The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-06-12
THE CIvIL-sERvICE BLANKET.

THE CIvIL-SERvICE BLANKET.
There are in. this country a number of
veil-meaning people who seem to be con-
WINGED hat the putting of a lot of inexpe-
rienced persons. who secured appointment
to Office upon partisan considerations. under
the cover of the rules of the civil-service
laws at once transforms them into efficient
officials and employees. They will admit that
when they were appointed they could not
have passed an examination such as is re-
CURED of those who subsequently apply for
the places, yet when covered by the rules
these Illogical persons insist that they are
qualified and should remain. When General
Harrison went into office he found that his
predecessor had put $3.50 clerks In the rail-
way mail service under the rules of the
civii-service law. A large part of these
clerks had been appointed on partisan
grounds, without trial or examination, to
take the place Of men of experience and eff
cheney. The change had demoralized the
railway postal service In large sections OF
the country. General Harrison promptly
suspended the operation of the order until
May ], after his Inauguration, during which
period 1900 of the inexperienced and inefi-
cient men were removed and men of ascer-
tanned fitness put In their places. The few
men and the few papers which seem to
claim to hold ar endless patent for civil
service reform assailed General Harrison as
the dupe of the spoilsmen, as they now as
sail President Mckinley. General Harri-
sons offending was that he had $500 inefi-
cient men. who had never passed an exam
~ination. dismissed to make place for men
who had given evidence of qualification.
General Harrison placed the employees in
navy yards and the clerks and carriers in
free delivery postoffices under the merit
system.
Ten months before the close of his term
Mr.. Cleveland put $500 employees under the
blanket of the civil service. His intentions
were good. but the classiicatfons which he
added were made up for him by a lot of
practical politicians who did not attempt
to conceal their purpose 70 protect Demo-
Gratis whose appointment they had secured.
This order as it was drawn provided that
the rules should be suspended Until such
time as the Civil-service Commission had
established eligible registers for. the great
number of classes. but after Mr.. Cleveland
had gone out Of office II was discovered that
this provision had been dropped out of his
order.
1t is unfortunate that the few men who
claim to possess all the devotion to civil
service reform are so arrogant as to assume
that any person who fails to agree with
them is a spokesman. Their only purpose
seems to be to get officials and employees
under the blanket of the civil-service rules.
Examination or qualification plays no part
in their plan. A large part of the employees
under the civil-service rules have never
been examined, yet their scheme involves no
requirement in that direction: many are
inefficient by reason of age or other mental
or bodily infirmities. yet this seems not to
require a remedy. In a rev years all
branches of the classified service will be
filled with men who will be too old 20 per-
form the duties which should be required OF
them. Even now there are scores of clerks
on the pay rolls Of the departments who
render little service. These important con-
siderations have no weight with the pro-
1eSSlOnai clvll-SerVlce refOrmerS. Their only
| purpose Is to get all officers and employees
under the blanket OF the civil service with
out examination, and their only criticism
is to misrepresent those who do not accept
their behests. The fact that those who
may take the places Of men who may be
let out of the public service by the Presi-
dents order must pass an examination
equivalent to that required by the Civil
service Commission is ignored. even denied
by some Of them, in spite of the language
of the Presidents order, which it is possible
they have not read.
Secretary Gage and former Secretary Bliss
and his successor, Secretary Hitchcock, Sec
rotary Long and Postmaster General Smith
have always been consistent advocates of
the theory known as civil-service reform.
They are hostile to what is called the spoils
system. The two first named are pre-
eminently successful business men. When
they say hat certain rules under the civil
| service law work badly. most sensible peo-
pie will accept their opinions in preference
to those inexperienced men who have a
theory which they claim to be .ufallible.
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