Arizona republican., 1920-06-30
PETITIONS FOR CIVIL SERVICE
 BILL ARE FILED

The initiative petition for the Sol
 diers. Sailors and Marine Civil Service
 bill arrived in the office of the secre-
 tary of state yesterday with Whoop,
 bearing 9,013 names, nearly twice as
 many as were required. The salary
 increase bill for the benefit of school teachers and county and state officials
 has not yet been filed. It is under
 stood that will require about 500 more
 names.
 The civil service bill was prepared
 by l., A. Engle Post American Legion
 of Bisbee, and in most parts of the
 state it received a generous support, though it failed of it, for some not
 well explained reason, in this county.
 The petition is accompanied by a brief
 but apparently convincing argument in favor of the bill and those who are submitting it are wondering what kind
 of an argument, if any, can be brought against it.
 The proposed act. creates a state civil service commission, defines it's powers and duties, provides for the classification of all offices and places of employment in the service of the
 state with certain enumerated excep- tions, defines, establishes and regulates the classified civil service of the state, provides for the examination, appoint ment and employment of applicants for office or places of employment in the ciaSSl1leQ CIVIL SerN1ce, gives pre- ference to former soldiers and sailors in certain cases, provides for the sus- pension or removal, for cause of in-
 cumbents of such offices and places of employment, protects such incum- bents from unlawful suspension or re- moval, prescribes penalties for the vIo-
 lation of the act and repeals all laws
 in conflict.
 Section 13, the preference clause, provides: All persons who were en- listed or commissioned in the military
 or naval service of the United States, including members of the army nurse corps, between April 21, 1898, and April II. 1899. and between April 6, 1917. and November II, 1918, or who were enlisted or commissioned in the naval service of the United States in any war and who were honorably dis charged therefrom, shall be EkO<erred for appointment to civil office pro-
 vided they are found to possess the
 business capacity necessary for the proper discharge of the duties of such office, and it shall be the duty of the
 examiner or commissioner certifying the list of eligibles who have taken the examination provided for in this act, to place the name or names of such persons at the head of the list of eligibles to be certified for appoint
 ment."
 There are exempted from the certi- fled list: Officers elected by the peo- pie. judges or officers appointed ivy the judge of any court, clerks of courts, of ficers or employees of the legislature, offices, positions or places of employ ment in the military service of the state notaries public, officers appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the senate, one private sec- retary and one stenographer for each elective officer in the executive de- partment, regular or special assistant attorneys general or by the civil ser vice commissioner any board, members
 or faculties and staffs of the state edu- 1 executive mansion, the superintendent | of the state building and grounds, bank l examiners, examiners of building and
 the chief examiner of the civil service or chaplains of the state charitable penal and correctional institutions 1 clerks and watchmen in the office of 1 the governor, members of the various 1 established commissions and board II
 is further provided that in the Univer- l sity of Arizona and the normal schools | students may be employed in places
 not excepted from the classified list without examination or certificAaon- The argument calls attention to the l justice of granting the preference to
 soldiers and sailors who are otherwise qualified and it further shows that the principle of the civil service has been recognized in the foremost of the pro-
 gresSive states