New-York tribune., 1901-07-08
WOMEN AND THE CIVIL SERVICE
COMMISSIONER PRocTER ON THE BENEFITS
ACCRUING TO THEM THROUGH THE
MERIT SYSTEM.

rr,,ted States Civil Service Commissioner John r.
Proctor contributes to the forthcoming issue OF
'.Leslie's Weekly article on what civil ser
vice Has Done for Women" from an advance PROOF
of which The Tribune is permitted 10 print the fol-
lowing extracts:
Three distinct benefits have accrued TO the women
of the United States by reason OF the introducton
FirstEThey may obtain employment in the gov
ernment service without political influence. as the
civil service system has made it no longer neceS-
sary 10 make importunate solicitation or to seek
political preferment to secure m IN fnS
disagreeable TO women. and the protectlon ana Op-
portunities which the new system affords 70 tne
worthiest women have been for the benefit alike Of
the and the public service x,, .,o
without fear OF dismissal by reason OF changes oc-
curing in the administration -,
Third-No restriction is placed upon women riSlnS
10 any position in the classified service which their
The term classded service refers to all that part
of the executive civil service OF tns Cnyu
included within the provisions or the ClVh service
are omen a' alike 70 men and women and any in
equality which may exist is due to the needs and
visions OF laws or rules any restrictive action Of
the commission. AT the present time the proportion
OF women to being appointed Is about one
sixth in the departments at Washington The COM
9n sha haas be bG is Obliged to Certify
persons of the sex asked for - ,..o .x.-. war.
appointed in the CLASSIFIED service in the depart
nation 2Oii females This number included l.260
printers assistants in the Bureau OF Engraving ana
Printing. a
is the lowest salary paid 10 women in the classified
service About one-third OF all employees in the
n Washington are females; they are
cmployed mostly ordinary clerical capacity, al
though many technical positions are hlled oy thenl
Three female employees receive $500 a year; about
ffty receive 81 600 a year. 100 receive Sio year;
45O receive 81 200; 800 receive SlW0, and the re-
mainder receive from $3.50 to $500 a year.
The percentage of women in departments differs
In the postoffice service the position OF postOice
clerk is the only open to both sexes Through
ont this entire branch OF the service 652 per cent
of the appointments for the last ten years have
been women Besides the foregoing. of the 5000
postmasters in the United States under the civil
naced under the Civil Service rule is the Internal
Revenue In which zee OF the appointments during
the four years ending June 80. 1900, have been
women and the custom house service, OF which
per cent OF the appointments during the last nve
wears have been women. The highest percentage
Of OF women In one year was In
lseS when l3 per cent of the total number of APP
pointmentS made were women. The next highest
was I'm 1898 when women numbered about II per
cent of the appointments.
through Cpen competition will continue the
women continue to offer superior qualifications for
doing public work. 1t sometimes happens In tech
nicai examinations that only women eHgtbles are
ernment employment. the as in other insti-
tutions women of superior education can be had
al salaries which equally qualified would be
unwilling to accept. AS the opportunities OF educa-
tion for women continue TO expand they will more
and more find opportunity for the exercise of their
talents in the technical and scientific work OF the
royernment A number of women in the depart
ments avail themselves OF the educational facilities
afforded in Washington and have won marked dis
tinction and the future expands they Will
ceve their share OF the more responsible posi-
tons as the prejudice against women in the gov
ernment service is gradually disappearing.