REFORM IN THE CIVIL SERVICE. 



penmanship, copying, fundamental rules of 

 arithmetic, fractions, percentage, interest, dis- 

 count, elements of book-keeping and accounts, 

 elements of the English language, letter-writ- 

 ing, the proper construction of sentences, and 

 elements of the history, geography, and gov- 

 ernment of the United States. For places re- 

 quiring a lower degree of education, a simpler 

 examination is prescribed. Provision is made 

 for examinations in technical subjects for spe- 

 cial situations, such as law-clerks, examiners 

 in the Patent and Pension Offices, type- writers, 

 topographers, mechanical draughtsmen, copy- 

 ists of drawings, proof-readers, scientific em- 

 ploye's of the Army Signal-Office, etc. Special 

 examinations for all of these classes of places 

 have already been held, with satisfactory re- 

 sults. Examinations have also been held for 

 porters and carriers in post-offices, and for in- 

 spectors, night inspectors, and assistant weigh- 

 ers in custom-houses. 



Two reports for the years ending Jan. 16, 

 1884, and Jan. 16, 1835, show that the new 

 system is in full and successful operation, and 

 has become a permanent part of our adminis- 

 trative machinery. The whole number of per- 

 sons examined to the latter date was 9,889, 

 and the whole number of appointments made 

 under the rules was 2,322. Of 109 whose pro- 

 bationary appointments in the departmental 

 service had expired, 107 had been reappoint- 

 ed. During the year ending Jan. 16, 1885, 

 2,276 persons were examined for the depart- 

 mental service, of whom 1,742 were men and 

 534 women, and 438 were appointed, of whom 

 391 were men and 47 women. For the cus- 

 toms service, 838 were examined and 119 ap- 

 pointed, all of whom were men. For the 

 postal service, 3,233 were examined, of whom 

 2,945 were men and 288 women, and 1,249 

 were appointed. The examinations extend to 

 about 14,000 places, of which, as originally 

 distributed, 5,650 were in the departmental 

 service at Washington, 2,573 in the customs 

 service, and 5,690 in the postal service. The 

 commission presents extracts from reports made 

 to it by postmasters and the heads of customs 

 offices as to the operation and effect of the 

 rules. These reports are almost unanimously 

 favorable. 



During 1884 the rules were extended to the 

 post-offices in Minneapolis, St. Paul, Jersey 

 City, and New Haven (the number of officials 

 in each having been increased to more than 

 50), and to the Department of Agriculture. 



The commission, while recognizing that some 

 rules regulating promotions ought to be pro- 

 mulgated at the earliest practicable moment, 

 has found its work so exacting that it has not 

 been able to take up the subject. 



The commission in its last report thus sum- 

 marizes the positive results: 



That the partisan and prescriptive tests, Ion? en 

 forced at the gates of the departments and great of- 

 fices, may, without loss of any kind, and with in- 

 creasing support from the people, be rejected, and 



that in their place tests of character and capacity, 

 irrespective of political or religious opinions, may be 

 substituted. 



That with the growing approval of Congress itself, 

 shown by increased appropriations for the commis- 

 sion, and with great relief and advantage in the de- 

 partments and offices declared by those who preside 

 over them, the old system of congressional influence 

 and official favor for securing appointments may be 

 arrested if not destroyed. 



That a system of open, free, public examinations, 

 under a non-partisan commission, may be successfully- 

 conducted for testing the character and capacity need- 

 ed in the public service, without extending the ex- 

 amination, except for a small number of special places, 

 beyond the subjects which are deemed so essential to 

 success in private business, and for the discharge of 

 the common duties of citizens, that they are required 

 to be taught at the public expense in the common 

 schools throughout the country. 



President Arthur, in his last annual message, 

 referring to the first annual report of the com- 

 mission, said: 



The good results therein foreshadowed have been 

 more than realized. The system has fully answered 

 the expectations of its friends in securing competent 

 and faithful public servants and in protecting the ap- 

 pointing officers of the Government from the pressure 

 of personal importunity and from the labor of exam- 

 ining the claims and pretensions of rival candidates 

 for public employment. The law has had the unquali- 

 fied support of the President and of the heads of the 

 several departments, and the members of the com- 

 mission have performed their duties with zeal and 

 fidelity. 



Two bills for the repeal of the civil-service 

 act were introduced into the House during the 

 last Congress, and referred to the Select Com- 

 mittee on Reform in the Civil Service. The 

 committee unanimously reported against the 

 bills, and heartily commended the Civil-Service 

 Commission, declaring that they were " entire- 

 ly satisfied " with its " thorough, conscientious, 

 and non-partisan work." 



In the State of New York. The act to regulate 

 and improve the civil service of the State of 

 New York, passed May 4, 1883 (see "Annual 

 Cyclopedia " for 1883, p. 566), conforms very 

 closely to the national law. It also authorizes 

 the adoption of regulations for admission to the 

 civil service of cities having a population of 

 50,000 or more. Only seven cities were sub- 

 ject to these provisions under the original act, 

 and in these the mayor was given a very lim- 

 ited authority, the exercise of which was en- 

 tirely optional. Similar authority was given 

 to various heads of departments. The corn- 

 mission called attention to the obvious imper- 

 fection and incongruity of this system in its 

 first report. Two acts were accordingly passed, 

 on May 24 and 29, 1884, making the system 

 mandatory in all the cities of the State, and 

 vesting in the mayors sole authority to estab- 

 lish regulations for every department of muni- 

 cipal government, except the educational. The 

 commission, the members of which are John 

 Jay, Augustus Schoonmaker, and Henry A. 

 Richmond, with Silas W. Burt as chief exam- 

 iner, has made two reports, Jan. 28, 1884, and 

 Jan. 26, 1885. The estimated number of per- 

 sons subject to the civil-service regulations to 



