The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-06-24
PHILIPPINE CIVIL SERVICE.
Judge Taft Says the Law Is Working
Very Satisfactorily.

In a letter written by Judge Taft, of the
Philippine commission, TO William Dudley
Foulke. dated May is. 1901. the situation
in the Philippine islands in regard to the
civil-service law is thus described:
Il believe that the civi-service law.
which was the fifth law we passed. is as
stringent as any law which has been
passed in the United States. 1t has
never been suspended for a moment. 1t
was. of course, impossible to make a civil
service law applicable the next morning
after its passage. for the reason that it
takes a considerable time to adopt the
necessary rules and to prepare for the
necessary examinations. We provided that
with the exception of soldiers every per-
who might be temporarily appointed
TO a civil position in the islands between
certificate by the civii-service board that
il had eligible lists for the needs of all
offices, should be considered temporary
appointees and should be required to pass
competitive examinations successfully be-
fore being appointed. The establishment
of provincial governments presents another
question of civil service. and we met It
by providing that after March, OF 1902, all
provincial officers, except the Governor.
should be selected under the civil-service
law by promotion and by competitive ex-
animation. The commission is a unit in
thinking that the civil-service law is all
important here. Without Ii. we should be
overwhelmed with nondescript persons
seeking employment. and political pressure
would be brought to bear to have appointed
in these islands all the persons who had
made failures In the States. We did not
the reason that school teaching is a pro-
fession, and as the selection of them
through the superintendent is made by
consulting the heads of colleges and uni
versities, il was possible for him to Sc
cure good evidence of the fitness of the
person applying, but as soon as our first
batch of teachers have been secured, UNI
der the great pressure for teachers in
these islands, shall extend the civil
service law TO the teachers as well.
desire to add that In our civil-service law
and In carrying 1t out to the letter we
have had the assistance, sincere and ac-
tive. of both the President and secretary
of war. We have not been obliged to make
a single appointment at the request of
the secretary or President They have
assisted us when we called on them for
advice. but that is all. and they have had
us understand that they were In sympathy
with our purpose In making the law eff
fect!ve. As ii is, we have not heard of
any complaint of it from any source. As
an earnest of the sincerity with which the
law was put in force, / should like to call
your attention to the fact that every man
who was appointed between the first week
of September. when the law was passed,
and the first of March, when the machin-
cry was all ready for operation. was re-
quired to pass competitive examination.
unless he had been a volunteer soldier,
and that 700 applicants took the first ex-
animation, very large proportion of
whom were temporary appointees 1t was
suggested ana urged tndt we ought not 10
require such appointees to pass a competi-
tive examination, but we were firm, and
as a result great many worthless APP
pointees abandoned the idea of taking the
examination and went home. We have
secured quite number of employees of the
Civil-service Commission to assist us in
perfecting the machinery, and Mr.. Proc
ter. of that commission. has been ex-
ceedingly kind and displayed a great deal
Of interest in helping us along.
"You ask me what the friends of civil
service reform in the States can do. and all
/ can say is that you will strengthen us,
think by having the fact generally under
stoodI that the law has never been sus-
pended since it was passed and that no
attempt has been made TO evade its pro-
visions"