The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1898-02-15
WAKE FOREST DEBATE
"a
The Question Of Civil Service
is Discussed.
TIE 63d ANNIVERSARY
yuE SOCIETIES HELD IfiEli.
ANNUAL CELEBRATION
II WAS MORE LIKE A COMMENCEMENT
The Youog Dsbaters and Orators Were NJ
sOired TO Do Their Best and 'ne@
DsIiverances Were Said 10 be
&c tho Highest Order.
of the Highest Order

-, Tbia i the 6.}rl celeDratloh y ~
,.+ societies. of Wake Forest ooi-
The first anniversary ever hehi
rraat success and year by year
they have become better ana nnoi' -
,,,,r 90 that it would not seem =
uniting it too strong to say 'h''
all these 63 anniversary cari
aohate and the o%rations lo-illSnt
a,,1 ia if not superior 70 amy
vel had. Indeed SO charming q ''
81 MANY of the trustees ana y :"
tho college were here 1t seems more I'M
= commencement than an ahhlsels"is
The youns gentlemen debaters anu y
a+ors seeing this and knowing that hiu'ii
na.tad of them were inspired 10
Ak tbeir hest and no one who htafu .ho
sluh.ta and Orations can say ilat Ies
moi Of the very highest orueI.
n. nuery for discussion was ono'i'i
all government appointments oe
TO civil service regulations. uo,,h5a
rho President. Mr.. +. l.. Nonlpae
chilled the societies to order al -.oo 'nS'
n m. and Mr.. j. l.. JARVIS, Tue 49,
~ announced the subject LOT @
ond Mr. jackson Hamilton, OF the ~
tlInlIiNA Ill IL HtIpS ~ ~
II ! claimed. Mr.. President, OF 'nost
sod to Civil Service Regulations
- 1nah y system would end IN nilhs
Tho service exclusively with young lhei
fresh from the academies ana coil1se'
or with those who have faied OF jim
iovn.in some of the learned prolessions
rrbis idea arises from q total mlsconctp
tion of the nature of 4 paper q
ation. For places requiring spte'
-o,.,I onfj+111n for out
there are special examinations 70 asce'
tim those special qualifications an
then the appointment Is made Oh proo'
ton only. r-:, g,
O. 1t is not the purpose OF q own oe
vice to educate it's citizens. but the rel
ton between ignorance ana crime No
close and familiar. that the wisdom a
economy of a system which by encoufa
inc education. e~leyateS the ciaract
and promotes the efficiency OF the Z"
lie service. can not he denleu.
In order to better understand WI
is meant {hy Civil Service Regulator
Il is necessary to know the evils tn
nacessitated these regulations. and ]
tho correction of which evils these r
ulations were instituted and made d p'
af o,,r laws These evils are the evils
what is known as the spoils syst
on rotation in office. An the appo
five Offices must either be subJect
Civil Service regulations or not sunJ
to Civil Service Regulations. IN
is no half way ground. It must
evident either that an appointment III
he suhiect to Civil Service or not $
;act to Civil Service Regulations.
~ not both be and not be SUBJECT
Civil Service Regulations. II an
pointment is subject TO no regula'i
whatever it is Of course suDJect {
TO the spoilsnen and falls uhder
evils of what is known as the SPOTS
tom Then it is the spoils system
my opponents are forced to Uphold.
very fact that they oppose Clvll Ser
Regulations compels them 70 sup
the spoils system. The opposite OF
Service Regulations is the spolls sys
and vice versa.
There are about 100000 offices IN
national government which are file,
annontmant. Now how shall these
Monuments be made? Shall they be l
according to the whiuls and fa1
of political leaders, political bosses
machine politicians, or shah the.
made subject to definite rules and
lations.
The offices belong to the people
are the source of the government \
but they belong to all the people
not TO individuals.
All the offices may be divided mt
classes: those that are elective ana
that are non-electiye or appol
With those Of the first class, those
are elective and are concerned wit
policy of government with the
that may he before the people, ana
the execution and making of our
with these we are not to deal. W
this evening to discuss the advise
of making those governmental pos
which are apDointive and have
merely with the mechanism OF tn
rnman subject to Civil Service
latiOns.
What we wish to get at this e.
is the underlying principles of Civ
vice Reform and not the Technical
tho regulations in detail. Civil )
Rernlations are intended TO ass
the knowledge. merit, ftness anu
hil;ty of the candidate for appoln
THO means most generally used to
tain these qualifications. are my
tions. examinations and probatl
We do not propose to discuss y
system: neither do we propose
crss a system in which the only
ton to and requisite of ofhce Is
animation merely of a literary
Our question for discussion Us "
vice Regulations. and not slnfpl
1ptitive examinations. CIVIL
Regulations consist not only OF {
atoms both competitive and n
p%etitiye, but also of lnvestl;
tests and probations.
If by the regulations for ad
to the Civil Service. nothing W
derStood but a mere test of literi
fciency. they might be reasona
posed as unsatisfactory. But
other hand it is equally undenial
q candidate is none the less e
because of his general inteligel
country which declares that whe
meal skill is equal, it will