The Minneapolis journal., 1901-10-03
WORTH GOING INTO
Examiner cOvell Says Civil Service
Offers Good Inducements.
CONSTANT DEMAND FOR GOOD MEN
Many Men of Great Prominence
Got Their Start in the
Service.

l.. w. Covell of Washington, examiner
for the civil service commission, who was
in the city yesterday, holds out strong In
ducements to young men to enter the SER
vice. He says the opportunities OF the
present have never been equaled. To the
person endowed with natural qualihca-
tions, who will take the examinations In
the department he wishes to enter, the
prospect for advancement is good.
Mr.. Covell has been fourteen years In
government service, four in the treasury
department and ten with the commission.
He Is enthusiastic over the prospects OF
civil service under President Roosevelt.
Mr.. Covell worked seven years under the
president in the department and he re-
CARDS Mr.. Roosevelt as one of the most
illustrious patrons of the civil service
commission.
Said Mr.. Covell: "The heads Of de-
partments are thoroughly converted to
civil service and are thoroughly tired Of
the patronage system. For this reason
there was never before in this country
such a grand opportunity to enter
service at the foot of the ladder and
work up. The departments need men OF
ability brains, health and adaptability.
With these attainments any man can work
up to the top. I began at the foot my
0OAL anu A0fO ACoCASQ l440 5aAoAy AAhAAb Ia
my position"
Mr.. Covell is apt with illustrations gath
cred in long experience at Washington
and to reinforce his statement to T g
J !, that now is the time for
young men to take civil service examina-
tions, he produced a list of we'll known
men in the government employ, every one
of whom had started in at the lowest
round OF the ladder and by hard work had
attained high positions. The list is:
Cortelyou, secretary to the president;
Howell, appraiser New York custom
house; Cridler, assistant secretary of state
Campbell, assistant secretary Of internal
revenue; Madden, third assistant post
master general; Moore, assistant commits
sioner Of patents; Chance, private secre-
tary to the secretary Of war; Ireland,
chief clerk of the patent office; Schofield,
chief clerk of the war department; Stone,
chief clerk of the second assistant post
master general. Some of these men are
democrats but were appointed because
they were the best men for the place. The
four men last mentioned were appointed
only recently and some Of them have been
in the service only a few years.
OF Mr.. Cortelyou, who Is SO we'll known
to the American public as the medium OF
communication between the press and the
chief executive, Mr.. Covell said:
While Mr.. Cortelyou was teaching
school years ago he perfected himself In
stenography and typewriting. After en-
tering the service he graduated from law
school. One day at a meeting of the cab
met one Of the secretaries where Mr..
Cortelyou was working said that he had
the best stenographer in the city of Wash
ington and moreover he had good horse
sense which some of them did not possess.
A few days later q message came from
the White House to the secretary asking
for the stenographer about which he had
been Dragging a few days before. He
went to the executive mansion and when
Mr.. Porter's place as secretary to the
president was vacant Mr.. Cortelyou was
appointed to fill 1t.
Marcus D. Wanvig, secretary of the local
board, and c. T. Davis, vice secretary
assisted Mr.. Covell in the departmental
examinations held yesterday in the federal
building. The tests covered stenography
typewriting, tagging in the meat inspec-
tion department, gauging in the internal
revenue department composition, book
binding and electrotype finishing in the
printing department and watch service.
Twenty eight applicants put In an ap-
pearance at the opening hour yesterday
Written examinations were held in one
| department, while Mr.. Coyell was die
tatihg for the shorthand class in another
AS the speed was increased in different
dictations from eighty words per minute
to 14O, one by one would drop out until
only a few finished at the maximum. Mr.
Covell left last night for Aberdeen, S. D.