Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1922-02-08
Copyright, Western Newspaper Union
), %- XII. T.. ".
HIRE GOVERNMENT HELP

HIRE GOVERNMENT HELP
:, The civil service commission hires
all employees in the classified service
Of the government. The only thing to
be said abouttthe classified service, is
that it has not yet been classified.
But you shall hear what the civil serv-
Ice commission has to say about hir-
ing help, without comment from Inc.
There iss an utter lack Of definitely
planned and WE'LL organized employ
ment policy in the government serv-
ice.
There Is need for a centralized en-
ployment Office with jurisdiction in all
matters relating to employment.
The employment methods of the gov
eminent should be such as to serve
for model for private business
There is at present no, central con-
troll over the executive service short
of the President The President is a
busy man and cannot concern himself
with the details of the executive de-
partments.
The lack of efficiency in govern
ment offices has marked effect on
private business.
Definite information concerning the
number of federal civil employees in
different branches of the service and
the amount of the government pay
roll are not readily available.
An official register, or blue book,
G Ice
Of date long before it Is printed.
A provision of the civil service rules
theoretically gives the civil service
commission authority to collect and
maintain complete personnel statis-
tics. The labor and expense involved,
however, practically prohibit the COL
lection and compilation Of reliable sta
| tistical data.
In addition to the limits Of the Com
! missions authority is the absence of
authority to enforce it's findings. The
commission can make recommended
tons to the departments and offices
and urge their observance, but it can
not enforce them.
| Congress passed what Is known as
the civil service law January 16, 1883.
This act created the United States
civil service commission. The law was
intended to cure in part the evils
| traceable to the spoils system, which
grew out of the four-year-tenure-of
| Office act of 1920.
During the first 40 years after the
| organization of our government ad-
ministrative practice with regard to
the civil service seemed to conform
to the intention of the founders. The
Constitution fixed the term OF no Of
icer in the executive branch of the
government except those Of the Pres
ident and vice president 1t was the
established usage during these first
40 years to permit executive officers,
except members Of the cabinet, to hold
office for an unlimited period during
good behavior. The practice was
changed in 1920 by the four-year-ten
ure act. The spoils system, as it was
officially described as early as 1885,
was introduced and extended until it
permeated the entire civil service Of
the country.
The fundamental purpose of the civ
IL service law was to establish, in the
parts Of the service covered by it's
provisions, merit system whereby
selection for appointment should be
made upon the basis of demonstrated
relative fitness, without regard to po-
litical, religious, or other such con-
siderations. s =;
The act requires that the rules shall
provide, among other things, for open
competitive examinations for testing
the fitness Of applicants for the CLASH
fed service, the making Of appoint
ments from among those passing with
highest grades, an apporti0nment Of
appointments in the departments at
Washington among the states and ter
ritories, a period Of probation before
absolute appointment and the pro-
hibition Of the use of official authority
to coerce the political action Of any
person or body.
In 1883, the year In which the civil
service law was enacted, 1924 posi-
lions in. the civil service were made
subject to competition. The, entire
number Of positions in the federal
executive civil service on June 90,
1916, was 48O,327. At the height Of
the war expansion there were approx;
imately 100000 men and women en-.
ployed in the federal executive civil,
service, about 100000 Of who held