Evening star., 1903-07-14
THE CIVIL SERVICE ACT
BACK DOOR APPOINTMENTS AND
THE POSTAL FRAUDS.
Aim of Merit System is to Promote
Correct Principles of Ad-
ministration.

From Good Government.
The New York Sun is moved to inquire.
I'm what way infidelity in the civil service
has promoted infidelity in the post office.
and it suggests "the need now of an Off
cial exposition of the relation of the civil
service law to the postal frauds.
The .'infidelty in the civil service" of
which the Sun speaks, lay in making APP
pointments without competitive tests OF
fitness. as required by the civil service act
of 1888. This done in three ways:
First. in appointing favorites AS laborers
to do clerical other classified work, Ia
borerS not being classified under the act
More than $50 persons are thus illegally
serving in the departments at Washington
Second in appointing nonresident favor
ties at distant post offices just prior TO
their classification under the civil service
act by reason of becoming free delivery
offices. These persons, by being IN the
service at the time of classification. re-
ceived all the rights of persons appointed
upon examination. and were at once trans
ferred to lucrative positions elsewhere
Many of these appointments We're merely
paper, the person never appearing at
the office, and drawing pay without render
ing any service, the method forming
back door for evading the requirement of
connective examination. Third poStpon-
ing the classification of the rural free de-
livery service until it had been packed with
favoriteS appointed without examination.
Appointments continued to be made far in
excess of the appropriations or the
needs of the service, and so fierce
was the pressure of the oftice-seekers
that the department officials themselves
were forced to ask that their hands be tied
by classifying the service SO that future APP
pointments could only be made under the
rules. These abuses were among the first
matters to which President Roosevelt gave
attention and to which he applied prompt
and effective remedies
Appointment of Favorites.
The opportunity of appointing favorites
nominally as laborers, but really to do
classified work, inevitably led to an enor-
nous growth in the number of so-called
''laborer'' positions. The abuse is old
one and was stopped by the executive order
of July g. 1902 establishing a registration
system for laborers in the departments al
Washington under which appointments may
now only be made of those standing higheS;
in open competitive tests covering physicai
qualifications. moral character, industry
and adaptability in the performance OF
manual labor. The system is completely
successful and the President has ordered
it's extension to the federal offices in the
large cities. The "blanketing' in of favor
ties at newly classified offices for the pur-
pose of transfer was stopped before Mr..
Payne's appointment and the rules amended
fers. The rural free delivery service, which
gives promise of being perhaps the most
extensive branch OF the entire civil service
superseding in a degree the need of fourth
class post offices. was classified November
q. 1901.
The annual appropriation for this service
grew from $4,000 in 1897 to S1.1I0.H0 IN
1901 s3G95 40 in 1902 and ST.lO2, 100 in 1903
with 1900 routes in operation and 10:,o1
employees. The power of patronage WaXcA
fat and In the absence of any check upon
the appointing power was used for polltcal
and personal ends There is no distinction
in morals between the use of patronage fot
personal gain and taking money outright
from the treasury, and 50 the one immoral
ity was certain to be followed by the other
In fact the abuse of patronage was I'M
mensely more costly to the government III
it's train of ineticiency, corruption and ex-
travagance.
Tests of Ability.
In brief answer to the other inquiries
made by the Sun it may be said that the
civil service act aims to establish correct
principles in the administration of the civil
service by forbiddng political assessments,
the use of official authority and influence
in elections. and the coercion of political
action. 1t provides for free public eXa1ni-
nations by which vacancies may be filled
irrespective of political or religious opinions
and solely upon the basis of ascertained
merit. 1t does not apply to laborers or ofil-
GERS confirmed by the Senate.
There are about 115 900 positions under the
law subject to competition. or about a half
and much the more important half, of the
entire civil service. OF the half left within
the spoils system about 10000 are fourth
class postmasters. and about 2J.OnO are Ia
borers The President himself appoints
4 ,731 poStmaSterS and about 5000 other
officers, of whom about 1850 are in the army
and navy. The feudal four-year tenure-of-
office act requires the periodical change of
1850 postmasters. collectors and other
presidential officers of precisely the class in
which stability of tenure is most important
The President and cabinet officers should be
relieved of this growing burden. The pos
tai service furnished 65552 competitive po-
sitions or more than half. in point of mere
numbers. of the classified service. OF these,
2l,4lS are city carriers and 1900 rural
car