Western Carolina Democrat and French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1913-1915, 1913-09-04
THE CIVIL SERVICE FARCE.

The line of talk like that handled re
Gently by the senior editor of this pa
Ter, in a published interview relating
IL patronage matters, has called forth
che following statement from President
McIlhenny, of the Civil Service Com
mission, to the Commissioner of In
ternal Revenue:
THE examination given on August Is
in various parts of the country for the
Internal Revenue, Customs, Subtreas-
Jury and Mint and Assay Service, ord
nance, Engineer, and Quartermaster's
Department at large, and all other
field establishments of the various de-
TaTtments, except postoff1ces, was ex-
animation of. the scope, character, and
degree of difficulty which has been CIV
en- for all of these services for the past
three and one-half years, the same
kind of examination is also given for
first grade clerical positions in the de-
partments at Washington. After full
personal consultation with all the de-
.paTtments and independent establish
.ments, in January, 1910, the scope and
character of this examination was in
creased somewhat i'm difficulty with a
N+eW to providing a better grade of
e!igibles than heretofore and also with
a view to br nging about fexibility of
the entire service, permitting tranfers
from one service to another without
further examination. Since that date
nc proposition has come from any of
the departments suggesting a change
n the examination or complaining
that it is not providing suitable eligi-
bles. A new series of questions under
this form of examination has been pre-
pared from time to time as needed, and
care has been taken to see that any
series S the practical equivalent in
difficulty of any other series of this ex-
animation. This applies to the Series
used on August 16.
Up to this time this examination has
provided a sufficient number of eligi-
loB for the various parts of the ser
vice, and in most parts of the country
this result has been attained with an
examinat o N once a year; in only nine
0ut of a total of siXty-three internal
IreKenue districts has it been neces-
.SSry to hold an extra examination be-
tween annual examinations.
At all times the Commission has
been prepared to modify this examina-
zion, as in the case of any other, with
the assent of the Department, when
e1er it should not produce eligibles,
and particularly so if the Department
should take the initiative in request
ing modification. The scope and char
acter of this examination, with sample
questions, has been published during
all of the time for the past three
and one-half years, and officials in the
department have had full knowledge
OF it"
The position taken by Mr.. McIlhenny
is exactly what most all democrats
with whom we have come in contact
lately are making objections. We, too,
fail to see' the relation of a moon
shine still" to the fnny tribe which
5nhabits the seas, or the guager's rod
TO the BIRDS of peculiar characteristics
Enat soar over South American Coun-
tries. What does it matter to a raid.
ing officer, or deputy collector wheth-
-er Scratch Ankle is located in Goose
Greek township, Ark, or whether the
name of Panther Branch, New, has
feen changed to Huckleberry Creek?
Those who attended the Civil Service
examination in AshRville recently were
applicants for positions in the Inter
cal Revenue service and cared Moth
ing about qualifying themselves for
places in the Customs, S~ubtreasury,
Mint and Assay Services, Ordnance,
-Ergineer, OR other departments in
1.-THE field of operations" Men who
served acceptedly as raiding officers
and deputy collectors under President
Cleveland we're there, but many OF
-ghem went away disappointed.
The best men available for field SER
vice are unable, to answer the perplex-
9ng questions propounded by the Civil
Service Commission. Candidly, we do
not befEve half the heads of depart
IHents in Washington could make sew !
enty per cent.
We respectfully disagree with a few
Who have ventured the suggestion that
tu say any of the democrats cannot
stand it is equal to saying that they
kav not the ability republicans have"
they should remember that democrats
rave had no incentive to prepare for
these examinations for the past sixteen
years and that republicans have been
receiving protection by blanket. or !
Sers placing them under Civil Services
without an examination. Republicans
have been studying the devious meth
ODDS of the system and receiving most
al the benefits derived therefrom.
.