Civil Service Reform 179 



way in which, by fits and starts, and with more than 

 one setback, the general advance has been made. 



Of the Commission itself little need be said. 

 When I took office the only Commissioner was Mr. 

 Charles Lyman, of Connecticut, who resigned when 

 I did. Honorable Hugh S. Thompson, ex-Governor 

 of South Carolina, was made Commissioner at the 

 same time that I was, and after serving for three 

 years resigned. He was succeeded by Mr. George 

 D. Johnston, of Louisiana, who was removed by the 

 President in November, 1893, being replaced by 

 Mr. John R. Procter, the former State Geologist of 

 Kentucky, who is still serving. The Commission 

 has never varied a hand's breadth from its course 

 throughout this time ; and Messrs. Thompson, Proc- 

 ter, Lyman, and myself were always a unit in all 

 important questions of policy and principle. Our 

 aim was always to procure the extension of the clas- 

 sified service as rapidly as possible and to see that 

 the law was administered thoroughly and fairly. 

 The Commission does not have the power that it 

 should, and in many instances there have been vio- 

 lations or evasions of the law in particular bureaus 

 or departments which the Commission was not able 

 to prevent. In every case, however, we made a reso- 

 lute fight, and gave the widest publicity to the 

 wrong-doing. Often, even where we have been un- 

 able to win the actual fight in which we were en- 

 gaged, the fact of our having made it, and the 

 further fact that we were ready to repeat it on 

 provocation, has put a complete stop to the repe- 



