Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-01-30

A
staoiiizing employment and
| hfting administration above and be-
yond the paralyZing hand of patronage
as the national civil service act.
IN the days of the spoils system so
/ STEPPED was the Federal Government
in politics that 1t was not merely a
matter or discrimination between Re
publfcans and Democrats, or vice
versa. When the civil service act was
adopted by Congress the Republican
party had been In control continu-
ousiy from March 4, 1861. Therefore,
the discrimination following national
elections was between different fac
tons of the Republican party. More
or less Generalization of personnel
followed each change of administra-
ton. particularly in the customs and
internal revenue services and to some
extent In the Post Office Department
There was a reckless disregard of eff.
| cheney, and removals were made from
the highest to the lowest when there
was change in departmental head.
Jenckes Led the Way.
Thomas Allen Jenckes of Rhode
| Island, a Representative in Congress-
may be called the John the Baptist of
| civil service reform. 1t was his
memorable report as chairman of a
joint select committee on retrench-
ment which first aroused public at
tention. Here is sample of his find
ings:
| when Draper, a Republican, was
collector of the port of New York he
removed a subordinate as often as
every third day for whole year.
| When Smyth, another Republican,
succeeded Draper as collector in 1866
he removed $50 of his 903 Republican
subordinates at the average rate of
three every four. days. When Grin
nell, another Republican, succeeded
Smyth as collector in 1859 he re-
moved $40 out of his S92 Republican
subordinates In Is months When
Murphy, another Republican, sue
lceeded Grinnel as collector in 1870 he
removed Republicans at the rate of
three every five days until 338 had
been cast out. 1t was the expectation
of such spoils which gave every can
didate the party strength which Sc
cured his confirmation.
Those who have been long in the
classified service take much for
granted and wonder how any other
system could have endured among an
intelligent people, Coming, however,
into the work as / have when the
movement has reached stupendous
almost as the Constitution itself, / am
thoroughly amazed at its growth and
can vouch for its efficacy.
| No Abuse BY President.
| Given almost unlimited power In
iexecuting and administering the civil
service act, no President has abused
it. On the contrary no President mas
considered his administration complete
| unless he has extended the scope OF
the merit system.
Cleveland during his first term
added the railway post office service
and. revised the departmental classi
fication. .totaling 11,757 places.
! Harrison classified part of thu
indian Service, the Fish Commission
the Weather Bureau, and 54S free
delivery Offices having less than 81
employees. adding 1885 positions.
Cleveland during his second term
made large additions, including the In
ternal Revenue Service. Government
Printing Office, Customs Service. Life
Saving and Lighthouse Services. Engi
neer Department of War Department
Ordnance Department. part OF the
Navy Yard Service, the remainder oil
the Indian Service. and Pension agen
cies, numbering 44.024.
Mckinley added 1921 places.
4 Roosevelt made numerous net ad
ditions, but the rural delivery service
and part of the fourth-class post
masters were the chief. Not including
the positions in the Panama Canal
34,766 places were brought under the
rules and regulations of the classified
service during his administration.
Taft classified assistant postmasters
navy yard artisans, the remainder OF
the fourth-class postmasters and
others, In all 56,S6S positions.
Il The classified service had a large
growth under Wilson. amounting on
June 80, 1917, to about 100000. Most
of this was probably natural growth
Harding placed hospital personnel
and some others. numbering $50
under the civil service act during his
term as President.
i President Coolidge has placed 1921
Il positions in the classified service, in.
GLIDING war emergency employees, viii
lage carriers at post offices, employees
of the Army Transport Service, aero.
nautical engineers and aeronautical
chemists and some navy yard en-
!! ployes.
With a good deal of consistency.
Congress has from time to time made
extensions of the classified service and
but few Congresses have taken any
thing away.
troublesome Problems.
l. While it is true that the admins
tration of the civil service law and
rules works with general satisfaction
and with comparatively little diff
Guilty, yet each day brings it's prob
| lens, -emanating from washington and
| sometimes from the remotest COM
nunity served by a classified employee.
AS between the Civil Service Commits
| sion and the departments. / would
| say that reinstatements, temporary
appointments, the requirements con-
corning residence and domicile and
lapportionment OF appointments consti-
| tute our greatest problems.
| Literally thousands of such cases,
| involving Interpretation Of rules. regu
altions, and precedents, and raising
differences of opinion, pass through
! the Office of the commission every
month In any line of activity where
| discretion is allowed, differences of
| opinion are bound to occur. Even
where the law and the rules are abso-
lutte as to a given question, we some
times have, difficulty in convincing
department or an applicant that our
| position is tenable, but that is. the
exception and not the rule.
For Good Administration.
4 1T Is natural iuT any puUlC OHlClhtl
| or any one else to prefer agreement to
/ disagreement, concord to discord and
ease rather than difficulty; but If the
Civil Service Commission does its full
duty and guards well the competitive
| system, the law must be executed in
! the interest of good administration
and not in the interest of good fellow
ship. This thought may be expressed
/ In the language of Charles v of
Spain, who combined in himself
much experience and deep wisdom,
when he said; mo nation can be al
ways the asserting nation"
VVhffa the Civil geryice Commission