The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-11-07
TALK WITH MR.. FOULKE
VIEWS OF NEW CIVIL-SERVICE
COMMISSIONER ON MERIT SYSTEM
a Good Opportunity in the War De-
partment for Comparing the Old
System with the New.
Washington Letter in New York Evening

Washington Letter in New York Evening
Post.
William Dudley Foulke the newly-ap-
pointed civi-service commissioner, has
been here for some days. getting ready for
active duty, which he has postponed under
taking till his predecessor, Major Harlow
finds it convenient to remove to st. Louis.
do you anticipate a good deal of hard
work on the commission he was asked
by your correspondent to-day.
Yes. The civil-service law directs that
the commission shall not only aid the Pres
ident in preparing suitable rules for the
conduct of the civil service. but investigate
and report upon the enforcement and eff
feet of these rules in actual practice. 1t
is certainly due to the President and to
Congress that they should have the fullest
information as to the working of the merit
system in the various branches of the serv-
ice to which it has been appied-informa-
ton which will lead to its extension to
other branches. where desirable, or to its
curtailment if it does not work well in par
ticular cases. The President and the heads
of the departments ought also TO be put
into possession of all information accessible
as to violations OF the law. to the end that
guilty parties may be punished"
What do you think generally of the
workings of the competitive system as COM
pared with the patronage SYSTEM"
PLACE FOR COMPARISON
There has been a very good opportunity
recently of comparing the two in the War
Department. Under the so-caled emer-
gency acts a large number Of clerks were
appointed by the patronage system to do
the additional work rendered necessary by
the war with Spain-much the same kind Of
work as was done by the classified force
Their places were supposed to be tempo
rary, but have been made practically per-
manent by repeated appropriation acts all
of which provide that they shall not be sub
ject to the civil-service rules There are.
therefore, in the War Department two
systems working side by side What is the
result? Out of 1,242 appointments made I'M
der the patronage system more than 80 per
cent. had TO be separated from the service:
but during the same period. of the persons
certified to the department from the COM
MISSIONS registers, not a single one was
dropped on probation / should think that
that should indicate pretty clearly whether
or not the competitive system furnished
better clerks than the patronage system.
In the railway mail service where the tests
are particularly rigid. only one-half of 1
per cent. were dropped on probation during
the year ending June 30, 1899: and i'm the
departmental service at large, of 1872 APP
pointments, only three failed on probation
Now let us contrast this with the ap-
pointment OF Indian agents, which is still
under the patronage system. During Pres
ident Clevelands first administration. i'm
sixty agencies all the agents We're changed
but two; under President Harrison there
were seventy-six appointments. and only
eight served out their terms; during the
second Cleveland administration there were
eighty-one changes, only four agents served
out their terms: and during the first term
of President Mckinley. in fifty-eight age--
cies there were seventy-nine changes and
only nine agents served out their terms
and only one being reappointed. This looks
as If the agents we get by patronage prove
on trial to be pretty poor set of men. and
this is true in many cases. There are, of
course, honorable exceptions; and in some
instances the demand of patronage has &C
tually forced good agent out to make way
for bad one. We all know that FOR many
years there have been gross scandals in
connection with this branch of the public
service; i am happy TO say that the worst
men have now been nearly all removed.
Still, the evils of the past are likely to be
evils is rernoved-that is, unless the sys-
tenn OF political patronage which dictates
appointments is itself removed"
But how can this be done?'
THE INDIAN SERVICE.
cit seems to be more difficult in the case
Of Indian agents than in many other cases,
because the qualities of good agent-tact,
so easily tested by any form of examina-
ton But they can be tested by trial, and
If system could be adopted providing that
agents should be appointed by promotion
from the higher grades of the Indian serv-
ice which are already classified, such as
superintendents of schools as we'll as by
details from the army, we should have a
much better set of agents than those who
come in purely as the result of political or
personal favor"
Can you name other branches to which
the application of the competitive system
is desirable?'
"Oh, yes, there are a number. I think it
would be very effective in our consular
service, and / am glad to see that a bill
is TO be introduced to this end. supported
by the boards of trade and the commercial
clubs of our principal cities. Business men
realize the importance OF keeping politics
out of this class of appointments, and il is
comparatively easy to test many of the
examination and probation. Although an
act of Congress might be the best way TO
introduce this reform, 1 believe it could be
done by the President alone. He could pro-
mugate rules providing for competitive
tests. and announce that he would send TO
the Senate names selected from those who
stood the highest on the lists, and l hardly
think the Senate would be unwilling 10
confirm the nomination of man who had
thus shown his qualifications, II there were
no personal objection 10 him.
RURAL DELIVERY SERVICE.
One of the first problems the commission
will have to tackle is the classification of
the rural free delivery service. This has
advanced by astonishing strides, till the
fund for it's maintenance, which started
with $4,000 five years ago. will amount in
the coming year to not less than from
S.. OO0 600 to 100000. Within the last four
months 1900 new routes have been opened,
serving an average of III persons on each.
small army Of $500 carriers will now
have TO be brought into the classified serv-
ice. and provision made for the testing
of qualifications of an indefinite number
more. II is obvious that the difficulty OF
devising an examination for such carriers
will be great, and that the ordinary meth
DDS will have TO give way 10 new ones.
liz is necessary, for the present. for
ample that the men be chosen from the
neighborhOOds where they are known.
since the people have TO trust them with
be willing to take risks with entire
strangers The President is depending
much upon Mr.. Foulke's ingenuity in
working out such a plan.
Still another matter which Is liable to
come up very soon is the question of put
ting the Census Office under the civil-serv-
Ice rules IL Congress passes a law for
permanent census, the President will insist
upon there being no provision against its
inclusion In the classified service, and will
Immediately extend the rules over IL. III.
on the other hand. an attempt is made by