Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-04-18
SUPPORTS THE SYSTEM
THE PRESIDENT UPHoLDS CIVIL
SERVICE RULES.
Fewer Irregular Appointments undel
Him Than Under Any other
g. President.

Chairman Gillett OF the House coiiihi'
tee on civil service reform recently Wro'e
Mr.. w d. Foulke, former civil service coih-
missioner, recalling his attention TO recent
congressional and other criticisms OF ffesi-
dent Roosevelt ION the ground that ne mas
made a larger number of irregular appolh'
ments to the classified service than any oh
his predecessors and in view or the ldc'
that the period covered was while MI
Foulke was commissioner asking his oplilioh
as to the charges. In reply MI. fouthe'
under date of April 10. wrote:
President Roosevelt's Record.
"The fact is exactly the other way. There
have been fewer appointments without coh-
petitive examination under President hoose-
welt than under any other President anu
there has been no administration since inc
passage of the civil service act In which
the competitive system has advanced WIZ
greater rapidity and certainty. II mas peeiI
necessary for every President to permit
certain positions to be filled without exam
nation The number has been reduced from
time to time and the range of the competl-
tive system extended. This process has
gone on faster under President hooSeNei'
than under any other President.
..Of the sixty cases of suspensions OF the
ru1es during his administration only thirty
three are of persons who were allowed 10
enter the service without eAdiHlildboi. In
other words, out of over IO,Coo appoint
ments to the competitive service since MI.
Roosevelt became President 1t was deemed
unnecessary in these thirty-three cases 10
require competitive examination. lhese
cases form less than one-twentieth of one
ner cent of the appointments. They COM
prise for instance, a steward In the w hite
House, a coachman in the Navy Depart
ment two special agents in the bureau OF
corpora tons the superintendent of the Gov
lnSane,h
cases where on account of special reasons,
the application of the rules was considered
impracticable, unwise, unjust or unneces-
sary These cases are explained in detail
in the annual reports of the civil service
commission They We're usually made on
the recommendation of cabinet officer and
with the approval of the commission. In all
of these cases the person was excepted ana
not the position. This has been found by
experience to be much the better PLAN III,
for instance, the position of coachman had
been excepted generally and not the par
ticular man, it would be found that inc
number of coachmen would increase and
many exceptions would creep in instead OF
one. .
.nThe abatement of Representative Hay that
during the administrations OF PRESIDENTS
Cleveland and Harrison there were no sus-
nensions of the rules, and only three dur
ing the administration of Mckinley, while
in Roosevelt's administration there have
been sixty. leads to most erroneous IN
ference.
Rules Were Changed.
IJnder previous administrations excep-
lions were not usually made by means of
suspensions of the rules. but by means
of changes in the rules. thus excepting
certain classes of positions from compet-
tive examination. From time to time Pres
idents Cleveland. Harrison and Mckinley
excepted from competition hundreds OF po-
sitions which had been competitive On
one occasion alone (May 20, 1880, s.O4I such
places were excepted. But these excep-
lions were not in the main in the form