The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-09-04
SOUTH Is SHY ON
 FEDERAL PLACES Too Few Come Forward for
 Examination ALABAMA ENTITLEDT0M0RE Efforts Are Belng Made to Have More Southern Democrats Take the Civil Service Examinations
 and Become Eligible.
ALABAMA ENTITLEDTOMORE

Washington, September S.-(special)- The discovery, made through the personal investigation of Commissioner Greene Of the United States Civil Service commis- sion that democrats, as class, refrain from participating in the civil service ex- aminations in the south serves to ex- plain, In a degree, that which has pug zled the commission for a long time, namely, the difficulty in maintaining reg isters of southern eligibles sufficiently large to enable the southern states to receive their proper quota in federal ap- pointments.
 This information was obtained by Com missioner Greene while in Kentucky, North Carolina and Tennessee on official business, having been furnished by lead Ing revenue officers in those states in reply to questions by the commissioner. Commissioner Greene lost no time in mak- ing public the results of his investigation and now the Civil Service commission is doing all in it's power to reetify this con dition of affairs.
 Various Causes Assigned.
 Various causes are assigned for the reluctance of southern democrats to en- ter the lists for federal 'plums." MT. Greene obtained the impression that the main cause was the prevalence of feel ing that, despite any academic assurance to the contrary, the spells still belong to the victors, and that therefore demo- crat however good showing he might make In a competitive examination, stands but little show of appointment.
 To correct this impression if such ex- ists Mr. Greene has used the columns Of several newspapers of the north to call renewed attention to the non-partisan character of appointments made under the civil service act and to cite the fact that the only reason republicans are in so large majority in the minor feder- al offices of the south is because their democratic competitors have so stead fasty declined to take the examinations, thereby leaving the commission a list composed entirely of republicans from which to make the federal selections. without a general participation by the public of all classes and parties in the competitive examinations held for filing positions in the classified service" says Commissioner Greene, 'the intent of the law as to the non-partisan character Of appointments cannot be carried out If, however, there is that general partici- patton in the southern state which pre- vails in the northern states, the Civil Service commission will undertake to see that appointments are made in the clas- sfied service without regard to the poli- tics of elgibles.'
 Papers Carefully Guarded.
 How unfounded were any fear of par tisanship in making federal selections is apparent to any one familiar with the methods employed by the Civil Service commission. The civil service rules pos- itively prohibit embodying in any exam ination papers any statements or recom- mendations which will disclose the polt- les of the applicant, on pain of having the examination cancelled. Those papers are then forwarded to Washington and graded by a non-partisan board of ex- aminers who have no means of ascertain ing even should they so desire, the poli- tics of those whose papers they are mark ing. From these papers registers are made up for the various states, and from these registers names are certified to the several departments in the order of the grade obtained. If, when a selevtlon Is made for a southern state the successful competitor is in nearly every instance republican, 1t does not mean partisan ship on the part of any one, but that only republicans have become eligible for ap- pointment
 It is a matter of fact, suspectible of proof by reference to the eligibles on file In the offices of the Civil Service commission that the average rating ob- tained by competitors from southern states is lower than those of the north ern states. The democratic party being the dominent party of the south, of course comprises the better intelligence. as a whole, of the community. It Is therefore self-evident that If democrats as a class should enter the lists for federal appoint- ment the standard of eligibles would be raised and more democrats than repub- licans would be appointed because there are more democrats than republicans in the south who have the requisite qualif- cations. Such a change of practice would also do more than anything else towards , preventing that condition so resented by most southern communties-the appoint ment of negroes to local federal positions Tn no other section of the country would such a change as just suggested be wrought so speedily or effectualy as In the south, because, owing to the in- difference of southerners to civil service examinations, the registers in many southern states have not been and are not sufficiently large to permit of these states receiving their proper quoto of ap- pointments.
 Examinations Recently Held. } The arrears of the southern states art } partly due to the large number of calls that are made for stenographers and type writers and for filling positions requir- | ing technical qualifications. The northern states furnish a much larger proportion of egibles having technical qualifications. } With the view of bringing up the quotas l of the southern states examinations were 1 held throughout the south May and last for clerks and bookkeepers. Alto 1 gether, 900 persons were examined, of 2 | whom 163 took the bookkeeper examina- : | tion Of the 900 examined, 164 were women, l twelve of whom were examined for bookkeepers, the result of the examina- 3 tions Is encouraging as 1t adds S42 to the 3 1 eligible registers for clerks and forty | three to the registers for bookkeepers. 3 | As calls are received for filling vacan- cies from the clerk or bookkeeper register 3 in any of the departments, eligibles from the southern states will be first certified, it's being the rule to always certify the three eligibles standing highest of the sex called for from the state which, at the time. has the least share of ap- pointments.
 The first state entitled to an appoint | nent at this time is Louisiana. It will
 take twenty-nine appointments from Louisiana to bring it up into the list of northern states in the order of appor- tionment. Unless a special effort had bee made to induce applicants from Louisiana to come forward and take the examina- tlon it would have run further and fur | .f..l fx,t ttu ef,ap of O tr,.n fe