The morning times., 1897-02-09
The Commission Presented Its
Annual Report
THE CLASSIFIED POSITIONS
The Report Covered the Work of
the Commission for the Past
Two Years-The Classification
OF Fourth Class Postoffices Rec
Onmended. ~i@

tine beginning of President Cleveland's adj
iliii'lsCration there were about $4,000
places included in tie classified service.
Iiiis report enlbedieS the work OF the
commission for the past two years, as the
report FOR 1895 not issued owing to
the various amendments TO the rules made
by the President, ahd the commission de-
ierred It's report foruthat year so as to
lhciude the thousaildslof positions placed
under the classiriedi service during the
past eighteen nonthsLs
The to5ai appr5xllfatc number OF p0-
ssit ons IN the civil branch of the govern
mcnt is It's, ,717. of which s7.ll7 arr. in
the classified service ard $3.50 in the
uhclasSified service. OF those in the
classified service s4.23S aie arranged IN
cia>Sesb by compensation ard subioct to ox
animation or Iceistlaticn, a6 ar apr oiu.ed
by the President q ore, Isl are exempted
sflol examination or Iceist, alton, and
2,cGl are Indians in the lrdian elyice
or IL of IN tie Lrc.GS siiied service 5,5.o
air excluded fiom Classification for lea
'ohS deemed best for the service, 4,SI5
are apl ntcd by the President and non-
ffrmed by the Senate. s ,s!4 are pcItuns
senr,oycd merely ;S!atoIefs or wGrktncn,
and I2,::11 are Cors.Gcfcd as classlfiable
but To- yet classified
or tEos~ lot yet classified, 66,725 are
postnasterS Of TIE fourth class. OF those
fenalnlns IN the clasSiiiable, but unClas-
siilcd group many will ire transferred to
the classified service by the action of the
,fules lis, for Instance, in the customs
service, VIXEN the number of employees in
n cuStom-house becomes as many as five
and IN the postoffice service, when post.
Office becomes Il free delivery office
The aggregate compensation paid in the
executive civil service OF the United States
during the year, ended June go 1855,
was, approximately, 100 600 900.
Tie commission has adopted "A card sys-
tenn which gives Information regarding
every person in tie service The exten
sions In tie service could have been made
earlier hut for the fact ,hat the rules as
amended from time to tine 10 meet par
tcuiar requirements, Lad Eecome bulky
ana in some details inefficient auu iniar
monsors. which necessitatel n revision Of
the rules, ana resulted In the following
In providing system Of promotions ul;nn
asccrtained and recorded efficiency and
ability; Ia permitting transfers from aHy
part of tie service to any other part upon
certified fitness, having regard always for
the general provisions OF the apportionncnt
as contained in the civil service act, and in
requiring ltkc penalties for like offenscs
against office regulations witioHt regard
to political affiliations, thus affordling u
correction tn an abuse of considerable mag
nitude
The direction of the President was that
these rules should not only protect and
benefit the public service, but that they
should be SO framed as to meet the ap-
proval of all reasonable and patriotic ex-
ecutiye Officers la futbre Administrations
1t is believed thatrthts has7been accom-
plished. t taE
The whole number examined for the five
branches OF the classified service during
the year ended June 30, 1896, was 81 :
ere, of whom 20, ,49:3 pnsSed and 10 .S76
failed to pass. Compared wiJhthe previous
year thus shows an increase of 379 in the
Whole number examined; an increase in
the whole numbM; whudpasscd uf b9l, and
a decrease in the w hole number who failed
to pass of 81 2lE
Under the head of removals the report
says that during the HAST four years the
removals from competitive positions in
the classified departmental service at
Washington have been less than per
cent a year for all causes not including
such removals as resulted from unneceS-
Sary reductions in the force. In the uII-
classified and excepted service at Wash.
ington the removals are believed to have
aggregated in the four years at least 80
per cent. From these figures the con-
Clusion must be drawn that either the
persons brought in through examinations
are far more efficient than the others. or
the removals from the Hnclassified posi-
tionS have been made for other causes
than the good of the service
BY the revision of the civil service rules
practically all OF the excepted positions
were transferred to the competitive list
The commission believes that the great
est benefit will resultto the public service
by this action, which transferred to the
competitive list many important POSITIONS
including those of chiefs of division
Tie report states that heretofore chiefs
Of divisions became the football of politics
als those who were adherents OF one political
party had to give way to the adherents of
another PARTY upon each change OF admin
istration Subordinate employees have been
selected for promotion on account of their
fitness. While previously chiefs Of division
lave often been appointed without regard
to their qualifications. Naturally the chiefs
who had short terms of service acquired
little knowledge of their own duties and
knew practically nothing about the work
OF their subordnates, who were supposed
to carry out their instructions in regard To
;nt LII
done
The report shows the number OF removals
from the service for violation of rules and
quotes from various Cabinet officers and
bureau officials who testify to the great
benefit OF the merit system and says il
was the intention of the founders of our
government that administrative officers
should hold office during good behavior
The report mentions the consolidation
Of small postoffices With free delivery
offices, and says that fourth-class post
offices should be included in the classifica-
ton by Executive order When these ex-
tensions of the classification have been
made, and the foury year tenure-of-office
acts are repealed, and when regulations
are in successful operation in all the de-
partments requiring that promotions be
based upon the efficiency of employees, the
reforms in the Executive civil service
will be practically complete. The service
will then be restored to that condition
in which it was intended TO be kept by
the wise founder ofoour government
----
No Anti-Scalping.B Bill This Session.
The Senate Committee on Interstate Com
merce took the anti scalping bill up yes
terday morning, and after an informal dis
nucejnn a apraad that II 1yruld no ir,S NJ ,1ev,r1a