Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-05-29
The CivI service Order.

The Presidents civil service order. issued
today. mas been long anticipated The de-
lay IN its pInmu cation is to be ascr'bed TO
various causes tp the war. 70 the pressure
of impor ant executive affairs. to the pro-
tests Of thu merit system advocates and TO
the demands of the Spnils system support
crs themselves In its entirety the order
will contain dislrpoirtmau for both sides.
for during the delay there have been GER
tain shift.ngs from tie ground originally
laid out 10 the disadvantage both of the
merit and the spoiis systems.
Generally speaking. the order cannot he
construed save as a step backward. The
proper tendency in development Of the merit
- stem principle is, of course. in the line OF
Inclusion rather than Of exclusion Some
measure of confinement even for 50 sweep
ing d retrugression as this is found in the
fgct that II is the reaction from radical,
haSty advancement, for which public
opinion may not have been ripe.
The President has undoubtedly been sub
jected to the most intense pressure ever
since the commencement of his term of Of
fee To persuade him to break down the
barriers between the politicians and the Of
fees. President Cleveland. just before the
close OF his second term. had swept into the
classified service several hundred places
which had previously been exempt from the
merit system rules. In Congress and out.
his successor was assailed with petitions.
with threats. with abuse. with pleas, based
upon party salvation rather than upon
equity. That he has yielded in part. to the
demand is not to he wondered at, although
il is TO Be regretted that the surrender is
So ping.
There are reasons for local cOngratulation
in that the order affects only minimum of
places established in this city. The prin-
cipal point Of qualification is that the gov
eminent printing office is not interfered
with By the exclusion order. a great ma
jority Of the positions affected are out of
town and are such as can not in any way
disturb the local reliance upon the merit
system for the prosperity and satisfactory
development Of the capital.
There are reasons TO be adduced in behalf
Of the exclusion of some of the places men
toned in the order. Certain fiduciary Off
GERS are relieved from the operation of the
rules because of the burden of the bonds
under which they serve Some technical
and military occupations are thrown into
the outside classification. In the case of
the excluded War Department places pro-
vision is made for the establishment of
To that which prevails in the navy yards.
Thus the exclusions are not all losses 10
the essential doctrine of the merit system.
1t is claimed on behalf Of the changes
that many Of them result from disclosures
affecting the working qualities of the civil
service rules Yet it is evident that the
chief motive for the wide scope of the order
was d desire to compromise with the pOlit-
zeal influences which had been challenged
by President Cleve.aud's radical move
There is some question to the wisdom of
Mr.. Cleveland's action Ii is asserted that
it was aCtuated by a desire to protect par
tisan appointments However this may be
il is 10 BE- hoped in the public interest that
in the interactiOn Of these various executive
operations the steadfast tendency will be
toward the recognition and application of
the merit principle wherever il is practical
bic and the exclusion of the doctrine of
SpoIS-