BILE subsequent
action. Secretary McAneny offers what may b
regarded as valuable testimony. He says or
sion Of new classes Is the Virtual annoansemen
the President m kes that the existing cassih
During the past dive months the demand for
modifying order has been clamorous and unre
mtting. Probably on no other Executive ha
so great an amount OF pressure been brought II
the hope Of accomplishing single object: How
well tho pressure has been resisted Is nov
quite apparent Finally, BY WAY q answer. ",
hls his pledge literally. He declares that b,
will maintain the law rather than weaken it
and that, instead Of limiting Its operation. b.
will extend IL where extension 10 practical. Th
suggestion that Mr.. Mckinley settled on thi
policy only after he had noticed the popula
disapproval with which reports OF his intention
to DO otherwise had been received Is quite un
fair to him. I have had several interview
with the President on this subject during tn
, past months. On July 2, a week befor
these reports were published, he assures
me positively that no changes of o serious char
acter would be made. and that the exceptions
other tha those recommended by the Civil Sci
vice Commission, would DO confined to isolate o
cases in which. owing to peculiar circumstance
an exception might seem necessary. When
again saw him on the Oath he spoke in the sam
encouraging way. adding that he would seek I
improve and extend the Asystem rather than I
| reAtrict II. 4"