Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-02-14
SAVING IN EXPENSE
Economy Of the Merit System Dem
onsirated.
CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION REPORT
investigating Alleged Violations of
the Law
THE CLASSIFICATION LIMITS

me annual report OF the civil service
commission for the fiscal year ending De-
eember II, 1887, has been sent to the Presi-
dent. The report opens with history of
the civil service and contains quotations
from official documents. extracts from de-
bates in Congress at The time of the pas
sage of the civil service law. showing the
Intention of Congress in its enactment;
Quotations from messages of Presidents
and reports of heads of departments show
ing the results accomplished by the law.
anu a table giving in detail the extensions
OF the classified service since the enact
ment of the civil service law.
In parts the report says:
After an experience of nearly fifteen
years. ii can be stated that the hopes of
the advocates Of the civil service law have
been largely realized. In practice the law
has proved to be a constantly exer,ed and
effective force in the direction of economy
The great actual saving i'm the plan dc
Fised by the civil service act for selecting
persons Tor employment can be appreciated
only by comparison with the methods of
selection that prevailed before the commits
sion was established, when persons were
often appointed TO the service and then re-
moved 20 make room for others whose
chief recommendation was that at the time
of appointment they happened to have
greater political influence.
AS the commission stated in its last re-
Withdrawn from political control there is
now no object in increasing their number
by legislation except to meet the require
ments of the service. This condition Is re-
sulting in large direct saving to the pub
lie treasury. That the maintenance of the
commission is directly in the interest of
economy is clearly shown by the statistics
prepared last year in connection with the
government service in Washington, ID. G.
In these statistics, the growth of the CLASH
ned positions was compared with the
growth of the unclassiied positions and it
appeared that since 1883 0he year of the
organization of the commission), the un-
classified positions, which have been sub
Ject to political control, have Increased in
number - per cent, and in cost 43 per cert,
whiie the classified positions subject to eX
aminations have remained at a standstill,
practically the only increase in their num-
Der having been made by the extensions
OF the rules to cover positions previously
unclsssiiied. Had the classified positions
increased in the same proportion as the
unclassiiied positions increased up 10 the
time of their classification. an extra yearly
expenditure for additional salaries in
Washington alone Of more than SgDo.0DI.
or twenty times the cost of the mainten-
ance of the commission, would be required.
"A table recently prepared at the COM
mission from the official register shows
the growth in the clerical positions in
Washington from 1873 to 1888 and from 1882
to 1896. From e1SI3 to 1883. covering
the ten years Immediately preceding the
enactment of the civil service law, the
number of clerks in the seven executive
departments and the Department of Agri-
culture increased from 1900 to 5,523 which
was an increase of 200. 6s per cent,
while from 1883 to 1895. or during thir-
teen years of the merit system. tb num-
Der of classified clerks in the eight ezecu-
tive departments decreased from 5.523 to
5,312, q reduction of 211, or over ; per
cent. These figures show the great saw
ing in the salaries of clerks that is being
effected by the application of the civil SER
vice rules to the departments in Washing
ton.
The large extension of the civil service
rules in May. 1896, to include positions
previously unclassified has already brought
to light a number of Unnecessary posi-
TONS Quite number of these have been
abolished since their classification. AS
there was little or need for the work
done in these positions. and they could
under the extension of the civil service
rules to cover them be filed only through
eertitications of the commission: the APP
pointing power decided not to fill the va
cances, but to turn the money into the
treasury. Had they not been classified po-
litical influence would have demanded that
they be filled, even though the prospective
occupants of the positions would have lit
tie work to perform. The commission be-
lieves that like results may be expected as
similar vacancies occur in other positions"
Examinations and Appointments.
The whole number examined for the five
branches of the classified service during
the year was 40, l45. of which 2S,a93 pass
ed and 2o,a32 failed to pass. Compared
with the previous year, this shows an in
crease of 1855 in the whole number ex-
amined, an increase in the whole number
who passed Of 500, and an increase in
the whole number who failed to pass of
1876
The whole number appointed in the
year covered by this report is follows:
Departmental service, excluding the rail-
way mail and Indian services and the en-
gineer and ordnance departments al large
666; railway mail service, $50; Indian ser
vice, lob: engineer and ordnance depart
mentS at large, 10: custom house service,
100: post office service, 2,256: government
printing service. ISL and internal revenue
service. 81: total, 4, 13G.
The commission has been steadily maxi
ing its examinations more practical as
tests of fitness for the positions to be fill
ed. The original classification, as well as
the earlier extensions of the classified SER
vice. included positions which were mainly
clerical and for which suitable scholastic
tests were provided without much diff
Guilty, but the extensions during the last
few years. especially the large extension
Of May Q. 1896. brought into the classified
service variety of special and technical
as well as trades and other positions,
which necessitated departure from the
scholastic plan of examinations.
1ue coniiuiSsloH Is pitaSeQ 10 state that
during the year there has been almost
without exception a cordial cooperation by
department officials with the commission
in its efforts to make the examinations for
the newiy-classified positions practical tests
OF relative capacity and fitness, as required
by the civil service act.
Alleged Violations.
During the year the commission has
made number of investigations where
violations of the civil service law were
charged In the matter of political assess
ments or determinations, fraud in examina-
tions, illegal appointments and removals,
and various other complaints. In some of
the cases the charges were net well found
ed; in others they were sustained; while in
all of the cases the Investigations seemed
to have a beneficial effect on the service.
A synopsis of the more important investi-
cations viii be found in the appendix.
During the year covered by this report
numerous removals have been made of
office deputy marshals. clerks in offices of
United States attorneys and guards in the
United States penitentiaries. all of which
positions are under the Department of
Justice. Although the department report
ed these positions as classified. yet between