The herald., 1898-12-17
CIVIL SERVICE LEAGUE
GLAD OF SOME THINGS AND
SORRY FOR OTHERS
A Long Protest Made Against the
Action President Mckinley
Intends to Take

BALTIMORE, Dec. l6.-Thc Civil Ser
vice Reform League adopted the following
resolutions:
First-The National Civil Service Reform
league congratulates the country uron the
entire failure OF the attack on the merit
system in congress at the last sesslon--a re-
suit of advancing sentiment OF the nation
and to the firm attitude OF the president IN
that crisis.
Second-The league, however, has heard
with concern the report that it is the inten-
tion of the president to withdraw from un-
der the civil service rules important posi-
tions and classes of positions. We believe
that such action, if taken, would be con
trary to the interests of the public service
and we can but repeat the conviction, al
ready respectfully expressed to the president
that such changes would be accepted as not
cnly step backward, hut as proof that the
system is not regarded by the present ad-
nunistration as here and here to stay 1t
would inevitably awaken doubts As to the
sincerity OF the repeated declarations of the
party now dominant in national affairs that
the law established it shall be thoroughly
and honestly enforced and extended wher-
ever practicable.
Third-Ihere are none in the service who
have wished more earnestly for the success
of the present administration in carrying
the reform of the civil service and none who
have been more Zealously anxious that in
his particular its record should he consist
ent and unimpeachable.
The league, however, in the discharge of
the duties of watchful and impartial criti-
cism, duty more than ever imperative at
this critical period in the development OF
our administrative system-is forced to rec
ognize certain grave departures within the
n St vi nhSnI.VDnan n of
the civil service law and the principles un-
dcrlying it. As to these, 1t can be shown by
detailed evidence:
That the order of July 27, 1897, regulating
the method of removal, has been violated
in both letter and spirit in various branches
of the service, and that in many localities
the whole system of civil service adrlinis-
tration has been tiscredted IN consequence
That the internal revenue service and in
the offices of United States marshals ap-
pontments have been made altogether in
of the law and that such appoint
ments have been made openly for political
That appointments have been made in the
same manner in the general land office, in
the forest reserve force and in other branches
of the service of the interior department.
That, through appointments in the re-
movals for political reasons. the efficiency
of the Indian service has been seriously af
tected, and that certain office changes have
been made against the protests of those en-
gagged most earnestly in the wcGk for In
dian improvement.
That the operation of the rules IN the pen
sion examining force has been nullifed by
an adrot system of evasion practiced by the
of pensions, against the pro-
tests of the civil service commission and of
many prominent individual surgeons inter
ested in the honesty and efficiency of this
peculiarly important service.
That i'll certain custom houses. and in the
departments at Washington, many persons
have been employed without examination as
'laborers' and assigned to various kinds of
classified work.
That, through these and other methods,
The proportionate number of persons APP
pointed in classified service under this ad-
in full conformity with the civil
service rules, when compared with the num-
Der not so appointed, has materially de-
creased.
That hundreds of appointments to civil
positions in the Washington offices of the
war department, and in certain bureaus OF
the treasury, were made during the War
without reference to the civil service rules.
lists of the commission contained
several thousand persons eligible for ap-
pointment and within easy call: and further
that the persons so appointed were, in many
cases, illiterate and otherwise incompetent
and unfit
That changes in the consular service have
been more sweeping than at any previous
time exceeding in number those made under
the preceding administration and amounting
i'll the salaried grades to total of 237 out
Of 212. or nearly ninety per cent of the whole
and that the system of non connective ex-
established for certain grades
of the consular service has been so modified
as to be practically ineffective.