The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1897-07-30
PROTECTION TO
Civil SERVICE.
Important Ruling by the President
on Removals.
CAN MAKE DEFENSE
CHARGES AGAINST CUSTOM OF.
TIGERS INCLUDED-rHE ORDER
REGARDED AS A SAFEGUARD
TO EMPLOYEES. AND HAS THE
HEARTY ENDORSEMENT OF THE
CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION.

PRESIDENT Mckinley has promulgated
the Following important amendment to
civil service rule IL:
mo removal shall he made from any
position subject 20 competitive exa1nina,
ton except for just cause and upon writ
ten charges filed with the head of the de-
partmenG or other appointing officer, and
OF which the accused shall have full no.
tice anu an opportunity to make de-
fense.'
He also amended rule III SO as to in
clude within the classified service the
employees of all custom house offices with
out regard to the number Of employees.
Hitherto tho classification embraced Gus
TOMS Offices where the number of emp
ioyes was five or more TEis order brings
into the classified service sxty-fye
hitherto unclassified custom offices.
The President also amended rule VI,
making exceptions to examinations 80 as
to read rs follows:
Custom House Service-One cashier in
each custom district, one chief or prin-
cipal deputy or assistant collector in each
customs district, one principal deputy
collector at each sub. port or station.
internal Revenue Service-One en-
ploye in each internal revenue district,
WIN snail act as cashier or chief deputy
or assistant collector, as may be deter
mined by the Treasury Departments; one
deputy collector in each internal revenue
district where the number of employees in
the office of the collector exceeds four:
one deputy collector in each stamp or
branch) office.
Appointments to the positions named
ID this rule in the custom house service
and In the internal revenue service shall
be subject to an examination to be pre-.
scribed by the Secretary of the Treasury,
not disapproved by the commission.
equal to the examination held by the
commission for positions of like grade.
Such examinations shall be conducted by
the commission in accordance with lis
Issegulations.'
Assistant Secretary vanderlip, in
speaking of the amendments, said:
These amendments to the civil service
rules, which the President has signed,
are the most distinct steps forward that
have been made in the civil service regula-
ton since the passage of the original law,
Up TO the present time nearly all of the reg
ulatlons have been..aimed at throwing safe
guards around the III ethod of entry into
she service. There has been almost
nothing looking toward the enforcement of
the spirit of civil service reform within
the service itself. Many prominent civil
service reformers believe that regulations
enforcing proper observance of the spirit
of civil service reform within the service
would be OF much greater Importance
than anything that could be formulated
regard to the entry into the service
Itself, and it is in this direction the amend
mend which has just been signed by the
President is aimed.
at has heretofore been the cai,se of
much complaint that people In the SER
vice could be dismissed or reduced with.
out any definite charges being made, and
without giving the person concerned any
opportunity to make defense. That
has proved the weakest point in the
whole civil service system. In the Post
Office Department steps were taken three
years ago to remedy this defect, q ruling
feing made by Postmaster General Bis
sell to the effect that there would be no
dlsmlssals from the carrier force, except
upon written charges, and after the car
rler was given an opportunity to make a
defense. 1t has been believed that that
ruling worked the greatest good in the
service, and removed the carriers from
partisan influences more than any other
rule that had been put in force in regard
to the Postoffice Department.
Ihe CIVIL service reformers, notably
the National Civil Service Reform Asso-
citation, have long been contending that
while the power of removal must rest alb
solutely with the heads of the DEPART
ments, still no more important modifica-
ton to the present civil service rules
could be made than to throw such safe
guards around removals as would guard
against the removal of efficient persons
for partisan reasons. The new ruling by
N M ms lncC tl,.@x
of the department. over the personnel.
Suspensions may be made to take imme-
date effect. and removals can always be
made, whenever the head of the depart
ment Is satisfied that there is a lust
cause.
Another distinct step forward is taken
in the customs service. All custom
offices are, by the order unassigned, placed
in the classified service All of the en-
ployes of those sixty five ports are, by this
order, embraced in the classified service.
with the exception of deputy and
cashier at the principal port, and of one
deputy at each SUPPORT or statou.n
The plan OF the seXtension, which was
TO- mulated by SecI etaIy .Gage and AS
sisfant Secretary Vanderlip, has the I'M
quailled AID hearty endorsement of the
civil service commission, who earnestly
recommend the Presi dent Its approyal.
In speaking of the amendments President
Proctor of the commission said that the
friends of civil service orm.everywbere
could congratulate themselves ON this
most Important advance of the cause.
The commission in it's last annual report
had said that government officers shaud
have the power of removal for, proper
reasons.