New Britain herald., 1915-02-04

intervention or a CIVIL SerV1Ce com mission? The plausi bility of this ar gument would be greater, if it's impli- cation were true. In fact the civil ser vice commission does not make any appointments. It simply provides for holding tests, and certifies the results to the various appointing officers and commissions. It does not even con- duct most of these tests itself but where any technical attainments are demanded, has them conducted by ex- perts. To claim that the civil service commission should know more than the heads of the various departm ents, is no more true than that an employ ment bureau which gathers all of the information regarding dairymen, teamsters and mechanics, should know more about the work in these various fields than the persons who go to it to hire labor It is no exaggera- tion to say that the means employed by the civil service commission ena- ble 1t to ascertain all of the facts re- garding persons qualifications bet ter than any other commission how ever eminent it's m members, which can not command those agencies. The federal civil service commission has for three decades provided the means for selecting all classes of government employees, from letter carriers and clerks to experts in the bureau of la bor and the departm ment of agricul- ture without claiming superiority over heads of departments.
 Test Includes Personality.
 3. But what about personality, of which so much has been made? It is said that a written examination can not reveal those important personal attributes which are so essential in any occupation. Nobody claims that it can. Personality may be judged partly by the testimonials of those who know the person and who have worked with him, partly by a personal interview. It is by such perfectly simple and common sense means that the civil service commission tests per sonality, frequently associating with it the officials who are responsible for the appointment. If you will take the trouble to visit the office of the com mission on the third floor of the cap itol, and examine it's records which under the law, are open to inspection by the public at all reasonabl hours, you will have the proof of what Is stated. I notice in one of the examf- nation papers which I happen to pick out from my files that for certain persons the various qualifications are weighted as follows:
 Physical examination ........ 25 Written test 25 Knowledge of duties experience,
 character and reputation, per
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 So much for personality. It is clear that those who claim that a civil service test does not involve per sonality are ignorant of what the tests are, and think only of written examinations.
 4. But We are told that confiden- tial positions should be exempt. The law expressly provides for the possi bility of the exemption of such posi- tions in the several departments. Experience shows however, that even in such cases the civil service test may fulfill all requirements. Ex-President Taft, whose strong letter was read at the hearing on January 2Oth, and has been widely reprinted, brought his present confidential secretary with him from the war department. He had been selected under strict civil service rules, had been promoted to be the confidential secretary of the secretary of war; went with MT. Taft to the White House, and accompanied him to New Haven.
 Provision Never Tested.
 ,. Upon the subject of removals there is practically no disagreement. The critics of the law agree with the Civil Service Reform association in not wanting removals to be subject to the approval of the civil service com mission. But it is significant that this provision of the present law has never been tested. The present discussion was precipitated as is we'll known, by the attempt on the part of the new comptroller to remove illegally the superintendent and assistant superin-