The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-06-03
CIVIL SERVICE ORDER DE!
PENDED.
secretary cage make. Vigorous Ez-
Fss i y planstien. e

Secretary Gage says OF the Prssident's
4 civil service order:
1.-THE President has not u AIDE change
in the civil service rules that was not
urged by the head OF the department con-
oerned and urged with satisfying reasons
why the change would be beneficial to
/ the transaction Of public business. / bet
] iiSye that it is true Of all departments
while cannot speak with authority Of
other departments IL is certainly true
VITA the treasury. No change was made
In the civil service regulations affecting
the treasury that we did not recommend
to the President on our own Initiative.
1.-The only large class OF places in the
treasury service which have been exempt.
ed are the. deputy collector of internal
revenue, and politics has had nothing to
do with that exemption. Il have given
that question the most careful stady and
LIDO not belieye ttiwas either fsstar or
Just to have the places of deputy .cellector
Of internal ueuinoluded In she glpssi-
fed service egox .,a,o i
"section si4s of situated States Re-
vised Etatutes provides: Each collector
shall be authorized 70 appoint BY an in,
stsument In writing. under his hand. as
many deputies as he may think proper,
to be by him compensated for thair SER
vices; to revoke any such appointment.
giving notice thereof as the commissioners
OF internal revenue may prescribe; and 20
uire and accept bonds or other securi-
ties from such deputies. bach such
4 n n ~ ckol hNrgs fIn m MT
every respect, to COLLECT taxes. levied or
assessed, within the portion of the district
| assigned to him, which 10 by law vested
in the collector himself; but each collect
or shall In every respect, be responsible
both to the United States and to individ-
collected, and for every act done
or neglected to be done by any OF his
deputies while acting as SUCH
4 deputy collectors Of internal revenue,
| therefore, are not appointed by the head
of the Treasury Department., and are not
directly nmenable TO him. They differ
/ practically from all other employees In,
/ any way connected With this departments.
The law authorizing the appoin tments bf-
| deputy collectors of internal revenue gives
the power Of appointments to the coded
tors. The deputies are respqp stbie TO the
collectors only, and not to. this general
Governments is through the HcciTsctor, u
responsibility for which the deputy must
4 give bonds to the collector, The collectors
are responsible for the action Of thess
deputies. both to the public hG and to the
/ Government, and Congress recognizing
that FACT, gave to the collectors the APP
pointing power. ] believe these reasons
leave no room for discussion as to the
propriety of excepting these places from
/ the classified service.
Another class of exceptions has been
private secretaries to certain bureau
heads. The list ID not a long one, and 1t
is not of the character or place which
should be opened to political pressure.
A mar should be free to choose his conf
DENTAL secretary, for. in no other connec
tion, does The personal equation, which
Is quite unreasonable by the OWL service.
have greater weight. The exceptions In
the Alaskan service have been made
| necessary by the great distance from
Washington and the time Z. consumed IN
making Qualifications and appointment
| under civil service regulations. The half
dozen exceptions in the mint service are
OF positions whera the employees have
extraordinary financial responsibility, and
| these exceptions were recommended by
the Civil Service Commission after care
full examination of the conditions.
| 1t should be noted that in the case of
nearly all these excepted places, with the
exception OF private secretaries, 1t is pro-
Viueo bnap the person appointed must sue
cessfully pass an examination equivalent
to the one held by the commission for
positions of like character. There is no
letting down in the requirements for as
certained fitness, and In my opinion,
there will be no deterioration II the
qualifications OF people appointed. sgr
II do not regard thechanEes din any
sense a step backward. 2 The Inclusive
order of President Eieveiand,- bringing as
1t did. every place to which appointment
was made by the secretary OF the treas rt
into the classified service, WITH the sxl
ceptIon of his private secretary and s1Hu
ographer, was ton broad. n think 1t WAs
generally conceded at the time it was
made that 1T would probably be found TOP
broad. 1t included in the classified SER
vice many places to W hich at the time no
special consideration was given, for 1t
| swept in every thing.
| The decision TO take out some of these
places has not been hasty. The trial has
extended now for three years, and the
number OF exceptions compared with the
81, 900 places that were included in Prasi :
dent Cieveland's order relatively are few :.
Ii IS a matter of great surprise and salts.
lection that experience has not shown
that the exceptions now made should be
-.