The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-04-26
.FARNAM ON CIVIL SERVICE
ADDRESS DELIVERED BEFORE
 CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.
Needs ip New Haven and Federal Gov
 ernments-Diseusslon by Hembers- Committees ReappOinted = Harbor

ernments-Diseusxion by Members
 Committees Reappointed = Harbor
 Measures.
 Professor Henry ". Farnam, who has done such splendid work in civil service reform in New Haven. giving to it his great knowledge Of ths sub jects and his personal labors. delivered before the Chamber of Commerce last evening an address containing many valuable points. It was both interest ing and useful. calling attention to some needs of New Haven which he is peculiarly able to discuss.
 He traced the rise of the civil ser vice movement in the United States from the time when Jackson first intro dueed the spells system. The principal bill, which is still unchanged, was pass ed aster the assassination of Garfield by an office seeker. Under Taft the system reached in the Philippines the same excellene which it has in the United States. From 1s.OO0 the service has come to cover 125000 offices, but there are still others which 1t should 1 be made to cover.
 The consular service should be wor- tiny of the United States. That no men
 who are disqualified by ignorance, dis i honesty or lack of tact may hold con- sular office; the civil service move 1 lment should apply to this also. There
 are two bills to be brought up before
 congress covering this point.
 Civil service has been largely ap- piled to the Federal government, but only in few cases to that govern Iment to which is much more simple and easy to apply it, the local govern nent. There are many different ex-
 periments in city government. The new
 charters of Norwich and Hartford diff
 fer much, and each has differences from New Haven. To New Haven be- lonrs the credit of being the first city in Connecticut to follow the example of Massachusetts and other states in having local civil service boards. Even
 wicked Chicago" has this system, and
 William Kent says that under it the
 government has greatly improved. In
 New Haven the board, which has been | only five members, authorized to have ] clerk whose salary shall not exceed
 $500 a. year." There is no provision foI
 any apparatus for use in examining, of for the employment of experts, neces- sary in cases where the examination
 should be of a technical nature. It has been necessary to use questions sug-
 pestet. by experts who have volunteer
 ed. to borrow papers from other cities
 etc. In the matter of physicalsexarnif- atisn. most important in the choice oi policemen and firemen, there could
 have been no examination had Yale university not allowed the use of its
 gymnasium.
 Bi- partisanship in the board is a
 fault. Two parties are twice as bad as
 one. Tho recognition in appointments
 os the fact that members of different -,arties try to get men of their own oarties on the board gives them incen- tive to attempt this. Some day per haps appointments will be as honest as in Switzerland. where 1t is not found necessary to have any rules to govern | the appointments.
 1 The discussion was thrown open to the Chamber after the address, and ap- preciation of Professor Farnarfl's ad- dress and interest in the question was shown. Jacob P. Goodhart suggested that there should be a regular period for new examination in each of the federal and local offices covered by the civil service examination. If the pres 1 ent incumbents were worthy they would not lose their offices. Tn this manner the insolence and incidence of some now holding office might be less- ened. There are now not few who do only enough to keep from being rernov- ed.
 Professor Farnam declared that he should oppose such measure because, in government, as in business, it is poor policy to dismiss a man who does his duty. It was also suggested that there be a regular grievance con- mittee." g The name of Rollin $. Woodruff of Orange was brought up for member shir. and he was elected.
 There were letters read from Bishop
 Edwin s. Lines of New Jersey, former fly Of St. Paul's church, thanking the Chamber for his election as an honor l ary member. and from Benjamin F,
 Lief1eld. now in the United States con-
 sular service at Freiburg, Germany, with good wishes to the Chamber. l In the business meeting before the address by Henry c. Rowe spoke of the
 present needs in the harbor and river
 dredging, as they were set forth in his
 report already published. He asked fol
 instructions, and the committee was re. Iauested by the house which passed a
 motion presented by E. F. Bradley tc form new programme on which tt lact to gain funds from congress foi the still needed channel deepening. All of the old committees have served so well that they were reappointed with the exception of the appointment oi 1 Jo1,p ~ Norfh in thn r,Iaoa ,af LIorJ,ar ri