The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-12-16

er Offices and even to other depart
snents. The report then says:
Against this dishonest practice the
commission has addressed frequent let
GERS OF complaint to the postoince De
partment apparently without effect.
The evils Of the new reinstatement
raile are set forth at length. as are the
evils of arbitrary reductions of salary.
thereby forcing people TO resign IN
closing. the report says:
Appointments Since May.
1.-THE results of Investigations since
May % show that there have been l,lfS
appointments made in the executive de-
palvment as the result of competitive
examination 132 under temporary GER
fifcates in the absence Of eligible lists,
73S through the permanent continuance
of temporary appointments, 63f through
reinstatement. seventeen through the
transfer Of clerks appointed in local
postoffices. 500 70 excepted positions
and 3s1 to positions in unclassified Ia
Dor service. In other words, while l.
17s have been appointed through COM
petition as the civil service law con-
templates, 1850 have been appointed
ethrough other means exclusive OF those
sshe have been selected without exam
ination under the war emergency
clause, or fer services in the census Of
fee
The number of appointments under
certain heads as, for instance, the
Temporary appointments made perma-
nent is unduly abnormal. The total
figures. nevertheless. furnish a fair ba-
sis for estimating the proportionate de-
gree in which methods of the COMPETE
tive system is now followed"
Old Officers Reelected.
indianapolis. Ind, Dec. 15-At the
business session of the national civil
service league today all the old Off
GERS were reelected and resolutions.
which read in part as follows, were
adopted:
'.The league regards the order issued
by the president on the 18th day OF
May last. withdrawing several thous-
and places from the classified service,
and multiplying the rules intended to.
prevent evasion of the law as the first
unmistal1able backward step taken by
a federal administration since the civil
law was passed. The injurious effects
of this order have already been seen
in the decentralization of many parts
of the federal service; in the encour-
agement of the enemies of reform in
their efforts to cripple the merit sys-
tenn and secure further relaxation OF
the rules and in the widespread distrust
of the promises of the president and
the party in power to enforce and ex-
tend the civil service law.
I'VE also regret that the president
has not yet fulfilled the assurances
given by him to a committee of the
league OF his intention to include in
the classified service a much larger
number of places than those withdrawn
but on the contrary he has included
none whatever. We venture to nope
that such extensions may be yet be
made at no distant day.
Appeal to Congress.
I'VE ask congress to remove the leg
islatiye restriction upon the consolida-
ton of postoffices to the end that the
department may apply the merit sys-
tenn to minor offices, wherever prac-
ticable. by making them branches of
larger offices, and filing them from the
clerical force therein. The Withdrawal
of fourth class postmastershipS from
patronage would remove the most for
fnidable remaining bulwark of the spells
system
The league rejoices in the substan-
tial progress made in civil service re-
form in the state of New York by the
passing of an effective reform law, and
for his distinguished public service in
aiding TO restore the merit system,
which had been seriously impaired by
his predecessor.
The league expresses its satisfaction
at the action of Governor Wolcctt. of
Massachusetts,, in extending the clas-
sified service and resisting the insid-
nous attempt made to cripple the merit
system in that state and declares:
I'VE confidently rely on public opin-
ion to promote the ultimate extension
of the merit system to all branches of
our national, state and municipal gov
eminent -