New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-01-05

! more formidable Power than spain II wouio De
highly undesirable to put any part OF our navsi
force 10 the for which II Is not pes, h'.su.
though IL may always be necessary 20 40 TINS
{ n we do not greatly enlarge our Regular Navy.
so that in number Of ships and men II may more
nearly than at present Correspond u 6,r Saval
! Militia should be kept up and built up. OUT IL
! is 10 he earnestly hoped that they VIII De SUP
plemented by a naval reserve proper, caneu my
being by the action OF the Federal OroVerninen'-
THE CIVIL SERVICE.
The methods ~ appointment TO the Civil Ser
vice Of the State are now In utter confus'oh' 10
less than three systems being in efect-one IN
the city OF New-York one in other cities anu
/ one in the State at large I recommend that
law be passed introducing one uniform pracuce
for the entire State and providing. as required
by the Constitution. for the enforcement Oh
proper Civil Service regulations In the state ana
it's subdivisions This law should be rnodeheo
in It's essential provisions upon the Ola Ci'h Ser
vice law which was repealed by the OrEh
! Service law now upon the stafute-oooAs Inc
inquiries have made have satisheo me tha' INC
present law works badly from every s'ahoPo'li-
/ and the hallmark given upon the so-caleo III
ness test represents not a competitive eNarha
ton at all but the individual preference Oh inc
appointing officer. or rather. OF the OUTSIDER "no
/ has requested the appointment. 1t would be
/
was the case and that the examination was
merely a pass or non-competitive examination
instead Of going through the farce OF nom many
| conna,itive examination which is not SUCH IN
| reality.
Where there is a large list Of elgtbes as lie the
case now on some registers II is pracucaily iiti-
possible for the appointing ofilcer 10 sAdiiIli,e
| whole list and II he tried IL would merely re-
suit in great loss OF time to him and loss
! Of both time and money 70 the unlorIuna.e
/ candidates For the head OF a department 20
/ Try to examine at Albany list or three nun
drsf annlicants FOR 81 600 cerkship. these ap-
/ piicants coming from all over the state Wouiu
mean IL they all came. expenditure o, dDOue
$1,000 by them and the loss OF seVetal usys go ~
/ the appointing power Practically IN me go
/ majority OF cases only the applicants from ,he
| neighborhood OF Albany come, and IN mos
/ cases the appointing officer has made UP MS
mind before he examines a man so that Ine
result IS IN effect 70 work fraud upon men
who enter the examination trusting 70 their own
! merits and not 10 favOritisrl Where competitive
/ exaninations are TO be held. they should be com
petitive in fact and not in name only Where
/ il appears after tria' or after caretuI l.Nesu
/ gatior that competitive examinations VIII no,
| Tvorl, we'll then the places should be exempted
| from examination. pass examinations substl-
| tuted the reasons for exempting them being set
forth in full ,,
do not make a retich OF written competitive
examinations for admission 70 the Civil Service
There are situations where these written COM
petitive examinations are not applicable at all
/ There are others where they can be used SIM
! DIV as makeshirts; that is. as being better tnan
a system Of appointment through pontlcaI "a
| vorltisn but as being very far from perfect
| and not as good as II the appointments were
! made by an unhampered official trying 70 get
the best man without regard 70 poltlcal con
sfderations Physical examinations ana ternnl-
| cal examinations into the capacity Of the man
| 70 do the work sought should. wherever advisa-
BILE he used 70 supplement- or even 20 supplatt'
the written examination proper. and this wit
ten examination itself should be OF as practl-
cal type possible. and directed TO the specia'
| needs Of the position sought.
| There e no need 81 discussing the advantages
Of the methods which we have grown to group
| together when speak 81 civil Service REFORM.
| They have by long experience been proved 70 "orn
| a5r1frahlv In the postal service for instance
| the examinations FOR clerks. letter-carrers and
! railway mail clerks are entirely practical anu
the srplicatior Of the reformed system 70 the
postal service has produced a very great I'M
| provement in the character OF the Work cone
| In the Navy Yards OF the Nation the oenene
resultant upon taking the appointment ana r.
| tertion OF Navy Yard employees out of the hands
If local politicians and making them consequent
mon Nfness and good conduct only has re-
up.l g. an Incredible Improvement not only
in the character OF the work done, but In saw
ing Of EXPENSE 10 the Government our prese,I.
Navy would not have been able 70 90 rs o.ry
IN the war with Spain in the way thar II actu-
all- did had the Government service IN the
Navy Yard not been put upon merit pass
/ What has succeeded in these great orenches IN
- Ta,IoraI service will surely succeed In the
state service II given a proper -trial Ley tns
! clerks stenographers and the IKE o. appolIleeD
a
tons Let the other employees be appointed al
Ter written competitive examinations Where pos
sihle and where II is not possible onen II. tre
niaces be subject other kinds of conpetltlse
aa-,i,a+fors or Of non-competitve exanina-
.iors or be excepted from examination. IN &C
! cordarcs With the actual needs OF the service
rLa ,s.sran ., the Civil War should be legally
oraranteed preference in appointment 70 ana
retention in Office; that f. he should De appolnt-
"a 70 any vacancy when ne can snow ms ntness
~ AZ n and he should not be removed without
t-iaI hv the appointing officer. az which ne can
rake his defence There Is no Intention 70 con-
done corruption or pass over inereiency IN q
veteran: but II he Is honest ana eilcl-"' III -
entitled 70 preference.
OvrRLE GrsLATrON AND BIENNIAL sEs-
srONs
invita- The attention Of the Legislature par
.,oria-rv ~ the evils Of overlegisation. The
tendency 70 pass laws which are utterly unnec-
assarv even when not perncious. or which are
enacted rurelv 70 favor certain special private
interests Scans grow instead OF diminish IL i
difrcult 70 devise an efficient check for H. out
strenuous efforts should be made 70 ma OUT ana
mt into operation some such check. the STATE
suffers very much more from overlegislation
than q does from lack Of legislation One par
.,o1 ren,esv for the evil would be 10 amend the
/ Constitution so as 20 provide FOR biennial ses-
atoms Of the Legislature The Legislature mas
already passed this proposed amendment once.
I recommend that II be passed agaln ms s go
, IN order that II may he submitted 10 the peopIe
rsx- fau also advise that an investigation
he made % the methods employed in other rep,
/ resentative bodies FOR getting RID or me EVIL.
s,-ac, vour attention 70 the custom % the Brit
/ tsh parliament which puts upon the Woud- oe
beneficiary the cost OF all private ana specla
| legislation and wisely makes II difhcuit 20 %,
- a, All and impossible 70 obtain without full
aa--e-riserent and discussion. NO specla iaN
sboud he passed where passing genera !"
will serve the purpose
SCHOOL SUFFRAGE.
coil The attention Of the Legislature n me
dsx,ra h,litv Of gradually extending the sphere
IN which the suffrage can be exercised oy
GOOD ROADS
shnrld see that The excsllent