The daily morning journal and courier., 1903-12-21

appointed chief of the bureau of corpo-
 rations in the newly organized depart
 ment of commerce, while MT. Foulke re- signed on account of i'll health. The
 president has, however, maintained the
 standard by the appointment i'll their
 places of Messrs. Henry F. Greene and 1 Afford w. Cooley. The board has, un- fortunately within a week suffered an irreDarable loss i11 the sudden death of its chairman, the Hon. John R. Proctor.
 MT. Proctor was appointed member of the civil service commission by Pres ] ident Cleveland iIl December, 1893, and for teh years had devoted himself with
 rare ability and judgment under three
 successive presidents to the promotion l os the merit. system in the United States. At the meeting of the National Civil Service Reform league in Balti- more last week he gave every evidence oe vigor and energy, and no one who
 then heard him speak could have
 thought that his activity would come to such a sudden end.
 /! GENERAL PROGRESS DURING THE YEAR.
 The past year has been in general a period of quiet growth. The federal commission has issued a new edition Of i.s rules which has the great merit of compactness and elearT1ess. The dis ! tricting of the country and the consoli- dation of local boards has been referred to in another connection. There are
 some 125,000 positions in the classified
 service os the United States subject to
 the civil service rules. Tn the Philippine
 Islands where Governor Taft has done
 so much for the civil service, the sys-
 tenn has bee nextended to school teach
 CTS. Slowly the merit system is rilak-
 ing progress in our municipalities,
 three cities of Illinois and one of Cali-
 fornia having adopted it during the past year. The efforts to introduce a
 more regular system Of appointments
 and promotions for merit in the consular
 service, though strongly advocated by
 the business men of the country, has i not yet secured the approval of con-
 gress. Every legitimate influence should l be brought to bear upon member of congress to rally to the support of Sem ator Lodge and of Mir. Adams, who are
 carrying on the fight for this reform in
 the senate and in the house respective I ly. The fourth-elass postmasters, too,
 should be entirely taken out of politics.
 The success Of applying the merit sys-
 tenn to rural free delivery, reinforced | by an undoubted enlightment of public
 opinion on this subject, makes us feel l that the accomplishment of this reform
 is only a question Of time. The exten- ! sion of the system in cities and towns
 is perhaps more difficult than it's exten- l sion in the federal service, because Of
 the great difficulty of moving state leg l islatures. Nevertheless, the success of l the New Haven system leads us to
 hope that other cities of our state will either by amendments to their charters,
 or by the voluntary action of their exec.
 utives, introduce an dextena the sys- l tenn of appointments and promotions
 for merit only.
 1 It should be remembered that in
 many cases the merit system is recog- ! nized in fact without any enactment of 1 law. Many of the employees. especially
 in positions requiring technical knowl-, ShGV SFAA&t5 SliN- LSLttEiSu successive administrations. The presi-r I dent has likewise followed the merit
 system to a considerable extent in nak ing appointments and promotions in
 the consular and diplomatic service in spite of the absence of any law on. the subject. For some time before the es- ltabfshment of the New Haven civil ser- vice board. the library board had been ] in the habit Of conducting competitive examinations Of it's own as a guide in | making minor appointments, and it is well known that tlle member of con- gress from the Second district, the
 Hon. N. D. snerry, has for many years been iii the habit of exercising his right of nominating cadets to West Point and Annapolis with the assistance of a board of examiners established volun- tarily by him. and has given the ap-
 peintment to the boy at the head of the list. We should doubly honor and en- courage those public officials who. of
 their own motion and without the con-
 pulsfon of law, apply these principles of good government, which are the es.
 se1ltial conditions of clean politics in a Idemoeracy.