The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1899-07-29
CLARIFYING CIVIL SERVICE.
The President Is Doing His Duty and
Facilitating Public
Business.


Secretary Gage, appointed to be the
head of the United States treasury de-
partment because he had been sue
cessful administrator of business af-
fairs, has felt that the interests OF
truth and fairness demanded state
ment of facts in reply to the wild and
malignant charges brought against the
recent civil service order of President
Mckinley, Secretary Gage describes
the critics as follows
'"The recent executive order making
changes in the civil service rules is being
| condemned by two classes of critics. One
| class is composed Of those who misrepre-
sent the changes which have been made,
who make interpretations having basis
only in their wish to find something in the
action of the president to condemn, and
who berate the administration for acts not
done and never contemplated. On the
other hand, there are some critics who
have failed rightly to analyze the changes
made and who do not clearly comprehend
all the practical questions Of administra-
tion, and they have honestly believed that
backward step has been taken with the
| merit system"
Secretary Gage shows that the ac-
cusations are untrue. Where the false
hood is not deliberate it arises from
lack of knowledge of what the rules
really are. AS to exemptions from the
classified list the secretary says:
These 5000 or 1900 places have not been
| opened to free, appointment by the appoint
ing officer, but they have been placed in
exactly the condition that similar places
in the navy department have been in for
several years, with the entire appreciation
OF the civil service commission and with
the cordial commentator Of the most ar
dent civil service reformers. These places
IN the war department will hereafter be
filled by registration system similar TO
| the system in the navy.
| Ihere has not been an exception made,
in my opinion. that was not demanded by
the conditions of good administration, and
they will in the long run strengthen the
merit system. Every one who has been
familiar with the workings of the classified
service understood that the inclusive order
! OF President Cleveland would be found too
sweeping. He found it so himself and al
most Immediately took out some officers.
1T should be noted that while President
| Cleveland excepted a large number of
places so that they should not be subject
! to any civil service rules, the present order
makes all Of these excepted places subject
to Sections /, 2 and of Rule II.-that is to
say, the sections regarding political activ-
ity and prohibiting the dismissal Of persons
for political reasons"
With regard to the reckless and parti-
san allegation that the rules were
changed for political effect, Secretary
| Gage has this TO saw.
"The claim that this order has been the
| letting down of the bars for political ap-
pointments is not borne out by the actual
situation. 1t is now nearly two weeks
| since the order went into force. In the
treasury department there has been only
| one appointment made under the new
rules; that was the permanent appointment
of stenoGrapher who had been temporar-
| lily appointed because the commission had
no eligible register, and the commission
| still having no eligible register and the
temporary appointee proving satisfactory,
the appointment was made permanent. II
l were politician and wished to obtain a
place for political favorite, would not,
with the knowledge of these rules which
close contact with their operations gives,
| know where to turn to find place
There has been no letting down of the
bars. The politicians who, 1t is alleged,
wanted places for incompetent people, got
little comfort from these new regulations.
The men who have to administer the pub
lie service will find in them much relief,
and the merit system will in the end be
distinctly benefited
President Mckinley in amending the
rules has been correcting injustice and
simplifying and facilitating public
business. This is one of the duties of
his position, and Secretary Gage, whose
judgment will be accepted by the peo-
pie without question, is in position to
know how efficiently the president has
discharged his duty in clarifying the
civil service situation.-Troy Times.