Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1897-04-29
THE CIVIL SERVICE EXTENSION.

The civil service law is in very bad
odor ar Washington just now. In fact,
there are none so poor at the national
capital-except the "ins"-tO do it rev.
erence. Consequently, it is almost daily
violated and the civil service commits
sion has sent a formal protest to the
President, who has promised to look
into" the matter. We can see Mr.. Nc
Kinlev smiling up his sleeve. Almost
every member of his cabinet has set the
civil service law at nought, and the
President was informed that it would
he better to have the law repealed out
right than to continue the abuses now
going on in the departments.
Meanwhile there is little doubt that
Mr.. Mckinley will find way to modify
the rules laid down by Mr.. Cleveland
This would mean the overthrow OF the
whole system, for one party will gladly
accent the presidents of another until
the good old time NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
tbe-spoils system is in full swing once
more.
Congress is itching to throw the
whole thing overheard, and several bills
looking in that direction have been in
troduced. Congressman Grosvenors
hill "to declare the true intent and scope
Of the civil service act is, in effect,
hill 10 amend the Pendleton law in inn
portant particulars. 1t declares that the
civil service act shall not be construed
to embrace any of the employees of the
government printing Office. or of the
bureau of engraving and printing, nor
any person employed merely as work
man or laborer nor construed TO
allow the appointment to office
mr. promotion in any class of the civil
service covered by the act OF
anv person who has not passed
comnetitive examination, or is shown TO
be exempted from such an examination,
and all appointments since March t.
1903 without a competitive eXamina-
ton. unless such appointees are especl-
allv exempted, are declared illegal. The
bill also provides that all persons who
have been employed or appointed in
the classified service since March T.
1909 without examination, shall appear
for examination within ninety days and
no examined in competition with other
citizens.
This proposition to examine all office
holders in the classified service, who
had not been examined, may have its
good features. but General Grosve-
nor's plan to compel only those
appointed in this way under the Cleve-
land administration TO be examined is
manifestly unjust. If the Cleveland
appointees are to be examined, why not
examine those placed under the civil
service law by Harrison? Shortly be-
fore the end of President Cleveland's
first term he issued an order putting
the railway mail clerks under the merit
system. President Harrison revoked
the order and Postmaster General
Wanamaker promptly filled the service
with Republicans. Another order was
thereupon issued, again placing the
clerks under the merit system and that
order never having been revoked, fur
Their changes were not made for politi-
cal reasons. This is only one instance
of the extension of the merit system for
the benefit of Republicans. Thousands
of other employees were equally fortu-
nate. Fairness demands that if Demo-
Gratis are TO be examined to determine
their fitness, Republicans should also
be subjected to the merit test