The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-08-16
WHOLE THING A FARCE
Civil Service Examinations De-
clared to Be a Fraud.
JUST HOW THEY WORK IT
The List Sent to Republican With Re-
quest That He Select Those Who
Would Help Along the Gauss
OF RspubIicanism.

Missoula, Aug. 15-"My eyes have
been opened to the inward workings of
this civil service business was the re-
mark of a Missoua professional man
of prominence to-day. L have always
thought that this part of the machn-
cry of the government was run on the
square, but this examination for car
riers in the proposed free delivery SER
vice in Missoula has demonstrated that
it is as crooked as is everything else in
politics. Why, Just think of the little
ness of these positions. You would
think that such positions, at least,
would be kept out Of politics, wouldn't
you? Well, they're not. There has
been lot of delay in the reporting of
the results of the examination, and it
was not until the other day that any
body here knew anything about it. l
myself did not know that the results
had been announced until l saw it in
the Standard. ] had a little interest
in the matter. Not much, but enough
to cause me to hunt up the secretary
of the local examining board to see If
he could tell me anything more than
l had read in the standard. Imagine
my surprise when 1 learned that he
in the matter. but that the announce
ment had come to a local republican
office holder with the request that he
select from the list of those who had
passed the names Of those who had
good republicans and who would help
along the cause. This man who re-
ceived the list and the request was, l
believe, as much surprised as anybody
IT was revelation to him, probab bly,
as it was to me. / don't know what
he has done in the matter and 1 don't
care What | started to say about the
| matter is that this incident illustra ties,
in all probability, the manner in which
| the civil service examination operates
in all instances. 1t is supposed to take
| these offices out of politics, but | don't
| see that it changes matters much from
| the old style of operation that we were
| familiar with before we ever heard of
| civil service. If this is the case, it is
| certainly one of the biggest frauds
| that has ever been perpetrated. If
that is the way that the thing works,
then the whole thing is a farce and
ought to be abolished. What is the
use of young man working to pass
the examination and then, when he
ranks the highest in his marks, setting
| him aside because he is not of the po-
litical party of the administration? 1t
is the biggest farce that l have ever
heard of"
A Standard reporter hunted up Sec
rotary Hoblitzell of the local civil ser
vice board and asked him what he
| knew about the matter, Mr.. Hobltzel
| said that he knew nothing. He said
| that he had expected that the results
of the examination would be sent tC
him as secretary of the board, and he
had been considerably surprised wher
he learned that the names of the sue.
cessful candidates had been sent tC
somebody else. Mr.. HoblitZell sale
further that he had always supposed
that these examinations were on the
square and that the appointments were
made in accordance with the grade o
the applicants as shown by the result:
of the examinations.
1t seems that in this case. compare
lively insignificant as are the appoint
ments, the grade of the applicant will
count for nothing beyond the fact tina
he passed satisfactorily. If he is no
calculated to be of benefit to those VIII,
appoint him. why it makes no differ
enCe if he is not the smartest in thu
bunch. This will be as much of a sur
prise to the majority of people as i
was to the gentleman quoted above.