Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-06-09

tDlltCIoIS, Dul 10 the CASHIERS ana
deputies in the customs serice. TO the dep
uty naval officers, deputy surveyors, and to
the store keepers and Ss1:aSer5, and to the
several places excepted in the mint and as
say offices. These latter exceptions it
might be remarked. were recommended to
the Secretary Of the Treasury by a com
mittee appointed by the civil service COM
mission and the Treasury Department some
months ago to reorganize the mint reguIa-
tons The commission approved the report
OF this committee. and asked the Secre-
tary of the Treasury TO concur III request
ing the President to except the several
places that have now been executed in the
mint service and TO substitute the system
of registration in thu entire class of me-
chamcal positions.
Positions in Aiuskn
The exemption of all positions in Alaska
in the customs and internal revenue sery-
ices merely confirms a necessary practice
which has prevailed ever since those posi-
tons were placed in the classified civil
service. Appointments to the Alaskan
service have always been made as If those
places had never been included in the
classified service. With the consent of the
civil service commission it has been Gus
tomary for the Treasury Department to
nominate as for temporary work employees
in the customs and Internal revenue serv-
ices in that district For want of eligibles
these so-called temporary places have been
prevail of the civil service commission until
they have come to be fairly regarded as
permanent. 1t is to be regretted that the
extension Of civil service classiications to
Alaska failed because the commission did
not establish an eligible list and 1t is
hoped that some time conditions may I'M
dergo a favorable change. In recognition
of the impracticability of furnishing salts
factory employees for service in that far
away and rugged country, the civil service
COMM ssion has held no examinations for
these places since 1885, and 1t has not now,
nor has it had for nearly three years,
eligible register. At the present time there
are sixty-five customs employees in Alaska,
and two in the internal revenue service.
Within a few weeks the customs force will
be reduced one-haif. as the result of an
examination of that service by the special
agents.
1T should be noted that while President
Cleveland excepted 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 l. 2 and 3 of rule ., that is to
say, these sections regarding political &C
tivity and prohibiting the dismissal of per-
order placed them entirely out of the juris-
diction of amy civil service rules. This
order brings ali under that section within
the important provisions of rule 2.
Not Letting Down the Bars.
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 ap-
pointment made under the new rules; that
was the permanent appointment of a stem
ographer who had been temporarily APP
| pointed because the commission had no
eligible register, and the commission still
having no register and the temporary ap-
! pointee proving satisfactory, the appoint
ment was made permanent. Not person
| has been discharged or one appointed under
case. II were n politician and wished to
| obtain a place for a political favorite
would not. with the knowledge of these
| rules which close contact with their opera
lions gives, know where to turn to