Evening star., 1897-07-28
A LONG STEP AHEAD
Important Amendment to the Civil
Service Rules.
RESTRICTING POWER OF DISMISSAL
Merit to Be the Sole Requisite of
a Government Employe.
MORE CLERKS ADMITTED

President Mckinley has promulgated the
following important amendment to civil
service rule III:
No removal shall be made from any po-
sition subject to competitive examination
except for Just cause and upon written
charges filed with the head of the depart
ment or other appointing officer. and of
which the accused shall have full notice
and an opportunity to make defense"
He also amended rule Ill so as to include
within the classified service the employees
Of all custom house offices. without regard
to the number of employees. Hitherto the
classification embraced customs offices
where the number of employees was five or
more. This order brings into the classified
service sixty-five hitherto unclassified GUS
toms Offices
The President has also amended rule vi,
making exceptions to examinations, so as
to read as follows:
Custom house service-One cashier In
zach customs district one chief or principal
deputy assistant collector in each GUS
toms district. one principal deputy collector
at each SUPPORT or station.
internal revenue service-One employe
m each internal revenue district, who shall
lct cashier or chief deputy assistant
collector. may be determined by the
Treasury Departn at: one deputy collector
IN each internal revenue district where the
humber of employees in the office of the col
lector exceeds four: one deputy collector in
zach stamp Tor branch) office.
Appointments to the positions named m
this rule In the custom house service ana
IN the internal revenue service shall be sub
lect to an examination, 70 be prescribed by
The Secretary of the Treasury, not disap-
proved by the commission. equal to the eX-
animation held by the commission for po-
s;tions of like grade. Such examinations
skall be conducted by the commission in
cordance with its regulations
Safeguards Around the Clerks.
Assistant Secretary Vanderlip. in speak
Ing 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 regulations
since the passage of the original law. Up
10 the present time nearly all the regula
lions have been aimed at throwing safe
gus rds around the method of entry into
the service There has been almost moth
Ing locking toward the enforcement of the
ppirit of civil service reform within the
Eervice itself. Many prominent civil serv-
ice reformers believe that regulations en-
forcing proper observance of the spirit of
civil service reform within the service
would be of much great ter Importance than
any thing tnat could he formulated in re-
gard to the entry into the service itself,
aEd IL Is in this direction the amendment
which has just been signed by the Presi-
dent is aimed.
Il; has heretofore been the cause of
much complaint that people in the service
could ne dismissed or reduced without any
defntte charges being maze and without
giving the person concerned any oppor-
tunity to make a defense. Tha; mas
proved the weakest point In the whole civil
service system In the Post Office De-
partnent steps We're taken three years ago
10 remedy this defect. q ruling being made
by Postmaster General Bissen to the eff
1ect that there would be no dismissals
from the carrier force. except upon writ
ten charges and after the carrier was
given an opportunity to make Il defense
II has heen believed that that ruling work
Ell the greatest good in the service and
removed the carriers from, partisan in
nuences more than any other rule that
mad been put in force in regard 10 the
Post Office Department
Ihe civil service reformers notably the
National Civil Service Reform Association
nave long been contendin1 that while the
power of removal must rest absolutely with
the heads OF the departments. still no more
Important modification TO the present civil
service rules could he made than to throw
such safeguards around removals as would
guard against the removal of efficient per-
sons for partisan reasons. The new ruling
by no means lessons the control of the head
or the department over the personnel Sus-
pensions may be made to take immediate
whenever the head of the department is
satisfied that there is just cause
Another distinct step forward is taken
In the customs service All customs offices
are. by the order just signed placed In the
Classified service. There were under Presi-
dent Cleveland's order sixty-five ports
where the number OF employees are five o.
less left outside of the classified service
All the employees of those Sixty-ive ports
are by this order embraced in the classified
service. with the exception of a deputy and
cashier al the principal ports and of one
deputy at each SUPPORT station
Indorsed by the Commission.
The plan of the extension. which was
formulated by Secretary Gage and Assist
ant Secretary Vanderlip, has the unquali-
fed and hearty Endorsement Of the civil
service commission. who earnestly recon-
mended to the President Its approval. In
speaking Of the amendment, President
Proctor of the commission said that the
friends of civil service reform everywhere
could congratulate themselves on this most
important advance of the cause. The COM
mission in its last annual report had said
that government officer. should have ths
power of removal for proper reasons.
No Changes In the mmissfon.
1t Is said on good authority that the
President will make no changes in the
civil service comm iasicn for a long time.
He is satisfied With the way the COM
mission is working and is not ready to
make any changes. The same authority
expresses the opinion that ii will also be
long time before there any further
alterations IN the law. The President has
had time to make many changes IL he had
desired He Will hardly give further con-
k:deration 10 the subject for good while.
Naval Orders.
Paymaster E r. Rogers has been ordered