The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1899-06-15
A Backward Step.

The Chicago Tribune has been in
vestigating the scope and practica
effect of the exemptions made by the
President ia the operation of the civil
service law, and we regret to say that
they do not correspond with the news
paper representations which accompan-
led the PRONUNCIATION of the order. The
demand for exemptions was based
originally on the ground that persons
wh0 acted in a confidential capacity,
who handled tno funds of their chiefs or
who we're required to have technical
training of a practical kind not easily
established by examination, should
necessarily be exempted from the
operation of the general civil service
regulations. 1t was understood that
IN the main the exemptions embraced
in the Presidents order were of this
character. And if so they would have
met with the general approval even of
the most jealous advocates of the
system whose object is to make merit
the sole qualification for subordinate
public emplOyments. For the same
end would be more certainly and
effectively accomplished in the cases
dndic&ted by leaving the appointment
in che chief who is directly interested in
and responsible for the conduct of his
confidential clerk or secretary or for
the deputy handling the funds for
which he is responsible
But it turns out, if the Tribune's
analysis is correct, that large proper
eiOn of the exemptions are not of this
kind. 1t finds that, instead of 1000,
the number taken cut of the classified
service by this order is over 5000, and
that of these 5,760 are civilian en-
pIoyes of the war department; that the
great departments at Washington are
left as before, under the protection of
the civil service regulations, with the
exception of a few confidential clerks
and secretaries. The exemptions re-
late almost exclusively to persons and
places outside of Washington. Some Of
these are justified by sound business
policy. Others, however, cannot be SO
justified. This is especially true Of
those in the engineer department
particularly the employees of that de.
partment in the river and harbor
service. The appointing power is
taken out of the hands of the army
officers in charge of the work, where il
was exercised under prescribed civil
service regulations, and is now vested
IN the civilian head of the war depart
meut, who is to exercise it under
& registration tests of fitness prescribed
IN regulations to be issued by the sec
Rotary of war and approved by the
President. The army engineers used
60 have great deal of trouble with
employees foisted on them by political
influences. But for years the river and
harb0r service has been out of politics
and this new arrangement seems tc
contemplate putting it back into poll
tics and under the control of politicians
The same is true of the ordnance de-
partment. The arsenals are to be
largely filed with appointees of the
secretary of war. So of the navy
yards. Secretary Alger seems to have
got in his work with tie President in a
style and to an extent which will not
serve to commend it to the country.
This is bad enough, but it is not the
worst CT it. In the new order there are
several notifications of the civil service
rules, the practical effect of which
seems to be to open wide the door for
the appointment of incompetent per-
sons through political influence to
places in the departments at Washing
ton and elsewhere. Persons dismissed
for delinquencies may be reinstated
upon the simple certificate of the ap-
pointing officer that he has thoroughly
investigated the matter and found the
charges untrue. Transfers without
examination are permitted from one
department to another and to line O
service entirely different from that fol
which the candidate has been exam
ined. These provisions open a wide
field for the appointment of incompet
ent persons to fat berths through
political favoritism.
If the Tribune's analysis of the scope
azd effect of the presidents order il
eorrect it is clearly backward step il
che cause of civil service reform. l
appears at least to be distinct retrea
from the position heretofore maintained
by the president in his public declara
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