Arizona republican., 1899-06-06
As an Advocate of Civil Service
 Reform.
BUT IT WAS CARRIED TOO FAR
An Explanation Of inc Presidents Recent Order Releasing Several Thousand Offices from inc Op- erafion of inc Rules There Would Otherwise Have Been Hamperina Legislation.

Washington, June 5.-Pres.dent Me
 Kinley is not surprised by the criti-
 cism which is directed against his evil service order. He expected that the amendments upon which he de-
 termined some time ago would be at tackled by many friends of civil service reform, and one reason why he delayed their promulgation was that he disliked the idea of opening up the discussion. At the same time he feels that his action was necessary and that it was in the best interests of the competitive system.
 MT Mckinley for many years has been a staunch advocate of civil ser vice reform. When he was in congress he made several effective speeches in defense of the civil service reform law, urging it's maintenance and the exten- sion of the system. in the fifty-first congress when the law was attacked in an attempt to strike out the ap- propriation for the civil service com mission, he made five minute speech that went far to save the appropria- ton. In the course of it he said:
 'My only regret is that the com mittee on appropriations did not give to the commission all the appropria- tion that was asked for the improve ment and extension of the service. If the republican party of this country is pledged to any one thing more than another, it is to the maintenance of the civil service law and it's effective execution; not only that, but to it's enlargement and it's further applica- tion to the public service" And he added: ''The republican party must taken no step backward The merit system is here to stay; and We may just as well understand and accept 1t now and give our attention to correct ing the abuses, if any exist, and i'm proving the law wherever it can ba done to the advantage of the public service
 These words were spoken on April A, 1890, and the president is just as strong a friend and advocate of the merit system today as he was than. He realizes, however, that conditions
  time The order issued by President Cleveland near the close of the last democratic administration extended the classified service over several thousand offices which were never un- der the contemplation of those who first enacted the law until 65, 900 places were included. President Mckinley has been urged by men who have been fighting the battles of civil service ra- form in congress for years to modify the rules established by the Cleveland administration. Senator Lodge, Theo- dore Roosevelt and other practical friends of the reform have been among those who favored a change. It was urged upon the president that to in clude in the classified service subject only to competitive examination large number of the officers over which President Cleveland spread the | civil service blanket, would seriously l impair the efficiency of the law He 1 felt even without this urging that | every administration ought to feel at liberty to make certain appointments | solely with regard to the carrying out of administration policies, and that ao i executive who was hampered unduly in | this respect could not be assured Of that perfect harmony in the machinery | of administration which was essential | to it's best success. There are a great l many positions in the service which ! from their nature are confidential and i in filling which the president has felt l that the heads of departments and | bureaus ought to have the largest lib- erty. There were other positions which require men of special personal qualifications that could not be prop erly tested by a competitive exami- nation
 In making his revision he has been guided by desire to meet these eases so far as he could without having it appear that he was taking a step backward
 He felt that in issuing the order he has done something which will and help to pe1petuate the merit system. Only those who saw at close range what was going on in the last congress can appreciate fully how deep-seated was the feeling among leading republicans against President CIeveIand's order, and how strong was the determination to neu- tralize it by legislation, unless it should be amended by executive de- cree. This feeling developed in many instances into a prejudice against the law itself: and some Of the most in-