The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-08-11
CIVIL SERVICE REFORM
PAPER READ BY WILLIAM ii. HALE,
PHI. d., BEFORE SCIENTISTS.
Scatiling Criticism Of Governor BIa ok,
of New YOrk-Go than in the Lead
for Next Meeting Place.

DETROIT, Aug. 10. - Members of the
American Association for the Advance
ment of Science were still arriving when
the days general session began The gen
eral session was brief and was occupied
mainly in announcements. The botanical
branch met this morning and elected tenn
porary officers, J. j. Davis, of Racine
Wis., being named as president and A. F.
Woods, of Washington, secretary. Perma-
nent officers will be elected later Members
of the American Chemical Society are WIS.,
iting the Detroit laboratories and manu-
factories to-day. The programme of scien-
tifc addresses and discussions before the
several sections of the association this aft
ernoon were extensive and for the most
part largely attended. Most of the papers
read were by specialists, distinguished in
their respective lines.
A scathing criticism of Governor Black
of New York, was the salient feature of
an address by William H. Hale, PHI D.,
of Brooklyn, before the section of social
and economic science. DR.. Hale's subject
was "CiVil-service Reform" He said in
part; Last year, at Buffalo, / presented
10 the association q discussion of the civil
service question, and later l had the sat
isfaction of knowing that the people of
the United states, by an emphatic vote,
had adopted the view for which | then
contended. At that very time a great po-
lttical party, holding what l regard as
sound views on this question, was con-
Vened to nominate a candidate for the
office OF Governor Of the State of New
York and selected for that office a young
man. IhiS man, Frank S. Black, alien
to the State by birth and a recent settler in
it., was destined to fill the. chief executive
formidable opponent that the merit system
ever met.
For several decades there has been grad
a system of testing by competitive exam
nations the fitness of persons to be APP
pointed to public offices The results have
been, in the main, satisfactory to taxpayers
and diStaSteful only to professional poll
ticians, who loo upon public offices as
spoils and upon taxpayers as fit subjects to
plumber. The system was adopted to
limited extent by the. State of New York in
1883 long before the advent of Black
within our borders, and has steadily in
creased in efficiency and in favor with the
people g~i1.
Governor Black signalized his accession
TO office by embodying in his annual mes
sage to the Legislature a recommendation
that the legislation be had which would
authorize the appointment of employees in
the civil service from the foot of the list
first, which is evidently forbidden by the
Constitution. The Legislature had not the
temerity to carry out this audacious sug
geStion; but near the close of the session
they passed bill, which the Governor pre-
pared providing that examinations for
merit should be held by the Civil-serVice
Commission. and should count only 80 per
cent, and that examinations for fitness
should be held by persons holding the
also count 30 per cent, and that the total
percentage Of persons examined should be
ascertained by adding the results of both
examinations. The rules, when finally
adopted, had been so modified, at Governor
Blacks suggestion, as to assist spoilsmen
to the full extent permitted by the Con-
Stitution, if not more"
Referring to the relationship of civl-serv-
ice reform to the. question of State and
m in If
Dr. Hale said: There are many obvious
advantages III having a responsible govern
ment control and operate all franchises
which use public highways and supply pub
lie necessities. 1t is well that the comfort
and convenience of the people who are sup
piled by these monopolies be made the
paramount consideration rather than the
gain of a soulless and selfish corporation.
Strikes and boycotts, the bane of street
railway systems, would thus be aVerted or
minimized.
Il believe that the country is on the eve
of vast extension of municipal ownership
and control system to supply light, neat,
transportation, etc. Perhaps there is dam
ger Of too sudden and explosive a move
ment in this direction Work of this kind
requires skill, integrity. industry and
perience, which can only be secured by a
careful selection of men for merit and hit
ness, and the best men cannot be obtained
without a somewhat stable tenure OF office.
To leave these difficult and important pub
lie works a spoil to politicians would seri-
Ously impair their efficiency and would also
confer upon party leaders a dangerous
power of irresponsible and unlimited
patronage. The system of reformed civil
service, which aims to secure. and to a
large extent succeeds in securing the best
men for the performance of public duties,
affords the only economical and, therefore,
the only practical solution of the problem
of government administration of the nat
The council tonight held a star chamber
session at the Hotel Cadillac presumably
to talk about the place of next meeting and
the election OF officers. From all that can
be learned Boston is far in the lead for the
next convention of the association, with
New York city it's only formidable COM
petitor. There is a very strong sentiment
among the members in favor of the present
secretary, Prof. Frederick Warde Putnam,
of Cambridge, Mass, foc the new president
of the association.
The work of the convention is progress
ing very satisfactorily and the meeting can
be called an unqualified success except in
point of numbers. The registration up to
tonight does not exceed three hundred ac-
tual members in attendance, while the
erage at the previous meetings has been
something like six or seven hundred. This
falling off is accounted for by the fact that
the British association meets next week in
Toronto; The British society will probably
not hold another of its meetings in Amer
lea for years and many members of the
American body who do not feel able TO at
tend both conventions have neglected the
Detroit meeting in order to go to Toronto.
Dr.. Kinyoun's Mission.
WASHINGTON, Aug 10.-Dr. Joseph J.
Kinyoun, passed assistant surgeon United
States Marine Hospital service, has been
designated by the secretary of the treas
ury to represent this government at the in
ternatonal exposition on hygiene and sani-
tary service on ship board, TO be held in
Brussels in September. DR.. Kinyoun has
also been appointed a delegate to the Berlin
international conference, TO be held in Oc-
tober, to discuss the leprosy question. Or.
Kinyoun has been instructed TO visit sew
eral ARCHAEOLOGICAL labora tories on the con-
tinent for the purpose OF obtaining infor-
nation for the Use of the marine hospital
service as to recent advances in the in
vestigation of contagious diseases. DIR.
kinyoun will return to the United States
in December next.