Cornell University Library JK 631.A3 Annual report of the United States Civil 3 1924 005 741 826 The original of this book is in the Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924005741826 zt-jsrvJT &9VTU*a4L (TleftxrrC. fe&a&y ffi/SS^r &£C0>*aC &»?z*rz*£*4ZjCtfjt^"*-£" iW* C^/r^r /corn el l\ ^UNIVERSITY \ LIBRARY THE CIVIL SERVICE OF THE UNITED STATES. THE THEORY, METHODS, AND RESULTS OF THE REFORM INTRODUCED BY THE PRESIDENT PURSUANT TO THE ACT OF MARCH 3, 1871, STATED BY THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION REPORT TO THE PRESIDENT. 2 nq APRIL 15, 1874. EEPOET OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION THE PRESIDENT. .AJPJRIL 15, 1874. WASHINGTON: GOVERNMENT PRINTING- OFFICE. 1874. MESSAGE OF THE PKES1DENT. To the tienate and House of Representatives : Herewith I transmit the report of the Civil Service Commission au- thorized by the act of Congress of March 3, 1871, and invite your special attentionthereto. If sustained by Congress, I have no doubt the rules can, after the expe- rience gained, be so improved and enforced as to still more materially benefit the public service and relieve the Executive, members of Con- gress, and the heads of Departments from influences prejudicial to good administration. The rules, as they have heretofore been enforced, have resulted bene- ficially, as is shown by the opinions of the members of the Cabinet and their subordinates in the Departments, and in that opinion I concur ; but rules applicable to officers who are to be appointed by and with the advice and consent of the Senate are, in a great measure, impracticable, except iu so far as they may be sustained by the action of that body. This must necessarily remain so unless the direct sanction of the Senate is given to the rules. 9 • 1 advise for the present only such appropriation as may be adequate to continue the work in its present form, and would leave to the future to determine whether the direct sanction of Congress should be given to rules that may, perhaps, be devised for regulating the method of selection of appointees, or a portion of them, who need to be confirmed by the Senate. The same amount appropriated last year would be adequate for the coming year, but I think the public interest would be promoted by authority in the Executive for allowing a small compensation for special service performed beyond usual office-hours, under the act of 1871, to persons already in the service of the Government. U. S. GEANT. Executive Mansion, Washington, April 18, 1874. INDEX. Appointments, how may be apportioned 29 38 from the fifteen best qualified ] 35' 33 theory of apportioning to members of Congress 59-70 Apportionment of appointments equally among members of Congress impos- sible 67 68 93 Assessments, political „ ' '39 Bureaucracy made impossible """ 71 72 Cabinet, opinions of members of, as to rules 4l' 42 Capacity, more of, needed in the service \ 77' 76 Centralization, Federal interference in States checked 13' 39 Character and health, how verified '.'.'..'.'.'.'.'.. W. '34 Civil service commission, not to regard opinions .'. 29 _. ., nothing to do with politics or appointments 29, 35, 36 Oivil service reform, object of, the real problem 27 Classification of clerks '.'.WW.'.'. 33 Competition, exceptions from 32 39 to what and how applied '35 as applied to promotions 35 42-44 Competitive examinations, hostile to aristocracy ' 25-27 how extended to military and naval cadets 27, 69, 70 why essential ,. 78-80 as test of capacity 80-84 Congress, need of decided action by [ 90 Constitution, the, in relation to the reform and the law of 1871 19 20 23 Consuls ' '40 Districts for examination and competition 36 37 examinations conducted in '38 Doctrinaire theories 21 English experience 25-27 Evils to be remedied 9_lg how regarded by Congress 16-19 Examinations, subjects of 34 how conducted 34 41 Examiners, nothing to do with politics or appointments 29,35,36^74 how their fairness secured and reviewed 40J 41,' 97 Expense of new system 87 90 Experience of other countries 24-27 Grouping 35 Law of 1871, what it implies 19,20 Light-house service .' '51 Literary attainments, mere, not favored 35, 75-77 Marking of qualifications 35 Members of Congress besieged by office-seekers 17, 18 why appointments cannot be apportioned among 59-70 New system, results of 40-59 opinion of heads of Departments as to results of 41 42 expense of 87 90 Objections, eleven, to rules considered 70-88 Office, tenure of, not extended 39 71 Offices, distribution of 29^ 38 brought nearer the people ' 71 Opposition natural as reform becomes effectual 30 Parties, bearing of rules upon 21 22 72-74 the reform not hostile to ' 22 Party considerations 21 22 Pass examination inadequate w 78-80 Poor and humble protected by the rules 11, 16,25-27, 65,' 75-77, 80 Post-office in New York City, improvements in ' 48-50 Practical qualities, tested by competition 48, 49, 50 70 80-84 President, the, self-denial and caution required of ' '29-31 6 INDEX. Page. Probation, to test character and practical qualities 35 Promotions, new system as to 42,44 Public opinion, regard for 20,21 Recommendations for oflice 38 Reform, essential conditions of, stated 27-29 not too limited to be worth, the struggle 85-87 prospects of the , 89,90 sources of danger to 89 Remedies applied : 31-40 Remedy, the, what appropriate 23 no new theory of government 23 Report, object of 7 Resolutions as to civil-service reform 8 Responsibility, official increased 13,38,66,74 Results of the new system 40-59 opinions of heads of Departments as to 41, 42 in post-office in New York City 48-50 Rules, protect the poor and humble...' ". 11,16,25-27,65,75-77,80 how they limit favoritism 29,30,31 contents of 31-40 how far applied.... _ 32 to what officers and clerks they in theory apply 32, 33 their essential principles 38,39 opinions of members of cabinet as to effect of 41,42 eleven objections to, considered 70-88 do not favor ornamental education 75-77 Schools and academies encouraged 16,25-27, 65,75-77 Senate, relations to reform pointed out 88, 89 State rights better protected by rules 13,39 Table of ratios of Federal officers in several States 93 Washington, effects of reform in 57,58 Women, competition not applied to, in certain cases 34 REPORT To the President : The members of the Civil Service Oominissioii respectfully present this further report concerning the proceedings taken under the provisions of the act of Congress, approved March 3, 1871, for the reform of the civil service of the United States. THE OBJECT OF THIS REPORT. If there was still in the public mind no dissent from the principles and methods approved by the President, for reforming the civil service, so considerable as to deserve our attention, we should feel at liberty to confine this report to the practical details and results of the new sys- tem, including such suggestions of improvements as our experience has supplied. But in the presence of such a dissent, and because we are convinced that one of the conditions of success is, that the principles of the reform be fully vindicated in the public judgment, we think it our duty, at this time, to present, in a general way, the reasons, as we un- derstand them, requiring the methods upon which the reform is being conducted. And besides, when the theory upon which the Executive is acting is questioned, it would seem to be due, no less to the people than to the President, that the reasons why it has been adopted should be fully presented to the judgment of the people and of Congress. And perhaps a proper regard for the opinions of others also requires an answer to some objections to details, which, indicating much mis- apprehension, are likely to prejudice the reform in the popular judg- ment. As the methods now being successfully applied were adopted after great deliberation, and the public interests demand that they should continue to be, within fit limits, regularly enforced, or should be openly rejected, it would seem as if the decisive issue is fairly raised and ought now to be decided. The first and more important questions, then, are, whether the princi- ples of civil service reform, as sanctioned by the President under the act referred to, are consistent with the Constitution and the national character ; and, if they are, whether the essential methods of adminis- tration they require are best adapted to promote the welfare of the peo- ple. It is manifestly of little importance to discuss the details of their application if the principles and methods themselves are to be rejected ; and when the principles are settled, it will be comparatively easy, we think, to deal with matters of mere adaptation. 8 REPORT OP THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. When, however, principles are in controversy, all points of adminis- trative detail are almost sure to be seen in different lights, even if secret hostility to the first conditions of reform be not enabled to take the shape of captious and misleading criticism under the disguise of patriotism and impartiality. And it is proper to say, here, that we propose to consider these ques- tions mainly as they are presented under the act of Congress referred to, and not at all as some of them might arise in respect of the exercise of mere Executive authority, in the absence of any legislation in aid of that improvement of the civil service, in some form, which, on all hands, the honest and intelligent public opinion of the country so earnestly de- mands ; and that, in the discharge of our duties, we have considered ourselves as representing and speaking for no Department or officer of the Government, but as called to our places, and bound to exercise our functions fearlessly, in common reference to Congress, the Executive, and the people. In defending what we have contributed to introduce, we deem it proper to say that, on personal grounds alone, or on account of the origin of the existing system, we are conscious of no solicitude in its behalf, and should not think it right to defend it for an instant against any better system, to which, if ever presented, we hold that it should give way. It is a question of public policy and justice alone. So far from having any pet scheme of our own to protect, we have advised only what the best experience and the more intelligent sentiment seemed to us to require. And with all our increased faith in the practicability of continued im- provements under the system adopted, we should regard it as unbecom- ing iu us to attempt any solicitation in its support. W T e hardly need say that it is not this Commission, but the party in power, the disinterested members of all parties, and honest and intelligent people in every part of the Union, who have the re- sponsibility and the defense of civil service reform on their hands. Aided by the more patriotic members of all parties, the President and the Congress, elected by the dominant party, inaugurated the reform in its present shape ; and, while it was in full force, the resolutions* of that * The President's first message recommending civil service reform bears date Decem- ber 5, 1870. The law under which the Commission is appoiu ted was approved March 3, 1871. The rules, as first adopted, were transmitted to Congress by special message, Decern - 19, 1371, and went into operation as the message stated they would January 1, 1872. Congress has since regularly made appropriations for carrying them into effect, and the President has referred to them in each annual message. The Republican National Convention, June, 1872, resolved that, "Any system of the civil service under which the subordinate positions of the Government are considered rewards for mere party zeal is fatally demoralizing, and we therefore favor a reform of the system by laws which shall abolish the evils of patronage and make honesty, effi- ciency, and fidelity the essential qualifications for public positions; without practically creating a life tenure of office. The National Liberal Republican Convention, 1872, resolved that, " The civil service of the Government has become a mere instrument of partisan tyranny and personal am- bition, and an object of selfish greed. It is a scaudal and reproach upon free institu- tions, aud breeds a demoralization dangerous to the perpetuity of republican govern- THE EVILS TO BE REMEDIED. 9 party commended itself and its President to the people, and he secured a triumphant reelection, in some degree at least, on the pledge and basis of that reform. Though we regard these facts as no reasons why the methods adopted for redeeming this pledge should be continued, if not found beneficial, they do seem to be reasons why we should not be regarded as alone responsible, or as having mistaken the wishes of the people. And, though desiring to avoid, as far as possible, all criticism, it must be plain, we think, to every candid mind that duties such as those imposed upon this Commission could not be discharged without refer- ence to many unwelcome facts and the suggestion of several not every- where acceptable changes. THE EVILS TO BE REMEDIED. When we entered upon the discharge of our duties, we found no state- ment, or outline even, of the measures which Congress or the people de- ment. We therefore regard a thorough reform of the civil service as one of the most pressing necessities of the hour." The National Democratic Convention resolved in the same language. The National Labor Reform Convention, 1872, resolved, " That there should be such a reform in the civil service of the National Government as will remove it beyond all partisan influence, and place it in the charge and under the direction of intelligent and competent business men." The Illinois Republican Convention resolved, 1872, that "The republican party is the only one in the United States that while in power destroyed, or even tried to destroy, that infamous sum of all villainies, chattel slavery ; the only party that questioned the dogma that ' to the victors belong the spoils of the vanquished,' and endeavored to introduce reforms in the civil service so that honesty, capacity, and faithful at- tention to official duties might be a better recommendation to office than partisan serv- ices, and whose President has proclaimed this new rule of action to the nation." The Minnesota Republican Convention, 1872, commended " The administration of President Grant, as illustrated by his philanthropic management of Indian affairs, by his efforts to reform the civil service and purify the same." The Massachusetts Republican Convention, 1872, resolved that the administration of General Grant " sought to improve and elevate the character of the civil service. And we, moved by an earnest appreciation of the fidelity and wise patriotism of President Grant, do most cordially recommend that he be renominated and re-elected." The Missouri Republican Convention, 1872, resolved (of the administration of General Grant) that " It has inaugurated and made zealous endeavors to secure a practical and efficient civil service reform." The Republican Convention of New Hampshire, 1872, resolved " That the success of the present national administration in * * * reforming and improving the civil serv- ice has been such as to * * * jnstly entitle it to the confidence and commen- dation of every true republican." The Republican Convention of New Jersey, 1872, resolved that " We are heartily in ftivor of such a reformation in the civil service that good character and ability shall be the chief recommendations to office, and not political service rendered or to be ren- dered ; therefore we cordially indorse the appointment and labors of the Civil Service Commission and the messages of President Grant thereon." The Republican Convention of New York, 187:?, resolved " That the civil service ought to be reformed." The Republican Convention of Ohio, 1872, resolved (of the President) " * * in his efforts to reform the civil service we recognize a laudable desire to promote its effi- ciency and purity." The Republican Convention of Pennsylvania, 1872, resolved " That we heartily approve of the act of General Grant in giving a trial to the plan of civil service reform. We demand that that plan, or any other that may be substituted in its place as better, shall have a fair and unembarrassed trial." The Republican Convention of West Virginia, 1872, resolved that " We favor * * * civil service reform as proposed by the President." Without proceeding farther, these citations, perhaps, sufficiently warrant the state- ment of the report. 10 EEPOET OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. sired to be taken. The act referred to implied clearly enough that there were, in the opinion of Congress, serious evils of some kind in the methods of filling the official places and conducting the public service, for which Congress had not found a remedy; and that it was intended that some more efficient measures of relief should be devised and put in practice under that act. Such were the expressed wishes of the President. But where were we to begin ? What was to be the theory and what the method 1 Back of these questions there was, however, this other question: What were the nature, origin, and extent of these evils'? It seems plain that neither the spirit nor the fitness of the relief pro- posed can be correctly appreciated, extiept upon the basis of a common understanding, and with the aid' of clear conceptions, of these evils themselves. We therefore, in the outset, present our view of them, as follows : 1. There had been developed, mainly within a single generation, and was existing with fearful powers of expansion and reproduction an aggressive and unscrupulous spirit of mercenary partisanship, which, promoting and dominating the pursuit of politics as a trade, and seeking public office and party and caucus leadership prin- cipally for the spoils of money and patronage they could command, was degrading all party action in popular estimation and impairing alike official integrity, political honor, and private morality. This spirit developed and animated all over the country large numbers of little and great partisan combinations, faithful to no party principles, in- spired by no patriotic sentiments, conducting no useful debates, con- tributing nothing to public intelligence or public virtue, but meddle- some and insatiable, everywhere, whenever any official selection was to be made or any official authority was to be exercised. More frequently obstructing, or basely conditioning, than aiding, the large and legit- imate movements of the parties — acting as the henchmen of local aspirants and the retainers of unscrupulous men of fortune, rather than as the friends of statesmen and the advocates of principles — the active members of these organizations were becoming, especially in the larger cities, the banditti of politics and the pawnbrokers of patronage, by whom many honest and intelligent members of all the great parties were kept out of public positions and thousands of worthy voters were dis- couraged from going to the polls. The chief object of such bad men and excessive organizations has always been to force their favorites and leaders into office and their enemies out of office, and to levy exactions upon every public officer and to make gain out of every public function. They said, on the one hand, to the mass of honest, intelligent citizens, "You allow us to take care of politics and give us the charge of nominations, elections, and the collection of assessments, and we will see that you are governed without other expense or trouble;" and, to those in public places, on the other hand, "You pay our assess- ments, accept our conditions, and conform to our suggestions generally, THE EVILS TO BE REMEDIED. 11 and we will keep you in office, and supply you with candidates, and stand between you and all danger from the people, whom we can man- age." The most characteristic organization of this excessive and mercenary spirit in politics, having captured the city and the State of New York, was finally overthrown in the former, when planning a capture of the nation, by the same spirit among the people which first demanded and now demands civil service reform. The direct support and power — always greatest in large cities and dense populations — of this danger- ous conspiracy against the public safety, there and everywhere, have been mainly derived from coercion of the appointing power and from exactions levied upon those in the public service, whereby a few able, bad men, skilled in the trade of politics and highly organized for plun- der and power, have defied the mass of the people and overawed those engaged in the administration ; thus precisely realizing the perils against which Washington warned us in the farewell address, when he declared that- All combinations, under whatever plausible character * * * to counteract or control * * the constituted authority * * are of fatal tendency. * * * They serve to put in the place of the delegated will of the people * * a small but artful and enterprising minority, * * * likely in the course of time and things to become potent engines by which cunning, ambitious, and, unprincipled Mien, will be enabled to subvert the power of the people and to usurp for themselves Hie reins of government. And our views of these matters, and our belief that we regarded them in the same light in which they were regarded by Congress, were con- firmed by the language of an able writer, of experience in public life, almost at the moment the act in question was enacted, who, referring to the introduction of President Jackson's theory of " making patronage the me'ans of party control," says : From that day to this, the corrupting influence of such a use of the appointing power has been constantly widening, reaching out into new circles, until there ia no backwoods hamlet so obscure that its moral atmosphere has escaped the contagion of the degrading hunt for place. Beginning with the purpose of molding an independ- ent Congress to the Executive will, the power of patronage was found to be too seduct- ive, and no limits could be put to its use. The pettiest administrative plans were brought into the pool from which the prizes were apportioned, and when the last and least clerkship had been distributed, every depuGy constable appointed, and the me- chanics' and laborers' plans about a navy yard made subservient to party success as distinguished from the public advantage, the horse-leech cry of "give" was only more clamorous ; new places must be created that they might be given away, and dishonest gains in office had to be winked at or shared on the plea of party necessity or interest. 2. The practice of making appointments and removals ia controlling reference to personal and partisan influence and spoils, directly and powerfully tended, in every grade of life, to discourage and overawe honest and manly thought and speech, and to substitute for both the habit of considering only the probable tendencies of spasmodic opinion and of disguising real convictions lest, perchance, the popular majority might be of another opinion. Statesmanship thus lost its power, and 12 REPORT OP THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. the higher political virtues and principles were disparaged and neg- lected. Everywhere in the public offices there was a tendency to avoid every duty, the discharge of which might offend the rising man of poli- tics or the powerful rings of influence. The courage and fidelity that might, under a better system, have disclosed and removed great abuses were overawed and silenced, while every ambitious politician, equally on his own account and that of the mercenary elements of his party, used every means to crowd the Departments with his retainers. "When, for example, in 1868, Congress sought information of the abuses in the Departments, a member declared, in a speech in the House, that " nothing impressed me more with the rottenness and corruption of our present want of system than the tears of those old and faithful ser- vants, who begged that they might not be placed on record as witnesses of the faithlessness of their associates, and that it might not be known that they had been called as witnesses. Nothing but the assurance of secrecy could procure us evidence of how the people were being plun- dered." The same system that made every clerk and ministerial officer at each election feel himself a possible victim, and invited him to neglect the work of the people and to join the struggle in the interest of his salary and his influence, also placed before every trader in politics, not in office, the double temptation of avarice and ambition, by telling him that, in the coming division of spoils, his share would be measured by the suc- cess of his exertions and the number of his followers. Mr. Jefferson declared of the spoils-system, when approaching — It 'will keep in constant excitement all the hungry cormorants for office, and render them, as well as those in place, sycophants to their Senators, and engage them in eternal intrigue to put out one and put in another. Mr. Clay said of the system at the time it was established — accus- ing Mr. Van Bur en of first introducing it into a Department — It is a detestable system, drawn from the worst periods of the Roman republic, and if it were to be perpetuated — if the offices, the honest dignities of the people, were to be put up to a scramble, and to be decided by the results of every presidential election — our Government and institutions, becoming intolerable, would finally end iu a despotism as inexorable as that of Constantinople. A report of a committee of Congress, made in 1868, illustrates the servility and demoralization produced iu the Departments, by declaring that — No man deemed it safe and prudent to trust his neighbor, and the interior of the Departments presented a fearful scene of guarded, silent, secret intrigue, espionage, and tale-bearing, * and many a man received unceremonious dismission who could not for his life conjecture wherein he had offended. And do not the facts justify our opinion that the great changes for the better, since 1868, are due to the departure from the old system toward that which is now being enforced by the President ? 3. DuriDg the same period and from much the same sources, there THE EVILS TO BE REMEDIED. 13 had been developed in the nation a threatening power— the combined force of those who, being least faithful to the high principles and duties of a political party, are most devoted to its coercive machinery and its profitable opportunities — which has made great progress toward confounding and defeating the distinct and different authority and responsibility of the legislative and executive departments, so carefully separated and guarded by the Constitution. According to this school of politicians, it is not the country or the people, but the party only, to which the highest efforts of the Executive and of Congress are to be directed. This is the theory of official duty, which the doctrine, that to the victor in politics belong the spoils, both develops and requires. And to such a degree had it corrupted the public sense of party propriety and official duty, that not a few men of conceded respecta- bility in private life, appeared to'justify that greater abuse — to which, if unchecked, it will lead — the practice of actual barter and commercial dealing between the legislative and the executive department, in which the authority of each would be regarded as its capital in trade and the offices as the profits of the trade tobedivided. And the open assumption of executive functions by those having only legislative authority, and of legislative authority by the Executive would be a consequence; and thereby the feeling of responsibility and the exercise of duty on the part of both branches of the administration, the independence of either to withstand the abuses of the other, and the methods and counterpoise provided in the Constitution, would be, to a far greater extent than they have been, defeated. 4. By methods analogous, partisan manipulators had attempted to use Federal power for the purpose of interference with the inde- pendence of State politics, and had succeeded to such an extent as to alarm the people and materially threaten the freedom of State adminis- tration, especially in the more densely-populated and commercial States. Though this was a recent manifestation of the results of our vicious methods of Federal appointment, (in some measure checked by the orders of the President, to which reference will be made,) yet the possi- bility of its continuance created such alarm that even the cry of custom- house ring influence in 'New York, with little foundation in fact, has been sufficient to put the dominant party in peril ; that in Massachu- setts, a similar charge called forth a grave party protest ; that in Penn- sylvania, we believe as a first instance in our history and upon a great expression of public opinion, the people have, apparently in a spirit of reprisal and self-defense, asserted their State rights against this dreaded encroachment of central power and interference, by declaring, in their constitution, just adopted, that, no person holding any office, except- ing attorney-at-law or in the militia, under the United States shall be a member of its legislature ; that no person who, within two months, has held a Federal office, can be an election officer ; and that no member 14 REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. of Congress or other person holding any office under the United States shall hold any office of emolument iu that State. Though these results had not all been reached when the civil service rules were first framed, and by which, as we shall see, the practice of holding State offices by Federal officers is condemned, they none the less confirm the view which we early adopted, that the limits were already exceeded of what the people would submit to in the way of control and bestowal of all appointments to the civil service, by those already in office or engaged in dealing in offiees, according to a system which re- quires a continual sacrifice of personal fitness. 5. Eegarding more in detail the evils to be counteracted, these fea- tures struck us as prominent : (1.) While impairing the constitutional authority of the Executive to make appointments, and hence to take care that the laws be faithfully executed, the pervading evils referred to had also weakened the sense of responsibility on the part of the President by enabling him to excuse himself by pleading the interference of Congress as well as by giving apparent sanction to the theory that the discretion to be exercised might disregard the merits of candidates and be exercised in the interests of ambition and favoritism. (2.) Upon the Senate the effect seemed to have been not less unfortu- nate. Senators representing separate States for terms not corresponding to that of the Executive, and so classified that it can hardly happen that the several members should each stand for the one great senti- ment and policy that brings an administration into power, the consti- tutional confirmation should as a consequence be the expression of the views of the majority, having reference to personal fitness and general policy. But the theories and practices referred to seemed to have so far prevailed as in great measure to- pervert the method of senatorial confirmations from that independent scrutiny of the personal merits of the nominee and that regard for the general policy which the Constitution contemplated, into something like a power of controlling appointments in the interests of such policy as might be approved by individual Senators rather than by the majority of the Senate. (3.) To the House of Eepresentatives such an example and such a system most naturally suggest the idea that patronage and control in nominations, if they pertain to the legislative department of the Govern- ment at all, belong to the members of the House also. And, despite the provisions of the Constitution, so much embarrassing an equal exercise of such a function by the Eepresentatives, the false and perni- cious lessons taught by the practice of the spoils-system have caused office-seekers and demagogues everywhere to attempt to treat their Eepresentatives as if they were the brokers-general of patronage and the solicitors-in-chief of favors for their districts. (4.) Upon the heads of Departments and all other officers having the power of appointment, this vicious system has exerted an influence not THE EVILS TO BE REMEDIED. 15 less pernicious. To say nothing more of the demoralizing elements it introduced into all questions connected with securing these higher ap- pointments from the President and Senate, there is the greater evil that the whole administrative force of the nation — having been tempted to seek place by compromising commitments — is exposed to all the humili- ating conditions, uncertainty and discouragement which attend the ex- ercise of official functions where intrigue, availability and persistence are largely substituted for personal worth, open investigation and recog- nized justice. In the public judgment, the worthy and the competent were generally confounded with the unworthy. (5.) The effect upon the minor official and clerical force of the Gov- ernment has been injurious. These officials and employes, however worthy the greater portion of them were, suffered all the disparagement and injustice by which public opinion distinguishes persons selected through political or personal influence from those who have won the just prizes of cb aracter and intelli gence in a fair field of competition. To that discriminating and stern judgment — and to the facilities afforded for foisting upon the civil service so many broken-down knights of politics, so many servile favorites of great politicians, so many fortunate objects of official sympathy, — are due the disgraceful facts that, by inany at least, the civil service of the nation was regarded more as an asylum for imbeciles and a play-ground for favorites than as an honorable field of duty and ambition. (6.) And this summary of the evils of the spoils-system of civil service, within official circles, would be imperfect without some reference to its corrupting influence and its vast expenses in the civil service of the more commercial States. It would be easy to show that it has caused g*reat numbers of needless officials and employes to be foisted upon State and city treasuries, and has been the main cause of those alarming- spoliations of State and municipal funds which have so often shocked and alarmed the country. In some particulars, indeed, the abuses in these quarters seem to have been greater than in the civil service of the nation; for, since this report was begun, the judge at the head of an important court in a great city has stated to a member of this Commis- sion that he has been compelled to resist to the uttermost a con- certed attempt, by traders in politics in that city, to substitute their favorites for all the skilled and faithful officials of his court ; and, but a short time since, the public journals of the city of New York contained a correspondence, beginning with a demand in writing from a similar source, upon a criminal judge of high jurisdiction, that he should at once give the favorites named from each of several wards in that city, official places in his court, though none were vacant — claims precisely analogous in spirit to formal notices, that might now be served from the District of Columbia or from the caucuses in congressional districts upon the Supreme Court or the Executive of the United States, to par- cel out, among the wards of the capital or such districts all over the 16 REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. Union, the nominations which the Constitution has awarded those De- partments. 0. If from official we proceed to private life, the evils growing out of a bad method of appointment are still found. It everywhere inculcates the idea that official places are more easily and surely gained by servility in advancing some person to office or by unmanly fealty to some per- son in office, than by making those useful attainments and estab- lishing that character which give capacity to serve the nation. It causes the people too generally to believe that all those in official life, having got there by some compromise of honor or manhood, are con- federated together to exercise public authority for their own advantage. And from these causes came the unfortunate and otherwise unaccount- able facts, that, while the people reverence the principles of their Government, they distrust so many of those who administer it. The young men of the country, instead of seeing in the steady pursuits of business, and in their schools, academies, and colleges, which are sup- ported at such vast expense, the hopeful avenues to official life, are rather invited to seek such avenues through the favors of political man- agers and the interests of high officials. 7. And it has seemed to us that no more decisive proofs can exist of the evils of these vicious methods of selecting persons for appointments than the general sentiment of the people that, (despite the many worthy examples to the contrary,) success in public life is less honorable than success in private life ; that the public service as a whole has been un- worthy of the private character of the nation ; that political morality is inferior to private morality ; that it is more safe and less wicked to de- ceive and pillage the people, as a whole, than any one of them : facts which alone can account for the vast numbers of letters written to most officers having the appointing power, recommending inferior and un- worthy people as competent for the great affairs of the nation, many of whom the writers would not think of trusting in their private affairs. It is no uncommon thing for one who has written a high eulogium upon the character and acquirements of a place-hunter to write a private note, begging that his formal indorsement may not be regarded as of any weight. HOW THESE EVILS WERE REGARDED IN CONGRESS. Sylfch, in general, were our views of the evils which we supposed Con- gress desired to have, as far as possible, counteracted by the methods to be adopted by the. President under the law of 1871. But a few brief extracts from the debates preceding and attending the passage of the act may further tend to show whether we have rightly understood the situation, or have sought relief in the direction intended. (1.) A member of the House, in 1868, said in a speech in that body : What chance has the intelligent son of a mechanic, 'who has shown signs of prom- ise at the free schools, or of a farmer of Illinois or Kentucky, who has gained a knowl- HOW THESE EVILS WERE REGARDED IN CONGRESS. 17 edge of business in, the intervals of toil, to get into the public service ? None what- ever, unless he consents to learn and perform all a politician's tricks, or to seek the aid of those accomplished in such arts. He must in some degree lose or seem to disre- gard a character for integrity. * * * If patriotism ever prompted the desire for office, such a system would tend to eradicate that sentiment. It tends to weaken all the obligations of society ; * - * * it elevates private interests above the welfare of the state ; it tends to disintegrate the Social fabric. In 1869 a member of that House said, speaking of selections for ap- pointments : Under the present .syBtem the range of selection is confined to the personal and politi- cal friends of jjoliticians who push their favorites. Such views and evils seemed to suggest and require competitive ex- aminations, which would enlarge the sphere of selections and give men in humble life an opportunity to rise ; and we could not see why a party should enact such a law unless convinced of one of these two facts : either that the continuance of the strictly partisan method of selections would damage the party itself, or* that it was a patriotic duty, which the party owed to the people, to inaugurate, at whatever peril to itself, a method that should have more regard to personal worth. (2.) In the same debate it was said : It is no more a part of a Representative's duty to seek and dispose of executive offices than to solicit pardons for traitors or condemned criminals. * * If, as a mat- ter of personal or political favor, he goes to the State Department to beg a consulate or perhaps something higher, * * he is made to feel * that he surrenders his independence when he accepts the gift ; and that the person and the power which grants his request will not be slow to claim his assistance in the Capitol when it is needed. * * They had no more right to claim or exercise any portion of the executive power than of the j udicial. I can fill a volume of quotations from the fathers to show how unwarranted by authority or tradition such » claim is on the part of members of the legislature. It is one of the many corruptions that have threatened to change the character if not destroy the existence of this Government by the inter- mingling of the functions of the branches which the Constitution created as separate and declares to be distinct. The evil of some of these attempts has been so glaring that they have been cut off by penal statutes. One was the seeking of contracts by members ; another the use of influence at the Departments for any purpose for a con- sideration, and the soliciting of offices for hire of money. * * * * But the Executive should have no patronage. The word "patronage" implies a be- stowal by favor of what would not be obtained by the recipient by desert. That de- partment should seek the most capable persons to transact the business of the people. Its high offices become degraded when their chief consents that they should be the instruments of such base uses. Another member said in the same House, in 1870 : I appeal to members of the House, if it is not one of the greatest curses of the position of a member of Congress that there are continual demands made on his time and patience by persons whom it is utterly impossible for him to satisfy, who demand that he shall secure office for them. The enemies we make are disappointed office- seekers almost exclusively. Half a dozen men apply for the same place, and but one cano-etit. Though a member * * make himself illustrious by originating and secur- ing the passage of measures beneficial to his people and to the whole country, still the 2 c s 18 REPORT OP THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. crowd of disappointed office-seekers in his own district * * by their clamors and slanders injure his reputation more than all his enlightened labors can redeem. Why should we not free ourselves from this bondage ? No member disputed those views. Another member said in the same debate : I do not believe that members of Congress desire to exercise any patronage. They would be glad to be rid of it, if they could. No member disputed this assertion. In the message of December 5, 1870, the President, in tbe light of such opinions prevailing in Congress, for the first time brought the need of civil service reform officially before the country. He says : There is no duty which so much embarrasses the Executive and heads of Depart- ments as that of appointments, nor is there any such arduous and thankless labor imposed on Senators and Representatives as that of finding places for constituents. In December, 1869, it was declared in debate in the Senate that — It is an every-day occurrence that applicants for office apply to Senators and Rep- resentatives, assuring them that their recommendation only is lacking to secure them the coveted position ; and some of the Departments, I am told, have actually kept a debit and credit account with members, to show the number of appointments they are entitled to and receive. I say nothing of the personal inconvenience and humiliation to which Congressmen submit by being made solicitors for office and dancing attend- ance on the appointing power. Therefore, in advising remedies which we supposed calculated to give the relief asked, and to promote the exercise of authority as the Con- stitution contemplated, we did not suppose we were setting up any theory of political morality of our own, but that we were pursuing a course no more clearly in the line of our duty and of the interest of the people than it was within the wishes and the expectations of Congress (3.) It having been declared, without challenge, by a member of the House, in those debates, in 1870, that — Under the present custom in the Senate, it is almost impossible for a united House- delegation to get a good man confirmed, if the Senators from the State prefer a bad one ; in other words, Senators secure the rejection of those that the President has constitu- tionally nominated, not because they are not fit for the place in question, but because they do not themselves recommend them, And iu debate in the Senate in December, 1869, that — Nomiually, appointments are so made, [in the constitutional mode,] but in reality they are dictated and controlled, in a vast majority of cases, by an influence unknown to the Constitution or laws. Every Senator, and every Representative in the other House, knows that appointments in most cases are dictated by them. * * * I have known * * * an officer removed to-day because he did not support the successful candidate in a nominating convention, and restored next year because he did give such support to another who chanced to succeed, * * * * * We were not at liberty to assume that an admitted departure from the Constitution had, in the opinion of Congress, been justified by any gain to the administration, and hence, in considering that subject, there was little discretion allowed us. But we fully appreciated that it would not be in the power of the President alone to enforce any rules THEORY OF THE CONSTITUTION. 19 aiming at a return, on the part of the Senate, to the theory of the Consti- tution, and that the reform in that regard must remain a question between the Senate and the people. With such views of our duty, and in the light of such suggestions from Congress, we proceeded to consider what remedies would be legal and practicable. WHAT THE ACT IMPLIES AND AUTHORIZES. The language of the act referred to, by which the President is "authorized to^prescribe such rules and regulations for the admission of persons into the civil service of the United States as will best promote the efficiency thereof, * * and to establish regulations for the conduct of persons who may receive appointments " in such service, has been re- garded by the Commission appointed thereunder as not only expressing a condemnation, on the part of Congress, of the then existing methods of making, and of the known abuses practiced in soliciting, appoint- ments in the service, but as intended to so re-enforce the constitu- tional authority of the Executive to nominate, by delegating to him such I>ower as Congress possesses relative to the extent and manner of exercis- ing that authority, and relative to the government of those who are in service, that he might possess, for the general purpose of improving the civil service, ample authority for such purpose, aided by whatever advantages might accrue from the careful study of the whole subject by such persons as the President might select to assist him in carrying into effect the suggestions of Congress. And the congressional debates which preceded the act, not less than the act itself, seemed to us to express so profound a sense of existing peril and such decisive evidence of the intrinsic difficulty of devising any adequate remedy, as to leave no apparent reason for doubt that it was expected that the authority conferred, as well as the author- ity already possessed by the Executive, would be exercised (with due reference to the Constitution and to our republican principles) in that free and ample manner which would, in the opinion of the President, "best promote the efficiency of the public service," by furnishing relief against the evils referred to. We thought that no other view could have induced Congress to decline dealing directly with the subject. THEORY OE THE CONSTITUTION. The Constitution presents the functions of government under three great departments : the legislative, in respect of which all power is vested in Congress ; the executive, in respect of which all power is vested in the President; and the judicial, in respect of which all power is vested in the Supreme Court and such inferior courts as Congress may establish. Since it cannot be seriously claimed that the power of finally deciding who is the worthiest of many applicants for nomination is a judicial 20 REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. power within the meaning of the Constitution, it must be regarded as included under one of the other two classes of powers. It seems to be nowhere included among the powers conferred upon Congress ; still, the subjects of the extent and manner of the exercise of the appointing power, aud of the duties, relations, number, compensation, protection, and encouragement of those in the public service, to which civil service rules naturally relate, would seem to be within the scope of legislative authority. (4 Opins. A. G-., 165 ; Debates in Senate, Globe, 1869, p. 17, &c.) But however that may be, the act in question made it necessary for us to treat the whole power over the subject as for the present at least in the President. «&Yet, in considering the spirit and direction in which the discretion involved in the use of such a power should be exercised, we felt bound to regard the further fact that, by the Constitution, the only direct par- ticipation allowed to the legislative department in the matter of ap- pointments is on the part of the Senate alone, and to take notice that when an indirect co-operation to that end is conceded to Congress, its power must be exercised only by rendering more absolute the appoint- ing power of the President or by vesting portions of that power in some other officer in the executive department or in the courts of law. (Con- stitution, Article II, section 2.) And it having been held that the power to appoint includes the pow6r to remove, we could not act upon any suggestion in the nature of giving a participation in appointments to the other House of Congress or to any other officer. And Chief Jus- tice Marshall had long before declared, and the opinion of the Attorney- General, expressly taken, confirmed, this view of our discretion. (Mau- rice vs. The United States, 2 Brockenborough R., 101 ; 4 Opins. A. G., 164-166; 11 Opins. A. G., 212 ; 13 Opins. A. G., 516. As another ques- tion under the Constitution might present itself, viz : whether that dis- cretion might be limited to that small portion of many applicants who had been proved to have the larger measure of qualifications, we gave that question our early attention ; and upon it, the President called for the opinion of the Attorney-General, who decided, August 31, 1871, that both the theory of the Constitution and its recognized interpretation allowed the direct exercise of choice by the appointing power to be limited to a few of the worthier applicants; the less worthy having been first ascertained and eliminated by a just method author- ized by law and fairly exercised under its sanctions. The same legal opinion has also been given in England, where the same question arose. PUBLIC OPINION. Having inquired into the limitations imposed upon us by the act of Congress and the Constitution, we next considered the public sentiment to which we ought fairly to respond ; for if a reform is pitched too low for public opinion it will fall beneath general contempt, and if too high, it will find an atmosphere too rare to give it support. PUBLIC OPINION — PARTY CONSIDERATIONS. 21 Among those who demanded the reform some had faith in no other methods than those slow- and sure results of higher and larger teach- ing — intellectual, moral, and religious — which yield fruit only in the next generation ; and others, doctrinaires in theory and perfectionists in method, disdain all attempts which, from the first, are not as broad as the spread of our evils and as deep as their source ; while the law under which we were to act, condemning alike all such extremes, was founded on the theory that this generation could, by better methods, bring more worth, now confined to private life, into the public service. And upon that theory we decided to proceed along the middle ground of practical reform, always appealing to the higher general sentiment; sure to encounter, on the one hand, the untiring opposition of those natural enemies who want no civil service reform, and, on the other, equally sure to call down the seornful censure of those unprac- tical friends who can be satisfied with nothing less than a complete reform at a single sweep. It seemed to us from the outset that, when dealing with a generation unaccustomed to put much restraint upon the selfish use of party-power, in the presence of the natural enemies of such a reform highly organized and boldly led, while its friends were scattered and without organiza- tion or recognized leaders, and in view of the fact that any methods proposed must suffer under the disadvantage of being applied by those unaccustomed if not hostile to them, we must make a limited and im- perfect application of the effective methods of reform ; and should have to pass through a period most unsatisfactory and trying, during which real progress would be more in the sphere of better political education, than in that of better practical results, which come later. In view of the results, to which we shall hereafter refer, we are satisfied that the theory we adopted was the correct one. PARTY CONSIDERATIONS. Of that public opinion which we felt most bound to regard, the larger portion was expressed through the great party in power ; and it was a question of no small difficulty what consideration the rules and regula- tions, or the theory of reform we might adopt, should have for those belonging to that party. The reform of the civil service is a subject higher than party, and, in theory, that reform aims at making the interests of the nation paramount to all mere party considerations, by bringing into public places those most worthy to serve and repre- sent the whole people, irrespective of party opinions. But in politics, as in morals and religion, the ideal standard is far above any practicable reality. We must accept human nature as we find it, and the question for real statesmanship was, to what standard of liberality and qualifica tions are the justice and intelligence of this generation equal. While we felt bound and determined to discharge our functions so as to deserve the support of the higher sentiment of the opposing party, we could not 22 REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. forget that it was the party in power which had inaugurated the reform, and which must be mainly relied upon for its support. In its resolutions that party had pledged itself before the people to reform the civil ser- vice. It would be no less suicidal to undermine the power of the party which alone could redeem that pledge, than it would, on the other hand, be shortsighted and unstatesmanlike to advise provisions so exclusively in its interests that another party, coming into power, would be sure to overturn the reform because founded substantially on injustice and selfishness. We were further convinced that all attempts, in this age of the world, at least, to base any such vast and complicated portion of government, as the entire civil service selections and promotions of a great and free nation, upon any theory that parties are essentially an evil which ought to be, or .can be, suppressed, involve a false, Utopian conception, leading only to defeat and disgrace. But we were also convinced that the power, the selfish activity, and the multiform interference of parties in executive administration have been excessive, are condemned by the peo- ple, and ought to be limited. But while intending to moderate such ex- cesses, while aiming to restrain the mercenary intrigue, the personal self- ishness, and the general tyranny of those who unworthily use the name of party, we thought, no restraint should be imposed upon that whole- some expression of public opinion through parties, or upon that hon- orable, self-sacrificing service and leadership of par ties, by which alone the politicalmachinery of the country can be operated. And if any party will lose more than another by any such restraint of its baser elements, we are persuaded that it will be that party, whichever it may at any time be, in which those elements most prevail, and that a party having the greater proportion of such elements is as little likely long to sustain any kind of civil service reform as it is likely to be long tolerated in power by the people. If there are any theorists so stern as to claim that there shall be no officers selected to represent the opinions and policy of a party coming into power, or if there are any partisans so unreasonable as to demand that, upon such accession to power, every officer, from the heads of Depart- ments down to book-keepers, money-counters, and letter-carriers, shall be driven from their places, we must regard the views of both as equally impracticable. The line must then be drawn somewhere, below which party policy and opinions are not most important, but above which certain views of policy and politics may be essential. As stated in a former report — It has been our aim to recognize the right which requires that a victorious party should be able to name'the officers so far down the official scale as their principles may justly be involved in fair and honest administration, at the same time that we have resisted that pernicious theory which insists that every clerk in a public office, no mat- ter how subordinate or how useful, shall mingle as a partisan in every contest, and go out, as a matter of course, with a retiring head of Department. WHAT EEMEDY APPEOPEIATE. 23 WHAT REMEDY APPEOPEIATE. We, at no time, supposed that any merely improved method of administration could remove evils in part inseparable from the frailties of human nature ; or expected more, during a considerable period, than to limit and counteract the greater of those abuses which long practice had es- tablished. The theory of a panacea, or of a political regeneration sud- denly to be wrought, at no time entered into our reflections. From the beginning, wehave considered that relief must be slowand difficult, that the spirit of reform must persistently confront its enemies at Washing- ton, in the States, in the great cities, wherever selfish officers enjoyed patronage and selfish men demanded favors from the Government. It has seemed to us that the problem we had to solve was not that of introducing any new theory into the Constitution, or any new function among the duties of those who were to administer it, but merely to supply increased facilities for performing the same duties, now that the civil service and the business of the nation have become vast and com- plex, which were easily performed by those who, in earlier days, exercised the appointing power. Pew persons will deny that it was always the theory of the Constitution and the duty of those exercising that power to secure, by the best practicable means, evidence of the personal qual- ifications of applicants for office. The existence of any other theory in the public mind, and especially of the theory that the offices of the nation may be used to keep those who hold office and their favorites in power, only marks the extent to which thepublic judgment has been per- verted. When we go back to the days in which the members of the civil service of the nation were less numerous than the portion of that service now in the city of New York, and the public money collected and paid out by the nation in a whole year, hardly equaled that now collected and paid in that city in a single month, there was still one President, and one head of each Department and Bureau. Those having the power of appointment performed the duty of a careful and conscientious scrutiny of all applicants for office. Only those of merit were nominated or confirmed, and no removals were made in the clerical force on account of mere opinions. During eight years, Washington removed but nine persons, (except for cause ;) John Adams, during his term, removed but nine, and not one on account of opinions ; Jefferson removed but thirty-nine ; Madison only five ; Monroe only nine ; J. Q. Adams only two. These were officers confirmed by the Senate. Of what might be called the clerical force, not one was removed save for cause, until Andrew Jackson was elected, when the era of political pro- scription began, from which we are now recovering. For partisan reasons, that President removed nearly 2,000 persons in a single year. This was the inauguration of the spoils-system. Perhaps no people were ever served by worthier officers and clerks than those who served the people of this country for nearly forty years 24 REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. after the adoption of the Constitution. Defalcations were but rarely known, and public opinion would not tolerate official delinquents in the country. Now, when the 1,600 names that then filled the civil lists of the na- tion are swelled perhaps to 60,000, when the $10,000,000 of revenue are increased to over $300,000,000, and the 5,000,000 of people are multi- plied to 40,000,000, when an extended franchise, vastly-accumulated wealth, and more mercenary elements in politics, have, in a far greater degree, increased the difficulties in the way of the best selections for office, and still there is but one President and one head of each Department and Bureau — it has seemed to us to be no innovation, but to be moving in the light of the Constitution, when we give some additional aid to those who have the duty of appointing officers enor- mously increased in numbers beyond their powers of personal investiga- tion. If our theory of government allows no such aid to the appointing power, then the only alternatives would seem to be to divide up the national domain into small independent states* or to resign ourselves to the gloomy certainty of the Government becoming more and more cor- rupt and inefficient as the jurisdiction expands and the nation grows more rich and populous. THE EXPERIENCE OF OTHER COUNTRIES. As we did not regard the evils referred to as original in our repub- lican system, or as inseparable from it when administered according to the theory of our Constitution, we saw no reason why we should not inquire how older nations had found a remedy for corresponding abuses. And since we were not satisfied, and did not care to act upon a theory, that no similar evils were possible under a monarchy or an aristocracy, we did not close our eyes to their experience. With no intention of commending either the religion or the imperialism of China, we could not see why the fact that the most enlightened and enduring government of the Eastern world had required an examination as to the merits of candidates for of- fice, should any more deprive the American people of that advantage, if it might be an advantage, than tbe facts that Confucius had taught political morality, and the people of China had read books, used the com. pass, gunpowder, and the multiplication-table, during centuries when this continent was a wilderness, should deprive our people of those conveni- ences. Besides considering tbe administrative methods of several con- tinental nations, we looked especially into the political history of England, which had profited by those methods, to see what we might learn from the experience of a country from which our fathers had brought the trial by jury, the habeas corpus, the common law, and the language we speak. We found that, just in proportion as royal prerogative and aristo- cratic and ecclesiastical dictation had yielded to republican influences and so lost power — a power which not long since was in that country as irresistible and selfish in controlling all appointments as partisan and THE EXPERIENCE OF OTHER COUNTRIES 25 mercenary confederations have ever been here under the spoils-system — the demand for civil service reform had arisen from the honesty and in- telligence of the common life all over England,and had asserted the right of open opportunities and equal conditions of entrance into most places of public honor and trust. It was a republican, a democratic protest against the privileges of royalty, aristocracy, and the state church. Though the King, the nobility, and the established church were not directly challenged, we think it may be fairly doubted whether any single public measure in England has ever inaugurated a move- ment more republican, more democratic, in tendency, more threatening to any of those institutions, than civil service reform. The system of competitive examinations in England, for example, says to every clerk of a bishop, to every child of a nobleman, to every favorite of a prince : " The road you must travel, the examination you must pass, before you can reach a place in the service of the nation, are the same upon which the son of a sailor, the orphan from the asylum, or the daughter of a washerwoman, may go and compete and there win the prize of merit, and sit down before you to the enjoyment of that official honor which the unprivileged, untitled people of England have demanded and secured for the worthier of their children." We found that the sons of noblemen and the champions of the estab- lished church in England were among those who denounce civil service reform in much the same phrases in which it is denounced here — that is, because, as they say, it defeats those who ought to get office, and puts the party in peril. Nor were we deterred because that reform began feebly and in a very limited way in England in 1855, and, having been nearly defeated by a combined attack of its enemies, did not until 1870, become fully estab- lished. The proof is decisive and overwhelming that, while securing persons for the civil service greatly superior to those before obtained, in that country, it has had the indirect effect, there, of removing many of the incidental evils, similar to those to which we have referred here as growing out of our spoils-system. It has also given an impetus so powerful to the cause of general education throughout the United King- dom that, within the last three years, a system of general public instruc- tion has been, for the first time, inaugurated, with provisions for securing a compulsory attendance upon the schools, more efficient than we have put in force. The Hand-Book to Government Situations for 1871, after referring to the order of June 4, 1870, giving greater scope to competitive examina- tions, says that it, in its direct effect, " abolishes a mass of petty cor- ruption begun in electioneering and continued during a member's par- liamentary existence, * * * and has partly cleared political life of place-hunting;" and that it has also had an indi- rect effect not less salutary, " as it tends to influence the public mind, and sets an example to boards, trustees, and individuals who hare 26 REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. places to give away ;" and, " again, as a stimulus to education, as it affects the quality of our administration, it is of national concern." These judgments have been confirmed by the observations of a member of this Commission. In such results of applying a method of examination, as some test of fitness to serve the people, we could see nothing which a monarchy ought alone to desire, or which a republic would have occasion to fear, but rather a spirit and an influence in harmony with our system of gen- eral instruction, and with our theory of equal rights and opportunities to all, which the aristocracy of England still oppose. The attack and the support of the competitive examinations, for example, equally illustrate these views. It has been a struggle by the lower and middle classes for equal rights and opportunities as j against the higher and privileged classes; and when the latter could l not longer arrest examinations and competitions at the gates of the civil service, they adopted the plan of making the tests so high as to favor mere literary accomplishments, of which they hoped to secure a monopoly. While such writers as Arthur Helps, the secretary of the Queen's privy council, (that most characteristic and anti-republican institution of all that survives of the feudalism of early times,) and such members of Parliament as Mr. Neate, the representative of state- church doctrines and aristocratic philosophy for the university of Oxford, condemn such examinations "as bringing a lower class of society into tbe civil service," and, strangely enough, are quoted,* here, by speakers, claiming to represent the spirit of our institu- tions ; such writers and members, as Professor Fawcett, who has la- bored so much in the interest of the English poor, and Mr. Trevelyan, John Stuart Mill, and nearly.all of the liberal writers and administrators of England, supported such examinations as founded in justice and policy alike. Mr. Gladstone, Mr. Foster, and John Bright are leaders of the great liberal party of England which sustains these examinations, because, after long trial, they have been found to be the most efficient means of securing for the people honest and faithful ser- vants. So completely, indeed, have justice and equality triumphed over * The standard source of quotation of English authority in condemnation of competi- tive or any examinations, made here in the alleged interest of republicanism by the enemies of civil service reform, is "Thoughts on Government," by Arthur Helps, London, 1872, chap. vii. If those who rely on this authority will look a little more into the volume, they will not find it so available. The dedication is to the great conserva- tive, Lord Derby, because, as it says, " I believe you will thoroughly sympathize with my views." At page 6 the author says, "I rather partake of the opinion of George III (not altogether an unprejudiced observer) that the British constitution is the best that has yet been devised by man." At page 82 we are told, " The conferring of honors is a most important function of government ;" and at page 84 we are informed that the wisdom of a maxim of Napoleon, that " Religion and honors were the two things by which mankind may be governed," is so clear that it " will not be disputed by those who have had converse with their fellow-men." And surely it will never do to select the person, upon whom to confer the honor of a peerage or of a garter, or of being a state bishop, or a Right Honorable member of Her Gracious Majesty's privy council, by competitive examination ; and perhaps even the young men that such examinations would bring into the lower official places might endanger the " best constitution that has yet been devised by man." THE ESSENTIAL CONDITIONS OF REFORM. 27 monopoly and favoritism, that Mr Lowe, a member of that cabinet, stated, in a speech ia 1871, " We have thrown open the whole of the public service, not to the more privileged bat to the people at large, to those who possess ability and industry among the lowest classes just as well as among the highest." And Mr. Gladstone was able to declare, in a public speech in October, 1871, that '' in order that the public service might, indeed, be the public service ; aud in order that we might not have among the civil officers of the state that which we had complained of in the army, namely, that the service was not the property of the nation but of the officers, we have now been enabled to remove the bar- riers of nomination, patronage, jobbing, and favoritism in whatever form ; and every man belonging to the people of England, if he so pleases to fit his children for the position of competing for places in the public ser- vice, may do it entirely irrespective of the question, l What is his condi- tion of life?' or the amount of means with which he may happen to be or not to be blessed." We could not see why republicans should be alarmed at such an ex- ample. Indeed, it is a significant fact that, while in this country we began, almost at our national birth, to require tested qualifications for our Army and Navy — and have, through the example of the character, fidelity, and ability such tests have secured in those departments, been led to demand similar evidences of merit from applicants for civil office — England has proceeded with her reform in an opposite order ; and it has been the example of the reform of her civil service which, within three years past, has compelled her government to abolish the corrupt system of favoritism and the purchase of commissions in the army, which her people would no longer tolerate ; so that now in the army, as in the civil service, the son of an English coal-heaver or scullion may, on his merits, win the highest place. And therefore we find Mr. Mill (Rep- resentative Government, p. 110, edition 1857) saying, with a surprise amusing to us, " I am credibly informed that in the military academy at Woolwich the competition-cadets are as superior to those admitted on the old system of nominations in these respects [bodily activity] as in all others," — a truth we have long acted upon. But we, on the other hand, are only just being informed, by the credible results of experi- ence, that analogous methods may be made to produce equally admira- ble improvement in the civil service of the people. THE ESSENTIAL CONDITIONS OF REFORM. Proceeding to consider next the essential conditions of any remedy promising to be in its nature effective, and bearing in mind that the real problem was, how most surely and beneficially to advance the worthy private citizen to a public position, and to make him most useful to the people while in that position, we found them, in our judgment, to be the fol- lowing : 28 REPOKT OF THE CIVIL. SERVICE COMMISSION. (1.) That the opportunities of those having capacity and character suitable for the public service, to freely reach that service by reason of being so qualified, must be improved. (2.) That the practice and opportunity of having more regard, in making appointments, to opinions and influence than to qualifications must, as a consequence, be restrained. (3.) That the obstructions interposed between the private citizen and all offices, by those who make a trade of politics, must be removed. (4.) That, to secure these results, it was necessary that the Executive power should be exercised with its original and constitutional regard to personal fitness. (5.) That confirmations by the Senate ought to be made with the same regard to fitness; and that the practice of treating nominations as a right or a function of individual Senators, rather than as a duty of the Executive, is indefensible, and ought to be abandoned ; but recognizing that the objects of the reform and the theory of the Constitution could be carried out only by the self-sacrificing co-operation of Senators. (6.) That the practice of permitting Eepresentatives to dictate ap* ointments in or from their districts, and of holding them responsible for any such appointments, ought not longer to exist. (7.) That the discretion of heads of Departments, in making appoint- ments or promotions ought to be so qualified as to give more protection: o merit. (8.) That the opportunities and influence of mere selfish and partisan combinations among the people, under the false pretenses of principle and patriotism, for the purpose of securing appointments, removals, or promotions, ought to be limited ; and that the practice on the part of any voluntary association of coercing the payment of assessments by those in public employment, because so employed, ought to cease. (9.) That to secure, even in a moderate degree, such results, it would be necessary to apply tests of actual personal qualifications by a method not yet practiced. (10.) That these tests mast be applied by persons having no power in respect of promotions and appointments, and must be sustained by evi- dence to be preserved and ready to be produced at any time, so that the justice of these tests can be at any time examined into and confirmed. (11.) That these conditions of relief should be so applied and limited as to allow legitimate scope and freedom to the principles and policy of parties. (12.) That the reform must be so conducted as not to tend to create any permanent official tenure, or otherwise affect such tenure than as the securing of better officers, the development of a better sentiment among the people, and the exclusion of partisan proscription, by the rules, would surely tend to keep good men longer in office. (13.) That a system of impartial examinations in reference to the com? mon information every officer ought to possess, and in more special ref- SELF-DENIAL AND CAUTION REQUIRED OF PRESIDENT. 29 erence to the practical qualities his particular position might demand, was an essential part of any real reform. (14.) That within certain limits, and especially in the larger depart- ments, and to some extent for promotions, those examined should com- pete as to qualifications, and that the appointments and promotions should be from among a certain number of those shown to possess the higher qualifications ; but that the method of competition is not yet, at least, proved to be best for universal application, and therefore must be limited to the places where alone it is appropriate. (15.) That the question of the places that should be filled by women cannot, in the existing condition of the statutes and of official experience, be determined by the rules ; the rules of examination only undertaking to guarantee that all persons desiring office, whether male or female, shall be examined and tested by an impartial method. (16.) That the question of the just or appropriate distribution of offices among the different sections of the Union must be left to Exec- utive discretion, and to the exigencies of the public service, from time to time ; the rules only offering, as far as practicable, equal facilities to persons from all sections and States, to demonstrate their possession of the necessary qualifications. (17.) That no one connected with the Commission, or under its super- vision, should have anything whatever to do with influence, applica- tions, or any other method of securing any office or appointment, save by justly examining, and fairly certifying in writing the results of , the examination of the several applicants, from whatever part of the Union. (18.) That in the discharge of such duties, neither the members of the Civil Service Commission, nor any examiner, nor any other person acting under the supervision of the Commission, should have any re- gard for, or make any inquiry about, the applicants' political opinions ; the right of making such discrimination, so far as may be just or wise, belonging wholly to the appointing power. THE SELF-DENIAL AND CAUTION REQUIRED OF THE PRESIDENT. It is plain that such conditions of conducting the reform would require, on the part of all those having the appointing power, and more especially on the part of the President, a constant regard for the merits of individ- uals and for the general welfare of the public service, to the exclusion of that arbitrary discretion of favoritism, which, for a whole generation, had been so much practiced. Eules that should respond to such a theory of reform would also compel the President often to stand firmly upon their j ustice and methods, perhaps against the solicitations and the threats of great men — personal friends it might be — in high station ; against the clamors of the leaders of great masses of mercenary partisanship demanding offices ; against the seductive appeals of those pressing into the Executive Mansion, whose claims are often commended by bereave 30 EEPOET OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. ment and afflictions ; against great delegations sent to the President, to protest that the party is in peril, that gratitude is the first of presi- dential virtues, and that competitive examinations are hostile to repub- lican principles. It is one thing to pretend, before the people, to be in favor of a real civil service reform — one good thing to vote for it; but it would be a far greater thing, to support it in actual administration ; to omit sneering at it and disparaging it when seeking caucus indorse- ment ; to stand for and not desert it under specious excuses when its natural enemies rally against it; to abstain from besieging the Execu- tive Chamber with recommendations and demands, when favorites want places. We thought it probable, also, that the motives of those who should attempt such a reform would be attacked, and the acts of those who should administer its details would be impeached, if not fairly, at least speciously, by those politicians to whose prospects the reform would in great measure be fatal. There could not fail, at first, also, to be much honest dissent among the people, and the party in the minority might in a body oppose ; and there must be a long period of experiment and some mistakes, as in all practical reforms. We could not doubt that, in the same degree that the rules were exten- ded and rigorously applied, those naturally opposed to their spirit and object would become alarmed, and would conspire against and denounce the reform ; while among those friendly, some might incline to yield to troublesome opposition, or suddenly to enter upon some other experi- ment before a fair test of this one had been reached. Such a course on their part would generally involve no very serious personal or official em- barrassment, at least as some people regard such matters. But on the part of the President, a retreat, a surrender, a change of policy, when once the reform should be inaugurated upon such a basis, would be a far more difficult matter. When the President should be committed to such an attempt, it would be in the forum of an exalted position, pledging, be- fore the people of the United States and the civilized nations, his coun- try, his office, his party, his honor, judgment, and reputation ; indeed, presenting in the scales of the experiment the question whether the pat- riotism and political virtues reared under our republican institutions, weighed against our partisanship and political immorality, are adequate to the reform of abuses admitted to be so great as to put those institutions in peril. However others might withdraw or surrender, it would seem to be impossible for the President to do so, unless the experiment should fail to be a benefit to the people. And, aside from all such consider- tions, it seemed to us that to attempt, and to fail in such a reform un- less, indeed, some other equally effective should be at once substituted— would give such new courage and power to all the corrupt elements in our politics, and would so weaken and alarm all the sources of patri- THE REMEDIES APPLIED THE EULES IN FORCE. 31 otism and public honor, as to be most disastrous to the country. It was, therefore, a serious question how thorough a reform the intelligence and sense of justice among the people would adequately support, even if the President should be willing to surrender the opportunities and power involved in the exercise of favoritism, and to encounter the slanders and the prejudices which a struggle for such a reform could not fail to bring upon him. While it was important that the heads of Departments and of Bureaus should be willing to make many sacrifices, to resist much pressure, and to cordially co-operate in the same spirit as the President, it could not be disguised that the decisive conditions of success were in the patriotism and the persistent resolution of the President. It is no part of our duty or purpose, nor would it be appropriate for us, to attempt to do justice to the President's relations to this reform, either in its origin, or while sustaining it against pressure so seductive and secret, so vast, varied, and little appreciated — amid criticisms, as it seems to us, in great measure unjust, and opposition in great meas- ure selfish and corrupt — for it is enough for our purpose that he was ready for the long struggle that was inevitable. And the first President who ever dared attempt such a reform, who was ever willing to surrender so many powers of favoritism — the exercise of which contrary to the rules he has sustained, might convert the dis- paragement of thousands of tongues into fulsome praise — can afford to allow the near future to render the justice denied to-day. We could not, however, allow the restraints of our position, which we hope we fairly appreciate, to j)revent our bearing this testimony to some facts which ought to be at this time better appreciated. Having the President's sanction, we next proceeded to prepare rules based on the conditions we have stated. THE REMEDIES APPLIED — THE RULES IN FORCE. Almost of necessity, it happened that, in applying new methods to a subject so complicated, there were imperfections at first, and several modifications and additions to the rules as experience accumulated. This has caused the whole series to appear in a somewhat fragmentary and extended form. The original rules were communicated to Congress, by the President, on the 19th of December, 1871, and went into effect on the 1st day of January, 1872, and the latest additions and modifications were sanctioned by Executive order on the 5th day of August, 1873. We propose to bring the whole series into a clear, methodical, and convenient arrangement for general circulation. Our present purpose is to give a statement of the substance of the pro- visions and of the manner of the application of the rules and regula- tions now being enforced, without taking the space required for repeat- ing their language in more than a few instances ; and, 32 REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. (1.) Considering the civil service, for the purpose of the rules, as em- bracing all those in the service of the Federal Government in any civil capacity, they may be regarded as in four divisions : I. Officers elected. II. Employes below the grade of regular clerks. III. Those higher officers who represent the policy of the dominant party, such as sustain relations of personal confidence, judicial officers, and a few others too miscellaneous to be classified. IV. The residue of the civil service, being the great body of the sub- ordinate officers and clerks by which the Federal administration is car- ried on, in number perhaps twenty-five thousand, not including post- masters. (2.) To the selection of the first division, it is obvious the rules cannot apply, and they are applicable only in limited manner to the duties of such officers. Those of the second division, being largely mere laborers, and having only a temporary employment, are, for plain reasons, almost wholly excluded. Most of those in the third division are embraced in the thirteenth rule, which is as follows : 13th. From these rules are excepted the heads of Departments, Assistant Secretaries of Departments, Assistant Attorneys-General, Assistant Postmasters-General, Solicitor- General, Solicitor of the Treasury, Naval Solicitor, Solicitor of Internal Revenue, Ex- aminer of Claims in the State Department, Treasurer of the United States, Register of the Treasury, First and Second Comptrollers of the Treasury, other heads of Bureaus in the several Departments, j udges of the United States courts, district attorneys, pri- vate secretary of the President, embassadors and other public ministers, Superintend- ent of the Coast Survey, Director of the Mint, governors of Territories, special com- missioners, special counsel, visiting and examining boards, persons appointed to positions without compensation for services, dispatch-agents, and bearers of dis- patches. And they are excluded from competition and generally from exam- inations for various reasons, some of which would require too much detail to explain. A portion of them, standing for the policy and prin- ciples of the party in power, may with propriety go in and out with an administration, while others occupy places of peculiar confidence or of such prominence that due attention is sure to be extended to their selec- tion. The relation of the Senate to these offices introduces complica- tions elsewhere alluded to. Perhaps, at a later day, when public opinion may warrant, some of these officers may be brought in some measure under the rules. There has been as yet only a very qualified and im- perfect application of the methods of reform to posfc-offices, custom- houses, and other public offices outside of Washington and New York City, and strict competition has not been extended beyond those cities. The useful results obtained where they have been applied seem now to call for a further extension of competitive examinations. There are also excepted from the rules as to examination and compe- tition various cashiers, and other custodians of money, for whose fidel- ity bonds have been given ; cases where emergency, as defalcation, re- THE REMEDIES APPLIED THE RULES IN FORCE. 33 quires a place to be suddenly filled ; persons in the secret service, steno- graphers, and a few. others to whom peculiar reasons of policy or prac- ticability apply. (3.) dominations to consular offices, of which the salary is $3,000 or more, may be made by the President under the rules without examina- tions. And, in general, as to the office of collector, appraiser, naval offi- cer, surveyor, or other chief officer in a customs district, postmasters, reg- isters or receivers of the land-office, mail-route messengers, marshals, and pension agents, the rules contain a declaration, with a view to encourag- ing fidelity and efficiency, that the appointing power, when about to fill any such office, will cause to be ascertained and will first have regard to the qualifications of any subordinate, if there be any such, in such office or district, and if, in the opinion of the appointing power, any such subor- dinate is found qualified for the office the President will nominate such person ; otherwise some other person will be nominated in the discretion of the President. And it is obvious that, as to any office for which the nominee requires confirmation by the Senate, it is not in the power of the President to carry out the spirit of the rule beyond the point where the co-operation of that body begins ; an element of the reform hereafter considered. This leaves the fourth division, including the great mass of the civil service, to which the rules, so far as extended, in principle apply. Of these there may be five thousand five hundred in Washington and about two thousand five hundred in the city of New York. These are the places under the rules of competition about which the great struggle for patronage goes on and the great abuses gather. (4.) For, the purpose of facilitating regular promotions, officers and clerks having similar duties and relations were grouped together, so that those in the lower places might compete for promotion to the higher places ; but, under certaiu conditions, those beyond the groups may be allowed to compete. (5.) With due reference to salaries, subordination, and existinglaws, the clerks and officers falling within each group (with certain exceptions) were divided into four classes, or grades, numbered respectively 1, 2, 3, and 4 ; class one being the lowest, and having a salary of $1,200 a year. There are some offices in which there are more than four grades. (6.) Certain officers above the position of clerks of class four were, for regulating promotions, graded above such clerks by official designa- tion ; and a class of female clerks or regular employes, (in the main copyists, who are paid at the rate of $900 a year,) were graded below clerks of class one, and these grades fill the most extended groups. But some groups have only a portion of the grades. (7.) In order to prevent the putting of fresh men over those experi- enced, and to avoid contests as to the grades to which admission should be made, it is provided that all original admissions to the service (within the before-stated fourth division) are to be to the lowest class 3 c s 34 EEPOET OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. of graded clerks, or to that of female clerks, &c, last mentioned ; and for such admissions applicants are to be examined and are to fairly compete as to relative qualifications ; except — (8.) That women applying for said class of clerkship inferior to and having a salary below class 1, may gain such clerkship through exam- inations without competitions; rule 4, of August 5, 1873, having so modified the prior rules, with a view to encourage (in the language of the amended rule) those women who " may be justly regarded as having the highest claims to public consideration by reason of loss of support or of property occasioned by the death or disability of any person in the defense of the Union in war, or in other public service of the Govern- ment;" and women having thus suffered, and passing a standard exam- ination in (1) penmanship, (2) copying, (3) elements of English grammar, chiefly orthography, (4) fundamental rules of arithmetic, may (with slight exceptions,) be admitted irrespective of relative qualifications as tested by competition. (9.) In addition to this test of general qualifications by examination and competition standing at the gates of the public service, the rules require adequate written proof, that the applicant is a citizen of the United States, is faithful to the Constitution and the Union, has a good moral character and temperate and industrious habits ; is of suitable age and health ; of the place and date of his birth ; of his name and education ; of his occupation, past and present ; whether he has been in the Army or Navy and has been honorably discharged; and where, at the time of his application, he resides. But aliens may be appointed consuls, where the appointing power considers the public interests to require such appointments. (10.) The examinations are conducted by three persons in each Depart- ment, designated by the President, familiar with the service, andbelieved to be desirous to improve it, who keep records of the applicants and of the examinations, and the examinations are all on written questions answered in writing, are preserved, and can at any time have their fair- ness tested. Adequate notices are given to persons desiring to be examined, after due application made, so that each has a fair and equal chance. (11.) The following rule relates to the subjects of most examinations for admission to the service, (but there are special series of questions to be applied in those parts of the service for which such general questions are not adequate or appropriate, and further especial adaptations are contemplated and are entirely practicable,) viz : (1) Penmanship; (2) writing and briefing letters; (3) elements of English gram- mar, chiefly orthography and syntax ; (4) arithmetic : fundamental rules, fractions, percentage, interest, and discount ; (5) elements of accounts and book-keeping; (6) history and geography : general questions, principally such as relate to the United States ; and (7) prominent features of the Government of the United States. So far as possible, the examination in all the branches will be con- fined to practical exercises. THE REMEDIES APPLIED THE RULES IN FORCE. 35 In examinations for appointment to positions requiring special or technical knowledge, such additions may be made to the list of subjects, as the nature of the case may require, in order, in the language of the rules, to test " special qualifications for the performance of the duties of the office." (12.) Examinations for promotion are upon written questions, having regard both to the general intelligence and to the detailed practical in- formation needed in the place to which the promotion relates, and such questions can be varied as experience may indicate, so as to furnish the best tests. (13.) The several subjects upon which examinations take place have a fixed value, in marking the results of examination, according to their prac- tical importance to the public service, and each person examined has his proficiency marked in each subject, and his average standing is then de- termined by a method which takes into the estimate both the relative importance of the subject and the degree of proficiency shown in that subject. On the scale of a hundred as perfect, all applicants are re- jected who fall below a general average of seventy, (or sixty in case of promotions,) and those marked above that average alone compete. (14.) When competition applies, whether for admission or promotion, the examiners, (having recorded the relative and absolute standing of. all those examined at the time of the examination,) certify the names and standing of the three persons eligible by reason of having estab- lished on the examination the greatest merit, and who stand highest on the list, and, from these three, one, in the discretion of the appointing power, is to be selected by that power, and so on from time to time. (15.) But to give adequate opportunity for a complete practical test of character and business qualities, the original appointments, (except as to postmasters, and as to those officers appointed to positions in foreign countries, and those requiring confirmation by the Senate,) are at first made only for the probationary period of six months ; and if not found satisfactory and re-appointed at the end of that time, the ap- pointees are then regarded as no longer in the service. (16.) The members of the Civil Service Commission have a general duty as to considering and advising the proper rules and regulations to be made, and as to supervising the questions to be put and the manner of conducting the several examinations, and reporting the results of the system generally upon the public service. There is a chief ex- aminer, whose duty it is, subject to the supervision of the Civil Service Commission, " to promote uniformity in preparing for, conducting, re- porting, and grading the examinations" in the several Departments at Washington, " and to prepare for, attend, supervise, and report " the district examinations hereinafter mentioned. (17.) In order to completely separate the duties and position of civil service commissioner and of examiners, (whether examiner-in-chief or in any Department,) from all political functions or suspicions of influence 36 REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. as to gaining office, the rules declare it not to be " any part of the duty or authority of either to take part in, or in any way entertain, any recommendation, application, or question concerning appointments or removals in respect of the civil service, otherwise than in the strict dis- charge of their respective duties, as prescribed by the rules and regula- tions ;" which duties extend only to the proper rules and regulations to be made, and to supervising their application, and to the questions, and " to preparing for, conducting, rating, and making reports concerning examinations required to be made under such rules and regulations," the whole duty and function terminating before the question of selec- tion for appointment arises. (18.) To prevent the injustice of making too many appointments from those whom the system of favoritism gathered about Washington, (and which the original rules did not sufficiently counteract,) an additional rule, put in force in August last, provides for examinations outside of Washington in each of five districts. The portions of the rule regulating this subject, and of a former report explaining the same, are as follows : Rule 9. For the purpose of bringing the examinations for the civil service as near to the res- idences of those desiring to be examined as the appropriation at the command of the President will warrant, and for the farther purpose of facilitating, as far as practica- ble, the making of selections for such service equably from the several portions of the Union, while at the same time preserving the principle of promoting merit as tested by fair competition, it is provided as follows : (1.) That the several States and Territories are grouped into five divisions, to be designated as civil service districts ; the said districts to be numbered consecutively from one to five, as follows : I. The first district embraces the States of Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Vermont, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and New York ; and the examinations therein shall be held alternately at the city of New York and the city of Boston, but first at the city of New York. II. The second distnct embraces the States of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia ; and the examinations therein shall be held at Washington. III. Tlie third district embraces the States of Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Kentucky ; and the examinations therein shall be held alternately at Cincinnati and Detroit, but first at Cincinnati. IV. The fourth district embraces the States of Illinois, Missouri, Minnesota, Iowa, Kan- sas, Nebraska, Nevada, California, and Oregon, and also all the Territories except New Mexico and the District of Columbia ; and the examinations therein shall be hold at Saint Louis. V. The fifth district embraces the States of South Carolina, Georgia, FlCrida, Ala- bama, Mississispi, Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas, and Tennessee, together with the Terri- tory of New Mexico ; and the examinations therein shall be held alternately at the city of Savannah and the city of Memphis, but first at the city of Savannah. (2.) That in each of said districts examinations for admission to the civil service at Washington shall be conducted as hereinafter provided ; and those whose residence is within any such district at the time of filing the application for examination shall be THE REMEDIES APPLIED THE RULES IN FORCE. 37 regarded as belonging to such district in reference both to competition and to appoint- ments ; and each district shall be treated as a sphere of competition ; and those so re- siding' therein, -wherever examined, shall be regarded as competing only with each other; but a person residing in any district may be allowed or notified to be examined in any other district. (This is for the convenience of the applicant.) In a former report we said : The great difference in the density of population manifestly rendered it impossible to even approximate the districts in point of size. Nor was it possible, even with great inconvenience of geographical arrangement, to bring the same population within each district. It was as undesirable as it is impracticable to subdivide States. Disregarding the fractions of a thousand in the several States and Territories, the whole population may be stated, iu round numbers, as shown by the last census, as 38,500,000; and this would give 7,700,000 to each district. The first district has 7,870,000; the second, 8,204,000; the third, 7,906,000 ; the fourth, 7,295,000; the fifth, 7,284,000. If the second district, being that in which Washington is situated, is placed at some disadvantage by being given the largest population, it should be remembered that the great Departments are in that district, and that they give employment to numerous persons below the grade of those officers and regular clerks to which the civil service rules apply. It was impossible, under the existing appropriations, to designate any place of dis- trict examinations within California or Oregon, even if such designation at this time would not, for other reasons, be premature. It is a considerable compensation that the residents in those States will hardly have any contestants from other States for places in the custom-houses and other Federal offices within their borders ; and resi- dents there can be examined in any other district. By reason of the great size of the fifth district, and of the dense population of the first district, and of the fact that there was no one largo central city in either of these districts, but were two cities in each where there might be local examining boards in existence, it was thought most conve- nient to have the examinations held alternately in New York and Boston for the first district, and alternately in Savannah and Memphis for the fifth district. Much the same reasons demanded two places of examination in the third district ; and Cincin- nati and Detroit seem to be the two most convenient places for that purpose. It appeared, however, to be more convenient to limit the examinations to St. Louis for the fourth district, until they can be extended to the Pacific States. Under the new rules we have proposed, it will be in the power of the head of any custom-house, post-office, or of any other public office in either of said districts, to send any applicant for admission to a place in the civil service under him to be examined at either of these district examinations. But we have not intended, at present at least, to supersede local examining boards at such local offices, and they may perhaps be per- manently necessary for examinations for local promotions. It is, however, contem- plated that one member of the district boards, and possibly two, will be selected from the local board of examiners. It is intended that it shall be the duty of the chief ex- aminer to properly supervise and to bring into uniformity the proceedings of the local examining-boards. And there can, we think, be little doubt that in a short time it would be the case here as it is now in England, that such examinations would be sought by worthy young men for the honor and the business advantages of a public recognition of the merit they would demonstrate. In that way a public sentiment would be developed which would sternly associate every branch of the public service with a demand for and public recognition of that high personal worth from which it has been in the pub- lic estimation so unfortunately separated. It is true the Government should not con- duct such examinations for mere private ends, but they can be easily limited to the public needs if found too much resorted to. Each sucli examination is to be just as effect- ive for every purpose as an examination now is or hereafter will be if conducted, at Washington* 38 REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. The first series of district examinations under this rule was attended last autumn by the chief examiner and by one of the commissioners, and fully answered the expectations with which they were inaugurated. Two of the higher Federal officers at each place were associated with the chief examiner to make up the local boards. At New York, Cincinnati, and Saint Louis the examinations were looked upon with such favor that capacious rooms, well lighted and heated, were placed at the service of the Commission, and were used for the examinations, without expense to the Government* ; and such probably might have been the fact at Savannah had not the public buildings been found convenient. We attach in an appendix a copy of the questions and tests put on these examinations, which generally lasted about nine hours. The answers are on file in Washington in the handwriting of the several persons examined. (19.) This creation of five competitive districts gives the appointing power at Washington fifteen persons, constituting those in all the dis- tricts who stand the highest in sets of three in each, from whom to make an appointment to the public service. (20.) Sach right of selection from those examined in either district also absolutely enables the appointing power to use its discretion in apportioning appointments equally or otherwise to the different sec- tions of the Union, and even to different States and localities, to the extent that those residing therein may have chosen to be examined and have shown themselves to be the best qualified. (21.) The rules provide that persons long in the service and incapaci- tated therein, may be, at the discretion of the head of the Department, placed in less responsible positions. (22.) The first of the rules adopted August 5, 1873, is as follows : It being essential to tlie public welfare to maintain in the Executive the exercise of the power of nomination aud appointment vested by the Constitution, and thereby to secure that measure of independence aud separate responsibility which is contemplated by that instrument; and it being needful, in mating such nominations and appoint- ments, that the appointing power should obtain and in the proper Department pre- serve the evidence of fitness in reference to which all such nominations and appoint- ments should be made : therefore, recommendations concerning any nomination or appointment to office or place in the civil service cannot be considered unless made in writing, signed by the persons making them, setting forth the character of the person recommended, and his qualifications for the office, in reference to which the recom- mendation is made ; uor, when the recommendation is by a person holding an office or station in or under the Government of the United States, can such written recom- mendation, except when made in response to a written request by the officer making the appointment, or in the discharge of an official duty imposed by the Constitution or the laws, be considered as entitled to any greater weight, than if made by such per- son as a private individual. But this rule shall not apply to recommendations made by officers as to their own subordinates. * It would be an act of injustice for a great government to accept such generosity from its patriotic citizens without some acknowledgment, and we therefore state that in New York the rooms were furnished by Packard's Business College ; in Cincinnati, by Nelson's Business College; and in Saint Louis by Bryant, Stratton and Carpenter's Business College. THE REMEDIES APPLIED — THE RULES IN FORCE. 39 (23.) The second of the rules adopted August 5, 1873, is as follows : While it is not the purpose of the rules and regulations prescribed for the govern- ment of the civil service either to restrict the power of removal or to extend the tenure of service, such power will not he exercised arbitrarily, and therefore applications must not be entertained by any authority having the duty of nomination or appoint- ment for the removal of any person in the civil service, nor will any person be removed for the mere purpose of making a place for any other person. But the incumbent of any office at the expiration of his term fixed by law may be re-appointed without examination or competition. (24.) While in the language of the Executive order of April 16, 1872, " the right of all persons in official positions to take part in politics is acknowledged," " political assessments, as they are called, have been forbidden within the various Departments ;" thus not allowing an arbi- trary exaction to be levied by voluntary organizations, for the same reason that the Constitution does not allow taxes to be levied by regular State authority, upon the agents and methods by which the National Government is administered ; but leaving every citizen, as such, free to vote and contribute as he pleases in reference to political issues. (25.) Becognizing the evil of too great intermingling of incompatible official duties as between State and Federal offices and functions, the President, by an Executive order of January 17, 1873, (made more spe- cific by an order of January 28, 1873,) declared that, whereas the hold- ing of State and Federal offices at the same time is generally incompat- ible with the proper discharge of the duties of either office, " persons holding any Federal, civil, office by appointment under the Constitution and laws of the United States will be expected, while holding such office, not to accept or hold any office under any State or territorial gov- ernment, or under the charter or ordinances of any municipal corpora- tion," and that the acceptance or continued holding of such an office in violation of the order will be treated as a resignation of the Federal office. There are some detailed exceptions to the rule not material to be recited here. (26.) It not having been found at present convenient, if expedient, to bring consuls within the general rules and regulations of competition, and the clerks in the State Department sustaining confidential rela- tions to the head of that Department and beiug few in number, so that the character and qualifications of each can be fully investigated by the head of that Department, therefore only general examinations, with- out competition, are applied to applicants for such clerkships, and for consular offices generally, pursuant to an order of the President, made March 14, 1873. These examinations are upon subjects relative to the official service required, stated in writing, and the written answers are preserved in the State Department ; and among other subjects included are international law and the regulations for the consular service of the United States: Such, in general, beiug the principles and methods according to 40 REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. which the President has attempted to improve the civil service, the next subject upon which we should report would seem to be the results of the experiment thus far. RESULTS OF THE NEW SYSTEM. The next questions are as to the practicability of the agencies adopted and the results obtained. Are the means practicable and adequate I Have the results been good or bad? 1. The agencies employed have already been named ; being, first, the boards, of three members each, in the several departments and local offices, which conduct and report the examinations for the same ; next, the chief examiner,* whose duty it is to have an oversight of all the examinations for the purpose of securing harmony; and, lastly, the Civil Service Commission, with a duty of considering the rules and reg- ulations to be adopted, and of supervising generally the whole system. The chief examiner (appointed when district examinations were intro- duced) has thus far been compelled to devote his entire time to his duties, andis the only examiner who is paid a salary in con nee tion with the reform. The other examiners, being in the civil service, have discharged their duties as examiners with no additional compensation. But it would not be just to them to omit to say that their zeal for the elevation of the service to which they belong has caused them to do a great amount of extra and uncompensated work, and to devote many weary hours to the explanations incident to a new system. It seems to us in the high- est degree just that a reasonable sum, in addition to regular salaries, should be allowed to those who conduct such examinations. It may, perhaps, be found convenient, as district examinations shall more fully supply those who will enter the service, to reduce the num- ber of examining-boards, by substituting for some of the boards, a board composed of members from several departments ; and the duties of such board and of the other department boards will be more confined to promotions and to special examinations. Considering these methods of examining and rating as a whole, we think we may say they have answered the purpose for which they were adopted. The examinations have been conducted and rated in an orderly manner, and with almost universal assent that they have been impartial and honest. While many persons have complained that they are required at all, we can find no charges of intentionally unfair con- duct against any examiner. We do not mean to say that among a certain class vague rumors of that nature are not to be found, or that some, having been examined and not having got places, have not complained both that there were no more offices to bestow, and that they have obtained so few of them. In order to give the authors of any rumors of unfairness a chance * Edward 0. Graves, esq., -who has performed his duties with great efficiency. RESULTS OF THE NEW SYSTEM. 41 to substantiate their truth, we caused to be published, in January last, ia the journals of Washington and elsewhere, a notice, given below,* in- viting proof to such effect. Of the complaints made, all of which we attended to, not a single one charged an examiner or a board of exam- ination with intentional injustice, or even undertook to show real in- justice^ We are still ready to investigate any such charge which any one may offer to come forward and prove. Another reason, in addition to the integrity of the examiners, why the results have been so fair, is that the examination of each person is conducted in the presence of all those competing, and the questions and answers being all in writing, the fairness of the marking can at any time be reviewed, and partiality, if any, be detected. As every person exam- ined needs all the time on the examination, nothing can be more orderly and quiet than a large room full of young men and women working all day for the prize of the high marks each hopes to win. There has never been any disturbance or disorder. At the district examinations, of which one only has been held in each district, one hundred and forty-nine persons were examined^ of whom a considerable number fell below the minimum of 70 per centum re- quired for eligibility for appointment. Of these persons, fifty were exam- ined in New York City, fiffcy-one in Cincinnati, thirty-nine in Saint Louis, and nine in Savannah. Without entering into details as to examinations by the local boards in New York City, or in the several Departments at Washington, it may be stated, by way of illustration, that one thousand one hundred and three persons have been examined by the examining board of the Treasury Department for clerkships of class one. Of these, five hun- dred and eighty-three fell below the minimum of seventy, and one hun- dred and eighty -five have received appointments. We may, then, fairly say that the experimental stage, so far as the practicability of holding examinations and of testing the qualifications to which they relate, is passed ; and we can rely on the possession of a method of substantial justice. It may, doubtless, be in several particu- lars improved ; but, despite the currents of self-interest and partisan- ship, causing no small amount of misrepresentation and pressure, it. is proved that such qualifications can be fairly tested. 2. Views of the Heads of Departments. — Eeserving our own opinions as * Whereas, by the rules for the regulation of the civil service, the duty is devolved upon this Commission of supervising the application of said rules to the end both that no injustice may originate from false reports and that no possible abuse may escape eorrection : And, therefore, Resolved, That there be a committee of three members of the Commission, of which Mr. D. B. Eaton shall be chairman — the other members to be appointed by the chair- man — to sit during the coming recess of the Commission at its rooms, No. 1421 G street, for the purpose of investigating and making.a report upon any matter aforesaid which may be brought to the attention of said committee concerning the application of said rules, &c. t Since the foregoing was written one such charge has been made, and the result of its investigation is stated in Appendix D to this report.' 42 REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. to the general results, we ought here to present the views of those whose supervision and experience enable them to speak with the great- est authority. And we are enabled to state that, while thinking the rules may in some details require modification, and perhaps in certain limited particulars of their application have not produced a substantial improvement, the Heads of the Departments regard them and the method of the reform, generally, as a success. They consider that the rules have promoted the public interests in various particulars, and among them in the following : •(I.) They have, on an average, where examinations apply, given per- sons of superior capacity and character to the service of the Government, and have tended to exclude unworthy applicants. (2.) They have developed more energy in the discharge of duty, and more ambition to acquire information connected with official functions, on the part of those in the service. (3.) They have diminished the unreasonable solicitation and pressure which numerous applicants and their friends, competing for appoint- ments, have before brought to bear upon the Departments in the direc- tion of favoritism. (4.) They have, especially where competition applies, relieved the heads of Departments and of Bureaus, to a large extent, of the neces- sity of devoting to persons soliciting places for themselves or for others time which was needed for official duties. (5.) They have made it more practicable to dismiss from the service those who came in under the civil service examinations, when not found worthy, than it was, or is, to dismiss the like unworthy persons who had been introduced into the service through favor or dictation. (6.) They have diminished the intrigue and pressure, before too fre- quent, for causing the removal of worthy persons for the mere purpose of bringing other, perhaps inferior, persons into the service. (7.) And, for such reasons, those officers think that it is expedient to continue the reform upon the method upon which it has proceeded, mak- ing from time to time such modifications in details as experience may show to be most useful. 3. Reports of Reads of Bureaus. — We have next the views of the heads of bureaus, and of the Federal officers in the city of New York. These officers being persons of high intelligence, and some of them having been a considerable time in the service, it seemed to us proper that some notice of their views should accompany this report. It is worthy of remark that the rules have changed some of the official routine, to which these officers had been accustomed, and, as in the case of the President, they have also somewhat qualified official discre- tion as heretofore exercised. We are far from thinking, or intending to intimate, that such facts have consciously, at least, shaded the opinions of any of these officers as to promotions; but it was perhaps to be expecled that only decisive RESULTS OF THE NEW SYSTEM. 43 proof of the benefits of competitive examinations for promotion would in the outset secure their approval. There was at least some partiality for familiar ways and some love for accustomed authority to be overborne. We ought therefore to bear testimony to the candor and fairness with which such changes have been almost universally accepted, and to express our surprise at the strength of the testimony in favor of the rules, generally. Two main questions of very unequal importance were involved, that of competitive examinations for admission to the service, and that of competitive examinations for promotion within the. service; the former being by far the more important question, and affecting much more varied and extended interests. It is the application of such examinations to promotions which di- rectly interferes with the accustomed authority of the heads of bureaus. Looking at the question of promotions from the side of authority, much can be said in favor of allowing the heads of bureaus and of departments to have the largest discretion in that matter. It produces subordi- nation and may promote harmony of action. The reasons in favor of limiting that authority seem, however, to be the stronger. Those in the common grades of the service ought to be encour- aged in the cultivation of manly self-respect, and of those kinds of knowl- edge which most increase their usefulness. It may well be believed that, generally, such merits will be recognized by their superiors. But if such had always been the case, there would hardly be any need of civil service rules at all. Every officer may have something of the spirit of favoritism, and subserviency may secure too many prizes. At all events, those who hope to rise by merit are anxious to compete for the prizes it may win in a field of fair comparison. It is of no small importance to sustain so honorable and manly a sentiment. On this point it is natural that those in the lower grades should differ from those above them. Those thus aspiring to rise by worthy means not having an opportunity to speak here for themselves, we felt bound to say a few words for them. How to wisely adjust these conflicting views is one of the most difficult problems of the civil service. The question is complicated by disputes about facts difficult to settle.* But wherever larger attainments and a more thorough knowledge of duties are made manifest in examinations, and are publicly rewarded by promotions, we * The Commissioner of the Land-Office says that he once got a clerk by competition "whose judgment he could not rely upoD in construing statutes or deciding cases, and that on another promotion he preferred the last on the list of those reported for promotion. This selection of course, if he thought him the best, was his right and duty under the'rules. He urges that a superior officer is the best judge of his subordi- nates, and is able to promote the most capable person, who may not always pass the best examination for promotion. As against this, the Commissioner of Pensions says, as the result of competition for promotion, " 1st. That a vigorous impulse has been given to study. * * * All who have any ambition for promotion have found it desir- able not only to perfect themselves in the knowledge of so much as pertains to their immediate work * * * but, also, to obtain full and accurate information with regard to all other subjects within the scope of the work of the Bureau;" thus, as we have indicated, presenting some conflict of facts as to the question of promotion. 44 EEPOET OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. hardly need point out how much study and industry are stimulated. The educating and otherwise salutary effects of manly aspirations thus aroused are already exhibited in the departments. Young men and women have been led to look less to outside influences, and to trust more to their own studious habits and faithful industry. It was hardly expected that nearly a majority of the heads of bureaus would declare themselves in favor of competitive examinations for pro- motions. That the majority is overwhelming in favor of such examin- ations for admissions, is only what might have been anticipated ; nor is it unnatural that, among so many coming into official life under the old system, here and there one should not view, in the same light that we do, the inconveniences and mistakes always incident to the first stages of a new method, and which a reasonable amount of experience will remove, We bring within reasonable limits the substance of the viaws of the officers referred to. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR. The Commissioner of Patents says that the "rules * * have in the main been fruitful of good results. The examination system * * is not only good, but indispensable," and the more specific the exami- nations are, the better. The Commissioner of Indian Affairs has had no occasion for examin- ations, but says, " I can very readily see that in filling vacancies, by promotions or otherwise, the examinations required by these rules would tend materially to increase the efficiency of the clerical force of this office." The Commissioner of Education seems to have made no permanent appointment since the rules were adopted and gives no opinion beyond one as to the general utility of examinations. The Commissioner of the General Land-Office has had no examinations except for promotions ; thinks examinations are necessary, but opposes competitive examinations for promotion, giving his reasons. He de- clares civil service reform to be " indispensably necessary." The Commissioner of Pensions declares that the results of the reform in his Bureau "have been highly satisfactory * * * the effect of examinations being salutary." As a rule the fittest men secured pro- motion. NAVY DEPARTMENT. In this Department of only forty-six clerks subject to the rules, where little pressure from outside has been felt, and few abuses conse- quently have prevailed , it was not so easy to make decided improvements. The Acting Paymaster-General reports that, since the rules went into effect, there have been but one appointment and one promotion, "and that the Bureau is unable to state that its business has in any way been affected by the application of the civil service rules." DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE — WAR DEPARTMENT. 45 4 The Chief of the Bureau of Navigation states that there have been, since the rules, one admission and four promotions, all based on examinations, and that " in every case the result continues to be satisfactory." While declaring that properly-conducted examinations, as were those in his Bureau, always protect the interests of the Government, he also points out the need of having as much reference as possible to all the good qualities of the. person examined. There has been no occasion for examinations in any other Bureau of this Department. DEPARTMENT OP AGRICULTURE. The Commissioner of Agriculture has had no occasion to make any appointment since the adoption of the rules, and states his opinion that " the value of the civil service, rules, as a principle of governmental action, I think cannot be doubted," which he supports with reasons. "WAR DEPARTMENT. Much the same observations might be made of this Department as have been made concerning the Navy Department. And the fact that so many of the officers are imbued with the spirit of military education and training has excluded the spirit and many of the evils of partisan intrigue. The Judge- Advocate General, by reason of having but small expe- rience under the rules, expresses no general opinion, but says, the single appointment and promotion made under them were satisfactory. The Chief of Engineers reports " that the application of the civil service rules in the appointment and promotion of clerks in this office, has been entirely satisfactory." The acting Chief of Ordnance states that the clerks examined and assigned to his Bureau "have been found competent and efficient. It is believed that the system at present followed is the best that can be devised in the interest of the public service." The Surgeon-General, stating there have been only two vacan- cies to be filled, says, " the appointments made to fill these two vacancies have been perfectly satisfactory." The Paymaster- General states there have been only two original ap- pointments, which gave him two "very good clerks." "I recommend an adhesion to competitive examinations for appointments to the grade of first-class clerks. The system will, in the end, elevate the service, and have a tendency to place it on the basis of true merit." When the clerk is once in the service, he thinks that the examination for promotion should be controlled in the Bureau. The Quartermaster-General says, in part through reports from two quartermasters, that for original appointment " the test is proper and satisfactory, * * is very good, * * and there can be no other safe 46 REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. one than that of general information and intelligence." Of the results of ten promotions and appointments, six are spoken of as good ; two medium, who may become efficient ; and two poor. The last two are, of course, on probation. It is stated that examinations are necessary, and that those under the law of 1853 were " generally successful in excluding entirely incompetent persons ;" and competition for promo- tion is not approved. The Commissary-General of Subsistence reports that only two va- cancies have occurred, and that to fill them he needed " persons who were thoroughly good penmen, and who possessed general clerkly ac- complishments ;" and says, that having found such in three persons selected, they were assigned to other places ; and he states that, " under this limited amount of experience," he is obliged to report, as to his Bureau, that "the former system served the interest of the public ser- vice the best." The Adjutant-General states, that his office is "mostly an office of records," demanding " a high standard of penmanship, and systematic character of mind ; * * that the custom was to promote * * those who had been longest in the service of the office. 5 ' He says he now gets persons from " civil life," who pass over the heads of old clerks, and he sometimes loses his "best men, who are appointed to other departments." For these reasons he reports that the civil service rules subvert, rather than promote, in his Bureau, the object for which they were adopted. POST-OFFICE DEPARTMENT. The First Assistant Postmaster-General reports, " That, in my opinion,, the application of these rules, judged in the light of their collective and general result, has been in a marked degree beneficial to the public in- terests. Under the system of examinations prescribed, we have, in the first place, secured more competent and reliable persons for appoint- ment ; and, secondly, greater zeal and industry in the discharge of duty,, and more earnest application in mastering the details of any work or position assigned, attributable, I doubt not, mainly if not entirely to the fact that promotion was by the rules made the reward of the most faithful and capable ; and, thirdly, greater concern for the service and pride in its success, due largely to the conviction that continuance in it depended not so much on what is called influence, or supposed necessi- ties of party policy, as merit and efficiency. The protection afforded by the system has tended in no small degree to encourage the feeling of individual responsibility which in its turn develops manliness and force of character." The Second Assistant Postmaster-General reports that, " The gentle- men who have received appointments in this office, through competitive examinations, in every instance, proved thoroughly efficient and satis- factory." He refers to " the faithful, impartial, and efficient manner in POST-OFFICE DEPARTMENT. 47 which the board of examiners for this Department have discharged their arduous duties." In the matter of promotions, he believes that in some instances detri- ment has resulted from not giving more control to heads of Bureaus, and thinks it would add to the efficiency of the service were a greater weight given to heads of Departments and chiefs of Bureaus as to the fitness of candidates for promotion. The Superintendentof the Money-Order system says, " That my per- sonal experience warrants the expression of a favorable opinion as to the general results of the civil service system." Of the appointments made to clerkships through competitive examinations he says, "in point of capacity, as well as of diligence and efficiency, these appointees rank above the average of such as were selected for appointment prior to the application of these rules." The Superintendent of Foreign Mails* reports of his Bureau to the same general effect as the officer last referred to. The Third Assistant Postmaster-General, stating that his " connection with the Post-Office has not extended over the entire period which has elapsed since the civil service rules went into effect," says, " that not- withstanding the benefits which in some respects have been derived * s * * the system as administered at present falls short of properly or satisfactorily fulfilling its mission." While affirming "unhesitatingly that the clerks appointed during the past two years are, as a body, in point of general knowledge superior to the same class of appointments made prior to that time," he does not mean to say that " as regards capability they excel either their predecessors or fellow-clerks whose appointments resulted from political influence," but the contrary. He says, "the great defect of the system lies, as I view it, in its endeavor to comprehend all appointments into one general class, and in assuming that for each and every appointment the same amount and kind of knowledge is required." He mentions the somewhat varied duties of the clerks in his Bureau as illustrating the consequences of the defect he names. He also refers to the assumed necessity, on the part of the Postmaster-General, of selecting any new appointees from some one district, and mentions it as an evil that some of the new appointees have risen by promotion over old and faithful clerks, who are thereby injured and discouraged. On the whole he " fails to perceive that 'civil service' appointees are more moral in their habits, or more assiduous in their attention to duty than those appointed previously," and he opposes competition for promo- tion which is declared injurious to the service.! * This officer, being a member of the Civil Service Commission, was not invited to make any formal report. tWe ought perhaps to point out that, instead of the rules requiring the Postmaster- General to make selections from any one district as suggested, he has the five districts from which to select, (see rule 9, August 5, 1873,) and that it is very easy to make the examinations as specific as this officer's necessities seem to require. The examinations in the post-office of the city of New York, to which we refer post, furnish an example of such very si>3cific examinations, easily conducted and attended with great success. 48 REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. RAILWAY MAIL-SERVICE. As further bearing on the postal administration, we may state that, almost simultaneously with the adoption of the civil service rules, there was introduced a method of drilling and examining the clerks engaged in the railway postal service, which in its nature is competitive and contin- uous. Though the mode of selecting such clerks has not been changed, (and it is not perhaps easy to bring their selection within the rules ot strict competition,) the application of the stimulus of competition to their daily duties, to their promotion, and to weeding out incompetent clerks, has largely increased the efficiency of the service. It is stated by good authority* that the examinations referred to commenced in August, 1871, and at that time, " from the incompetency of the clerks, from 10 to 12 per cent, of the mail-matter was being missent, so as to cause delays of from twelve to forty-eight hours and upward." The reforms, through the new tests and examinations, have already brought assortments and delivery to such a degree of perfection, in and between several large cities where they have been introduced, that the careful records of misdirections, &c, show that " an average [mis- direction] of but one letter in every nine hundred distributed" now takes place. And the promptness of the delivery has been also greatly in- creased. The value of such a reform is better appreciated when we con- sider the vast numbers of letters and papers carried ; the letters, for example, distributed from the cars between Buffalo and Chicago, each day, being more than two hundred thousand, and the papers many tons in weight. We regret we cannot spare the space to explain the manner in which these drills, and examinations, and the daily tests of comparative ac- curacy and merit in the clerks are accomplished, as they seem worthy of prompt extension into all the post-offices of the country. THE NEW YORK CITY POST-OFFICE. We think it may be stated, as a fact recognized both in New York City and in the Post-office Department, that the post-office of that city is now administered with an accuracy and efficiency not before attained. Letters for example were never so accurately and promptly delivered in that city. The officert through whose immediate action such reform has been brought about has instituted competitive examinations as the most effective agency for securing the best clerks and letter-carriers.f When we consider that there are more than 800 clerks and carriers in the New York post-office,§ that it sends out about 60 tons of mails daily, that the * Mr. Bangs, general superintendent railway mail-service, who has supervised this system. t Thomas L. James, esq., postmaster, New York City. t It is elsewhere shown that, almost at the same time, the English postmaster-general extended competitive examinations to the selection of letter-carriers, sorters, &c, &c, to the post-offices of Great Britain. § Of clerks, 92, and of carriers, 13a, have been selected by competitive examination; THE NEW YORK CITY POST-OFFICE. 49 efficiency of its operation concerns the domestic happiness and the busi- ness operations of so great a portion of the people, we regret not being able to give adequate space to the subject. Competitive examinations, first applied to clerks, were extended to letter-carriers about a year ago. Their relative qualifications were tested by a series of questions having regard to general intelligence and physi- cal capacity, but more especially to points affecting accuracy in the assortment, delivery, and transmission of the mails both in the city and in the country.* The carriers are also examined and drilled in reference to all matters concerning the delivery of city letters. There was much distrust by old officers as to the results of such a system, but its trial has been a com- plete success ; the superiority of the new clerks and carriers, in both character and capacity, bsiug as marked as the increased promptness and regularity of the mail delivery. The superintendent of the money-order division says in his report, "I cannot but express myself in terms of highest praise of the gentlemen selected, both as to their clerical abilities, and gentlemanly conduct, and the moral influence exercised by each and every one of them." The report of the general superintendent says of the civil service rules, " I have found the effect to be in the highest degree beneficial." The successful candidates "have proved by their diligent attention to duty, and their intelligent appreciation of the importance of performing that duty iii a correct and careful manner, * * that the choice has fallen upon men in every way worthy. * * Long experience in the service justifies me in saying that, as a class, they are superior to the average of those appointed under the former system." The report of the general superintendent of city delivery says of the persons obtained by those examinations, " they were much superior to the average of the appointments which an experience of many years * * had brought under my notice." He further expresses his surprise at the readiness with which they became familiar with the workings of the service, and surpassed the old clerks and carriers in their efficiency. The chairman of the examining board, after expressing the doubts with which the experiment of competitive examinations was entered upon, * The following will give some idea of the subjects of the examinations of railway postal-clerks : 1st. Boundary of the candidate's own county, State, and country. 2d. Location of States. 3d. General topographical knowledge. 4th. Knowledge of directions. 5th. Locations of counties along his own route ; along connecting routes ; in his own State ; in adjoiuing States. 6th. Directions, connections and terminal points of routes. 7 th. Locating of offices on routes. 8th. Describing the course a letter would take in reaching a certain point. 9th. Naming of counties in which large towns are situated, &c. There are similar questions for carriers, relating to all the particulars of prompt and accurate delivery of mail-matter in the city. Carriers thus trained are naturally enough guilty of few delays and mistakes compared with those from which the people formerly suffered. 4 CS 50 REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. and stating the difficulties, by reason of want of time and experience, under which it was started, says, that it has " nevertheless, under the cir- cumstances, produced surprising results, as especially and abundantly attested in the marked improvement in the service performed by the carriers." The report of the postmaster of New York states that "the effect of the application of these rules has been such as to furnish a most satis- factory demonstration of their usefulnes, an ample justification of their establishment, and a strong argument in favor of their continuance. The examinations * * have proved of special benefit in securing the services of a class of men, who, in respect of general intel- ligence, education, and integrity, will, as I believe, compare favorably with the average of those in private employment." He speaks of the impossibility of obtaining such persons in so large an office without such rules as a protection from outside pressure, and says that he knows no better way of securing that protection and of answering the public expectation than the one supplied by the civil service examinations. It seems to us that if these reports concerning the manner in which the administration of the New York City post-office has been so much improved could be generally understood by the people, their demand would soon secure similar reforms all over the country. THE TREASURY DEPARTMENT. 1. The Comptroller of the Currency states that, so far as the rules ap- ply to male clerks, " the results have been a higher and better grade of clerks than under the old system." Though there was some inconven- ience from delay in procuring clerks promptly, he says, " I am satisfied that this and all other inconveniences which might be enumerated will disappear after the plan shall have been fully matured. I have no doubt that the public service will be purified * * by the * continuance of the system." He favors making promotion depend on the head of the Bureau. 2. The Eegister of the Treasury says of the rules that, " so far as I have had an opportunity of judging of the effects, they have, in my opinion, been promotive of good results, and calculated to elevate the standard of clerical ability and efficiency." He thinks that heads of Bureaus should have greater control over promotions, and that certain duties could be performed by a class of women having less attainments than the rules demand. He hopes that experience may so perfect the rules as to " commend them to the favor and support of intelligent citi- zens of all parties." 3. The Commissioner of Internal Eevenue says that " the application of the rules referred to, so far as this office is concerned, has been satis- factory, and in my opinion furnishes an intelligent and capable class of clerks for the public service." 4. The First Auditor reports that " in the original appointments made THE TREASURY DEPARTMENT. 51 under this system the class of persons secured for the Government service is better suited to its wants than that obtained under the old method." He would prefer to make competitive promotions according to seniority from the next class below that in which the vacancy exists. 5. The Third Auditor states that "the clerks who have been assigned to this office under * * the rules have given entire satisfaction, yet I do not think they are superior to the clerks now in the office who were appointed in the old manner." He thinks the head of the Bureau ought to be the best judge for promotion, but would prefer promotion by regular grades under the rules to the present system. 6. The Fourth Auditor reports that " the operation of the rules of the Civil Service Commission, so far as this office is concerned, has been very satisfactory in regard to original appointments," but as to promotions, he would have decided differently in some instances. 7. The Fifth Auditor says he cannot speak practically about the rules as to admissions to the service, " but conceives they will generally fur- nish the best attainable evidence of fitness." He " must say that the effect has not been favorable in regard to promotions;" feeling morally certain that he would not get the best man, he has hesitated to fill a vacancy. Examinations had warranted that opinion. 8. The Auditor of the Treasury for the Post-Offlce Department reports that the first-class clerks appointed under the competitive system "have proved, without exception, to be industrious, capable, and efficient, and 1 have no hesitation in saying that I regard the competitive system as infinitely superior to the former method of original appointment. In the matter of promotion, however, the result has not been so satisfac- tory." Many unsuccessful candidates were the equals of those promoted in ability, and superior in experience; though those promoted were com- petent and efficient. He has suffered some inconvenience from delays in filling places. 9. The chairman of the Light-House Board says : " In my opinion the rules adopted by the Civil Service Commission, if applied to the keepers and other employes of the Light-House Board, would be of great im- portance. * * * Under the present system, it frequently happens that tried men, who, from years of experience, have become perfectly familiar with their duties, are dismissed for no other reason than that their places are wanted for more favored individuals."* 10. The Second Comptroller states that " the appointees to this office under the system of competitive examinations have given entire satis- faction, and I am of opinion that, as a class, the persons who have entered the service under the civil service rules are superior in point of ability to those obtained under the former mode of examination and appointment." He says, also, that the new system " saves the officials * The Commission is now engaged in maturing a series of rales for applying compe- titive examinations and adequate tests of character to the light-house service, which are expected very soon to go into operation. 52 REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. from much perplexity and annoyance from applicants for office and their friends." He "is not so clear as to the benefits of the system when applied to promotions," and thinks that more control in that particular should be given to the head of the Bureau. In some cases, so great an effort is made by candidates to succeed on an examination as to lead " to the neglect of their official duties." 11. The Chief of the Bureau of Statistics states that " the results at- tained have, I believe, demonstrated the utility of the competitive system in original appointments to office. The imperfections in its workings are chiefly such as arise from the friction incidental to the movement of any new machinery." He makes suggestions of improvements in details, and thinks the probationary period of six months mainly supplies the de- fects in the original tests applied in such examinations. As to compe- titive examinations for promotion, he thinks " they have failed to accom- plish the object for which they were designed," and that if the authority for recommending for promotion be not given wholly to the heads of the bureaus, there should at least be a modification of the rules relating thereto. 12. The United States assistant treasurer (New Tork) states that both for admission and for promotion " the examinations have been conducted with a fairness and impartiality that leaves no room for doubt (except, perhaps, in a single instance) that the successful candidates were justly entitled to the relative standing assigned them in the reports of the exam- ining board. The results of the institution of the new system have been so far quite satisfactory. * * * The selection by competitive examination has not lowered the standard of clerical efficiency, but, on the contrary, it has rather elevated it. With so short a trial it might be premature to say more than this at present, but I am strongly inclined to the opinion that further experience will show a decided gain in that particular." He points out the need of making the examinations more practical in certain particulars where general intelligence is not so im- portant. He says that " the selection by competitive examination has done much to free the appointing power from the outside pressure that sometimes prevailed under the old system." He thinks that larger power in the matter of promotions might be allowed to the head of his office with benefit to the service, and calls attention to the fact that the assistant treasurer is a " bonded officer," and hence responsible pecunia- rily ; but adds that, " in their general application, competitive exami- nations, if carried out according to their true intent, and in conformity with what I understand to be the views of the Commission, cannot fail to greatly improve and elevate the civil service. They will have a pow- erful influence in inducing a higher class of young men to enter it, by making the permanency of the position depend more on merit and less on other considerations." 13. The appraiser of the port of New York states "that, in ray opinion, THE TREASURY DEPARTMENT. 53 the efficiency of the civil service is greatly promoted by an examination of all applicants before entering the service, as it is a test of their in- tellectual, physical, and moral qualifications for a position in. the public service," though scholastic attainments are not any proof of practi- cal fitness. He points out how "increased zeal and fidelity to the inter- ests of the Government" have been " secured by a faithful adherence to the principles of the civil service rules." He calls attention to the fact of the duties of his department being different from those of any other, by reason of their requiring so much expert and technical knowledge. Examinations, especially for promotion, should be made to turn on the exact expert knowledge needed, and the head of the office should have an extended authority ; and he suggests a .method of insuring such re- sults by some small modifications of the rules. " The examination of openers and packers (who are regarded merely as laboring-men) has re- sulted in lowering the standard of physical qualifications,' although it has had the effect to secure a more intelligent and in some other respects better class of men." 14. The naval officer (New York) states that "the civil service rules went into practical operation in this office on October 16, 1872, and have been faithfully adhered to * * . The examinations which have been had have resulted favorably ;" and adds that, before the rules went into effect, " this office had been in the habit upon its own action of requir- ing examinations. * * * These examinations always proved of ad- vantage, and were the means of introducing into the service appointees equally as efficient as any" appointed under the civil service rules, Nearly three years' experience has confirmed him in his belief "in the wisdom of some sort of an examination," as under them "no thoroughly incompetent person can well be imposed on the person making nominations, * * and they certainly have the effect to deter many from making applications that otherwise might do so." He thinks the head of the office having the responsibility, should also have full discretion as to promotions. 15. The collector of the port of New York states that "no one in any degree acquainted with the necessities of the customs service can doubt the propriety of some kind of examination for admission to it. This obvious necessity has for many years been recognized by requiring an examination, but it had, prior to the introduction of the new rides, be- come, in a great measure, formal and perfunctory. There can be no doubt that the increased strictness required by the new system has in this respect been beneficial." Jt has excluded many unfit persons, and deterred a much larger number from applying. " So far as relates to promotions after persons have been admitted to the service, the new system has undoubtedly secured, in a greater degree than was previously the case, the posses- sion of that technical knowledge desirable for the particular position competed for. In this respect, therefore, the result has been beneficial." 54 REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. He thinks, however, the rules should be made more elastic in allowing selections, and the collector should have larger discretion by making selections for promotion from a larger number, so that thereby regard may be had for valuable administrative qualities known to the head of the office, which may not appear in examinations for promotion. But even with too great restrictions as to promotions, the encouragement the rules give to those in the service, by keeping outsiders from coming in for promotions, "has been of inestimable value. Everyman has seen in these facts an inducement to closer attention to his duties arid the care- ful cultivation of the qualities referred to." There are three thousand four hundred and seventy- seven subordinates subject to the rules in the foregoing bureaus and offices of the Treasury Department. * From the following offices and bureaus of the same Department a different view of the operations of the rules is presented ; and in these offices and bureaus there are eighty-five subordinates. 1. The First Comptroller says, " I am not able to give an opinion as to the results generally, * * * for I know very little of its operations outside of my own office, where its effects are perhaps less perceptible than in some other offices. The greatest benefit that can be derived * * consists in the relief it may afford the appointing power from importuni- ties, * * while at the same time it may also relieve members of Congress from like importunities which so few can resist, and which impose upon them, however unwillingly accepted, the character of office-brokers." He says that when a first appointment is made a proper examination of the candidate should be made, and that this was done under the act of 1853, when faithfully executed, as it was in his office. Some resistance to importunity was, however, needed, " and to this extent some advan tages accrue from the civil service organization. Beyond this the evils, in my judgment, exceed the benefits." He says " an examination for promotion * * by a board ignorant of the duties and powers of the office cannot subserve the public interests." A board cannot have such univer. sal knowledge as to justify them in expressing an opinion of qualifica tions. Promotions should depend on qualifications which the candidates have developed, and of these the head of the office where he has served is the best judge. He refers to the delay of more than three months, and to expenses attending one case of promotion, and to one case where he promoted a person against the opinion of the examining board.f 2. The Commissioner of Customs states that " I have never felt the necessity of any examination as required by the civil service board for even first-class clerks, and do not believe the interests of the Govern- * Including 840 light-keepers. There are 937 clerks subject to the rules in bureaus from which no reports have been received. t An inquiry discloses the facts to be that the last case arose upon an examination under the law of 1853, and not under the civil service rules at all. and that most of the delay in the other case was before the examining board was notified of the vacancy. THE TREASURY DEPARTMENT. 55 ment are promoted by such competition. I have always regarded it as exclusive in its character, giving to the richer portion of the community, who are able to acquire an excellent education, advantages over those who have had only the means to acquire an education sufficient to trans- act clerical duty faithfully and intelligently, but not sufficient to com- pete with the graduates of colleges." * He thinks there is still less reason for such examinations for promotion. He regards it as unreasonable that a board of examiners should have to do with promotions. " I have not suffered under these examinations for promotion, but I am satisfied that they are expensive, useless, cum- bersome, and of no advantage." 3. The Supervising Architect states that the " rules have affected this office in but two instances, and have in each case affected it injuriously or operated unjustly." These were both cases of promotion. In one case a worthy clerk was denied promotion because unable to answer useless questions.! In the second instance promotion was denied one meritorious clerk in favor of a competent and industrious one, less valuable to the Depart- ment.! He mentions as the result of his " observations in other branches of the public service" that the rules have caused demoralization to the pub- lic service, produced rivalries; and caused subordinates to intrigue against their superiors, and in one instance under his notice to instigate violations of the law with a view to secure promotion. " In my opinion, no examination is of any value compared to a practical test, which has been demanded by this office ever since I have been in charge * * . The civil service legislation was mischievous, and has not been productive of beneficial results," and he advises "an imme- diate and unqualified repeal of the law." He does not wish to be un- derstood as thinkingthat " reform in the civil service is not needed," but thinks nothing will accomplish practical benefits " until the salaries attached to Government offices are a fair compensation for the ability and integrity required." In consequence of the absence of the Treasurer of the United States, we are not authorized to publish any statement from his office. And from the Second Auditor no response has been received to the request of the Commission for information. * The report of 61 cases, being all the persons admitted to the Treasury Department under the rules up to January 31, 1873, shows that 28 had only a common-school edu- cation, 20 an academic education, and 13 a collegiate education. We could not delay this report for the purpose of ascertaining the proportions of these three classes ap- pointed to date, which we hare no reason to doubt would be about the same. + A. mistake has been inadvertently made in this case, as the original papers show that the examination of the clerk referred to took place on the 6th day of January, 1872, under the law of 1853, and before any examination took place under the civil service rules. The first examination under these rules in the Treasury Department was on the 5th of June, 1872. t The two clerks appear by the papers to have been certified together as the result of the examination, and the right of choice belonged to the Supervising Archi- tect, who unfortunately selected the one declared less valuable. 56 REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. 4. If, passing from administrative circles, we look among the people, our observations lead us to think that while no prejudice to any salutary interest, no check to any useful discussions has been caused, the in- fluence upon the vigor of the administration and upon public morality* has been good, and that it is likely to increase in this direction. Few persons will deny, we think, that there has been a noticeable improvement in New York City, and in the great departments gener ally, in the manner in which the public work has been done. Competitive examinations seem especially favorable to education. On this point we can adopt the language of the English Civil Service Com- mission, (contained in its seventeenth annual report, that for 1872, p. ix,) which, after referring to " officers of superior intelligence brought by such examinations" into the public service, says that " a further and wider benefit will result to the public generally from the stimulus which these large competitions for valuable prizes must impart to elementary education in each of the numerous districts in which they are held.'' To make the ordinary processes of administration contribute to the edu- cation of the people is surely worthy the best efforts of statesmen. Whatever places have been won by examinations and competitions have generally, we think, fallen to those who, (at least equal in natural intelligence and morality,) have, by devotion to business, by more studi- ous hours at home or in the public schools, made those practical and elementary acquisitions which an intelligent people delight to reward- The examinations which have been held outside of Washington called together an intelligent and respectable class of young men and women, and presented the prospect of entering the public service associated with entire publicity and justice to all. The details of personal history and character which they required, and the tests of intelligence whieh they presented, did not seem inviting to the class of persons who have been so much in the habit of besieging the departments for public places. The educating effect of the rules is manifest in many ways. For the first time in this generation, there has been developed in the depart- ments, and among the people generally, a considerable measure of critical opinion, which declares that the best qualified candidates ought to win the places and to rise by promotions. Office is becoming divorced from ignorance in the public imagination, and appears more in alliance with elementary education and a knowledge of business affairs. Private associations t and municipal authorities have already indicated a pur- pose to institute examinations of their candidates for clerkships ; and * Even those who most conscientiously oppose the reform, unconsciously, perhaps, hear testimony to its salutary influences. " For the last two years the civil service has been remarkably free from defalcations, there having been but three or four since President Grant's second term began." — The Republic Magazine for January, 1874, p. 11, tThe report lately issued by the New York Cheap Transportation Association (pp. 15, 16,) for example, states " that the adoption of- a civil service system in which no employe' is liable to discharge on account of political opinions, and preferment is to be obtained only by efficiency," &c, "will do much to remedy," &c. In the same way the English treatise mentions the influence of the government example upon " boards,, trustees, and individuals." RESULTS OF THE NEW SYSTEM, 57 we have referred to the extension of competition to the military and naval cadets, and might refer to other examples.* 5. Another tendency, we think, of the system adopted by the Presi- ident has been to check any undue influence of executive power upon the legislative department. Just to the extent that persons come into the public service upon their recognized merits, and not by reason of favoritism or pledges of subserviency, are they less inclined, less under commitments, to aid in carrying out any ambitious designs of the appointing power. There would be some reason to fear, if every person in the service gained his place wholly by merit as tested by ex- amination, and irrespective of the will of the appointing power, that the Executive would be so far from being able to control Congress, that he could hardly control his own subordinates. 6. There is one more indirect influence of importance. Eeference has been made to the sense of danger felt in various States from a tendency toward centralization, steadily developed under the system of execu- tive and congressional favoritism. The great party, under the spoils- system, can everywhere, thrust in its hand between the people and the official places, so that modest merit is overawed and driven back. It seems almost too plain for argument that, in proportion as the appoint- ing and confirming power at Washington is considered at liberty to be guided by its own ambition, in disregard of individual worth and capac- ity, reared all over the Union and ready for the public service, the more easily the rights and the interests of States and sections may be pros- trated before Federal authority. And the addition, within a few years, of several new bureaus or offices, such as those of agriculture, educa- tion, the national banking and bankrupt systems, though most excellent and useful in themselves, has tended greatly to increase the centra power. Even the benefits gained by the farmer, of knowing when to cut his hay, by the merchant and fisherman when to trust the seas, by every citizen when even to carry an umbrella, through a new agency of the Gen- eral Government, are not secured without a seductive increase of Federal over State prestige all over the land. A national bureau of public health is earnestly called for; and there is a growing demand for a national university, national forest and fishery commissions, and for national control over telegraphs and railways. If only telegraphs should be placed under Government charge, thousands of public servants would be added to the vast army of the civil service, and every branch of business, every fireside, and nearly every person all over the Union, would be more dependent still upon the integrity and vigor "of that service. But this is not all that tends in the same direction. Wash- * The supervising surgeon of the Marine-Hospital Service, for example, now requires examinations of applicants, &c, by a board of surgeons. (Eegulations, &c, 1873, p. 25.) So in the Revenue-Marine Bureau, the use of political influence, &c, is forbidden, examinations are introduced, " and those admitted to the service have been in the order of the excellence of these examinations," and through such means better vessels, with more economy, have been secured. (Report Revenue-Marine Bureau, 1872, p. 21; 1873, pp. 17 and 18.) 58 REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. ington is fast tending to become the most beautiful and attractive city of the nation, where science, literature, the arts, the social graces, and the splendor and wealth of the nation — if nothing worse with them — will more and more concentrate to make their great contribution toward the influence which the capital, the center of all, and the source of no small part of the political power of a nation, is sure to exert throughout its borders. There has been more than one great nation in which the capital has been the preponderating power, and we cannot safely forget that, with some exceptions, these social forces are elsewhere organized and used as a part of the machinery of government. Wisely as our in- stitutions have refused such aid or iuterference, we may well bear in mind that as accumulated property and those who live upon its income rapidly increase, they concentrate in the more attractive cities — espe- cially where public authority is exercised — and more and more become a great social and political power in the land. Can any one doubt that if Washington, with only its single Delegate in Congress, had now the population and wealth of the city of New York, it would exert a far greater political influence, and would be far more, attractive to the classes most dangerous to our republican system 1 It is, then, a ques- tion of national importance what kind of population and what pre- vailing spirit we have in Washington — whether it be worse than Paris or Madrid, or better than London or Berne — in its influence upon the Government; and that, in turn, depends upon the class of young men and women who are attracted here to take part in the administration and the society of the capital. It is little to our credit that there is not yet a well-selected library founded here by the nation, and free for the use of those in its service who have so many hours that could be devoted to reading and such inadequate provision for obtaining books. If those having the duty of making appointments,#instead of working their arbitrary discretion, shall, in the spirit of these rules, recognize and reward personal worth from every part of the Union, there will be little danger that power will ever become too much centralized at the capital, or its vices or violence a national peril. Every time a President and Senate are invited by these rules to seek the servants of the people in the West, in the South, or on the Atlantic coast, they feel and practically illustrate a limitation of centralized power, and bow their high discre- tion before the greater majesty of individual character and general justice. 7. And we think it maybe stated that public opinion has generally acquiesced in a surrender by the parties of so many appointments, be- fore bestowed by favor, as have been brought within the range of com- petitive examinations. This surrender is no inconsiderable qualifica- tion of the excessive and mischievous influence before exerted by parti- san combinations over the details of executive duties. And the ease with which so much reform has been achieved shows how persistence in THE ALTERNATIVE THEORY OF REFORM. 59 the same method of improvement may steadily raise one office after an- other from the low range of barter, intrigue, and coercion into that of free and open competition, where a preponderance, not of selfish influence but of personal qualifications, will open the gates of the national service. THE ALTERNATIVE THEORY OF REFORM, OR THAT OF NOMINATIONS APPORTIONED AMONG MEMBERS OF CONGRESS. The most prominent alternative method of reform to that adopted by the President seems to be a proposal to give the absolute right of nomi- nation of officers and clerks to members of Congress. , We might not be inclined at this time to seriously discuss the merits of such a measure, were it not that the arguments appropriate for that purpose, in a large degree, bear directly upon the general abuse of a mingling of legislative and executive functions, against which the present reform is aimed, and also contain an answer to frequent objections urged against that reform. 1. If we rightly apprehend the measure, it is that the officers, clerks and employes of the Government, or those at Washington, are to be apportioned equally to each congressional district, and that the Representative from each district is to have the sole right of nomination to the places that fall to his district. Whether Senators are to share equally in some way with Eepresentatives, or are to be declared to pos- sess the right of nomination of all officers whom that body now confirms, or are expected to exercise the right of nomination through a perversion of the right of confirmation, is not perhaps very material, since, in either event, the right of nomination would be substantially taken from the executive and given to the legislative branch of the Government. So far as this measure may allow any examinations which shall be effectual tests of capacity, it is a part of the method now being applied" under the rules ; and so far as it is founded on the indisputable fact that the honor and profits of serving the nation belong equally to each citizen, so far as capable and worthy, and to the citizens of every part of the Onion in the same proportion, if they tender adequate qualifica- tions, it has been likewise anticipated and provided for by the ninth rule of August 5, 1873, which requires examinations in different sec- tions of the Union, and provides for holding them in as many addi- tional places all over the country, as the funds authorized by Con- gress shall allow. So far as it denies an administration all right to have regard to political opinions in making selections for places within the fair range of its party policy, and would not allow a high officer to nominate a clerk to a place of official confidence, it is more non-partisan and distrustful than any civil service rules with which we are acquainted. But in so far as it proposes to subdivide the power of nomi- nation, now vested in the Executive, among members of Congress, and requires places to be filled in numerical ratio and in geographical order, day by day, irrespective of the relative merits of candidates, and the exigency of the public service, as judged of by the Executive, the theory 60 REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. is wholly irreconcilable with that upon which the existing reform is projected. With no inclination to favor large executive authority, we have endeavored to fairly consider the reasons both for and against such a mode of relief, aud we recognize in its favor some merits and obvious elements of aprima facie popularity. If members of Congress could act freely, and would always act disinterestedly, in making nominations, as they generally could in the districts of more sparse population and of the higher moral tone, they could bring much local information to the discharge of such new functions. And it is plain that a measure which says to the member of Congress from each district, " You are the best judge of the persons fit to be ap- pointed from your district; you ought to secure your constituents their due proportion of offices, salaries, and official honors ; you stand approved by the majority of the voters, who have a right to be represented; you have at least as much interest as anyone in having good appointments; you feel more than any one else the responsibility of having a worthy person selected from your district ; you are a member of that great body whichis naturally best instructed and most impressed as to whatconcerns the welfare of the people ; you will promote your own popularity to the same degree that you stand for the rights of your district," is likely to fail neither for want of prima facie reasons in its favor, nor on account of any prejudices which will deprive it of a favorable hearing. We realize of course that such seductive reasons can have no permanent influence upon the question. While such, and perhaps other views of the matter not occurring to us, may give the measure favor at first, even with the most disinterested citizens, there seem to us to be other reasons which will not less com- mend it in all the lower regions of our politics. Every unscrupulous man desiring to get into Congress, or who may get in, will be given a new power and a far greater influence, which he can, with decisive effect, use to gain votes, to reward his followers, to punish his opponents, and to coerce the President, the heads of Departments and of Bureaus to fill the service with those bound to his interests ; in short, to give him, in every way, far greater authority, both in his district and at Washing- ton. All the minor jobbers in politics aud the local caucuses, which can hardly influence appointments at Washington, will welcome a measure which will bring the disposition of a great number of clerk- ships to their own doors. 2. But it may be replied that this duty of nominating clerks and officers generally, like that of designating persons to be examined for military cadets, which the law imposes upon the President, may be conceded practically to members of Congress, and that thus, with no change of the Constitution, the proposed measure might be carried into effect and the pledge to reform the civil service be redeemed. This view of the subject calls for further consideration of the practical bearing of THE ALTERNATIVE THEORY OF REFORM. 61 such a method of reform. Among the reasons which prevent our ad- vising such a measure of relief are the following: (1.) The familiar language of the Constitution, before referred to, pro- viding that the President " shall nominate and, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, shall appoint," &c, all officers except certain "in- ferior officers," the appointment of which Congress is authorized to vest only "in the President alone, iu the courts of law, or in the heads of De- partments," has seemed to us to be fatal to such a scheme, rendering it impossible for Congress to authorize the President or other constitutional authorities to waive the exercise of the appointing power. (4 Opinions Attorney-General, 166; 11 Opinions Attorney-General, 212; 13 Opinions Attorney-General, 516 ; Maurice v. United States, 2 Brock. E., 101.) (2.) We are compelled to regard the scheme as not less repugnant to the essential balance and spirit of the Constitution, and to the views of those who framed it, than it is to such express language. We have already made quotations from the language of members of Congress referring to the danger of confounding legislative and executive au- thority, and the evil consequences which have flowed from the. practice of those having only legislative authority assuming to ex ercise a control over appointments, and from interference by the Ex- ecutive with matters of legislation. It seems certain, as a matter of history, that the theory of clearly defined and carefully separated execu- tive and legislative departments, so strikingly illustrated in the Consti- tution itself, was regarded by its authors as fundamental and vital in our system ; and probably the scheme in question, at any period prior to the perversion of the public j udgment by the introduction of the spoils- system, would have been regarded as little less than a revolution in the Government. Whether in the Federal or in the State governments, it has been accepted as an axiom that the authority to make laws and the au- thority to carry them into execution, combined only in despotisms, must be kept distinct as an essential condition of securing the necessary independ- ence, integrity, and vigor in either department — as essential, indeed, to a government of laws and the preservation of liberty. For example, the bill of rights of Massachusetts declares that " the legislative de- partment shall never exercise the executive and judicial powers, or either of them ; the executive shall never exercise the legislative and judicial powers, or either of them; the judicial power shall never exer- cise the legislative or executive powers, or either of them; to the end it may be a government of laws and not of men." Or, to adopt the lan- guage of a distinguished Senator, used in the debate leading to the law under which we act, " the practice of allowing Congressmen to dictate appointments is subversive of the Constitution, so far as it relates to appointments; is demoralizing both to the appointing power and to the Congressman, and destructive of that division of the powers of the. Government upon the maintenance of which the liberties of the people depend." 62 REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. But this scheme proposes to lead every member of Congress directly into the discharge of a fractional portion of the functions of the Execu. tive as recognized by the government of every civilized state of the world. It seems to us that the moment the Executive, who is to see that the laws are faithfully executed in each district, and is to sign no law he does not approve, can employ no agent for their execution but one named by the leader of the popular sentiment in the section or by a member of the department, the judgment of which he may be called on to disapprove, he will find himself unequal to the discharge of his functions, having not much more than the shadow of authority; and that when, to the power of fixing the tenure and salaries and of defining the number and duties of all those holding places in the execu- tive departments, there is added the substantial power of filling those places, the balance of the Constitution will be destroyed, and the sta. bility of the Government will be in danger. In fact, the great order of the Constitution will be reversed, for the Executive will become, if anything, a confirming power and the legislative a nominating power. Our experience confirms the view expressed in the Senate by a Senator from Ohio in 1871 , that these appointments ought, in the first place, to come from the President unbiased by either the judicial or the legislative branch of the Government. Indeed we cannot see that the situation or the question would be much changed, or the proposal any the less one of a change of-system, if the scheme was proposed before the Executive, and he was invited to decide whether the President should have the right to approve bills before they could be introduced into Congress, or before the Supreme Court, and the judges were requested to decide whether they should have the right of final sanction of treaties and confirmations before they should take effect. (3.) But this scheme does not seem to us merely to propose a change, however revolutionary, in the officers who are to exercise executive power but to set up a method of administration incompatible with the very nature of executive authority, and calculated to defeat the harmony and vigor, without which the exercise of such power might become self-destructive and utterly inadequate. For while legislative power is representative in its nature, and legislators bring together many interests and opinions to be harmonized and modified into one law, when we come to the execution, or to the interpretation of that law, it should, in the same spirit, interpretation, and vigor, be executed by one undivided authority throughout the jurisdiction, unbiased by local feeling and unawed by local interests. But a method which gives to officers representing local majorities the right of selecting the persons through whom the laws are to be executed, and by whom great discre- tion maybe exercised, appears destructive of a uniform and harmonious administration. Thus, when a section shall be insurrectionary, when a district shall refuse to obey the laws, when a State shall be drifting into that condition THE ALTERNATIVE THEORY OP REFORM. 63 of rebellion or anarchy in which it may need the coercion of Federal power, the marshal, the district attorney, the collector, and every Federal officer, and every clerk, will be, and their successors might continue to- be, from that district, fired with its passions, blinded by its prejudice, sympathizing with its disobedience. It may be replied, that, as much as now, all officers and clerks so nominated would be bound to conform to executive orders ; but it cannot be denied that official responsibility is most felt to the power that alone can nominate and continue to nominate. And we must bear in mind that the same change that would turn the faces of the whole clerical force to the interests, the opinions, and the majorities repre- sented by the member in each of the hundreds of districts, as the.source of office and hope, would, at the same time, create a common feeling and interest on the part of all those having the power of nomination, to ex- tort from the Executive, while his power was thus crippled, the further concession that a nomination should be the equivalent of an appoint- ment. The balance once lost, the greater weight the more rapidly car- ries down the less. (4.) It may be said, with plausibility, that already, with no law to sanc- tion it, the members of the legislature have acquired, in considerable measure, this power of nomination, and that it had better be openly conferred upon them. If the perversion was an improvement of the theory of the Constitution, or gave us better officers than we secured when it was obeyed, the reasoning would not be so objectionable. But we are unable to see how the fact that an organized power for selfish and partisan dealing in patronage, which, as we have seen, members of Congress have felt in duty bound to resist, has become so dangerously strong as to impair the just and constitutional in- dependence of members of Congress, and the salutary authority of the Executive, can be converted into a good reason for such an in- crease of and surrender to that power as would be made by allowing each member of Congress to command the approach to so many execu- tive offices. A Senator used this language, in debate in 1871, as to the effects of this appointing power upon the integrity of legislation: "Members of the House of Eepresentatives claim the right to dictate local appointments, and, if their wishes are not yielded to in every case, it creates at once a cause of quarrel which finds its outlet in some legislation or other P It seems to us that the remedy is to withstand and arrest that power in the interest of the general welfare. To convert mem- bers of Congress into agents or brokers, bound to secure offices for the politicians in the district who controlled the elections, has always been the essential object of that demoralizing power in our politics ; and the main basis of independence, in the unwilling member, beyond his own conscience, has been that he had not the right or the authority to confer the office. Give him that authority, and his power of resistance seems to us greatly impaired. 64 REPORT OF THE CIVIL SKRVICE COMMISSION. (5.) With some plausibility, it may also be said that, if the corruptscram- ble forofficeis to go on somewhere, it may as well be in the several districts as at Washington. Sorely not, if thereby new forces of corruption will be developed. The scheme would, we think, while securing no relief, introduce a new element of corruptiou and re-enforce all the old ones. The question of these appointments has now small direct influence on the vast elements involved in a presidential canvass. No person kno wu to the venal speculators in politics has absolute control over nominations. The Secretaries who are to have the appointing power are unnamed. Such speculators cannot, therefore, condition a caucus nomination or a vote on an effective pledge of a clerkship. It is very uncertain what part of the Union may get any particular appointment, and it is always in the power of the President, or the Head of a Department, to avoid pledging offices to particular applicants or voters, on the just plea that other parts of the Union have their claims, and that the exigencies of the service must be consulted. These reasons discourage applications and do not so much stimulate selfish and excessive activity in caucuses and conventions. Still we have thought competitive examinations a necessary barrier against even existing abuses of that nature. Now it seems to us that the moment the precise number of offices and clerks each member of Con- gress may nominate is proclaimed, and his power of nomination is made exclusive and absolute, the question of the persons to whom these nom- inations shall be given will at once enter directly into each contest for a seat in Congress, and that the more corrupt voters and manipulators will be tempted to secretly extort, and that even the more honest candidates will have a new and dangerous temptation to make, pledges of all these places as conditions of votes. The prize sought would be no longer, as now, the promise of a member to beg for an office, but his pledge to nom- inate and to make that nomination as good as an appointment. The candidate for Congress could plead no uncertainty as to places, no inade- quacy of power, no claim of any other section, nothing but the disagree- able excuses of his own want of inclination and the applicant's want of merit. The election of the member might, therefore, as absolutely decide whom the Congressman is to nominate as it would his own election, or as the vote for presidential electors decides who shall be President. It would require a sublime sense of duty to refuse altogether to pledge such appointments, and no inconsiderable degree of patriotism not to promise a nomination, to him who, though least fit for a clerk or higher officer, could command a hundred votes, rather than to him who, though the most fit, could command but five votes. Whenever clerkships are promised by the rival candidates, the incipient nominees will, as it seems to us, bring into the contest the double energy of gratitude and hope, and, in their own interest and as lieutenants of their patrons, will give it a selfish- ness and fierce energy heretofore unknown to congressional elections. We have not assumed those virtues to be rare that would triumph over greater temptation and avoid the evils more threatened, but only suggest THE ALTERNATIVE THEORY OF REFORM. 65 how the mingling of those functions, so carefully separated in the Con- stitution, naturally leads to the abuses which we may well assume its authors foresaw and intended to avoid. Nor would it be the only evil that the clerkships and offices thus filled would be the reward and the reflection of the sectional and partisan majority in every district — would add new fuel to the overheated furnaces of local politics — would tend to bring side by side into all the Departments the most active and antagonistic politicians of the land ; for when once in the public service, it seems to us that such officers and clerks, feeling little alle- giance or obligation to the Executive they ought cheerfully to obey, would be bound, by all the ties of interest and ambition to make alliance, offensive and defensive, with those members of Congress who, besides having half the execntive added to all the legislative authority of th e Constitution, would thus secure grateful champious of their interests and ambition in every grade of the official service of the nation. (6.) If some of the evil tendencies of such a system were arrested by com - petitive examinations for the selection of the person to be nominated — as we have tried to arrest the smaller evils which now exist — the scheme would not seem to us so dangerous ; since such a method, while check ing the demand for and the tendency to pledge nominations in the inter- est of the more bold and selfish politicians, would give more chances to those industrious young men and women who, controlling few votes but their own, and more familiar with the schools and the business circles than with the conventions and the caucuses, would seem to have but poor opportunities for reaching the public service under such a scheme. But will those who promote it consent to competitive exam- inations? It seems to us vain to expect to escape competitions of some sort. Will not all those who, wanting to be nominated, claim that their friends can wield vast influence, that their patrons have made effective speeches, that their club can control many votes for the congressional candidate, compete before him, whether he like it or not, in all the arts of secret intrigue and open coercion, for a pledge of nomination? Will not all powerful and selfish interests, desiring special legislation, all the more vigorously compete before the candidate for Congress, when, to the power already possessed in regard to making local laws, he shall be able to add the power of naming all the local officers through whom the execution of such laws may be invigorated or defeated? And, unless the member of Congress is both to nominate and to confirm his share of the clerks and officers, will not the contest over confirmations, between him and the President and each head of Department, be given a force and a peril of competition hitherto unknown ! Whatever the President or Secretary may think of the fitness of the nominee or of the exigency of the service, will not the member be inclined, if not bound, to stand by that nomination which he, perhaps, had pledged for benefits re- ceived — at least, for reasons he is bound to justify ? Pride will be added to interest and to the faith of promises. 5 C S 66 REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. And we are compelled to regard such a method of filling public offices as one that would be, in great measure, destructive of the sense of re- sponsibility. A President who had no discretion in making nomina- tions, or in fixing the qualifications of those nominated, could hardly feel responsible for the efficiency of his department ; and nothing would seem to be better adapted to weaken the feeling of such responsibility, in the new source of nominations, than a method which gives to those in one department of the Government power to fill the official places in another department, as to the good management of which the nominat- ing power has no right of supervision and no liability to be called to account. Nor is this all; for the very means that had made Congress so strong would, it seems to us, leave the Executive too weak to refuse to confirm or to dare to remove the unworthy clerks and officers that members of Congress might offer for or have got into the public service. It is well known that, even now, the unworthy clerks, the most difficult to remove, are those who can count on the vigorous exertions of the high officials, not in the executive department, who promoted them. (7.) And, though having already given more space than we intended to this part of the subject, we desire to call attention to another dan- gerous tendency of this scheme. If, under the Federal Government, the member of Congress, standing for the party majority and the stronger interests in each district, has a right to fill a specific propor- tion of all the clerkships, then, under the State governments, the major- ity of each county, city, and village, through its State representatives, has a corresponding right to name its proportion of the State officers; and in the city and village governments the like right to nominate may be claimed by aldermen and councilmen, in the interest of the majority of each ward and petty district; and thus a system of disintegration, secession, and destruction of that great and salutary executive authority which, under every form of representative government known among men, stands as the expression of the common sentiments, the united interests, and for the general policy aad protection of the entire people and state, beginning at the national head, will go on apportioning the authority and interests of the whole among the fractions until the bonds of union and the guarantees of safety are dissolved. There would seem to be, when the scheme is adopted, no reason why the power of nominating local Federal judges, marshals, and attorneys should not go with the power of nominating the other Federal officers^ and thus the department that first overleaps the barrier of the Constitu- tion may absorb all power into itself. We have referred already to facts showing how difficult it has been, even under the present balance of power, to resist the mercenary partisanship organized in districts and attempting to dictate all appointments, even in the courts of justice; and such demands as were referred to as defeated could not, it seems to us, long be resisted after the scheme we are objecting to should be put THE ALTERNATIVE THEORY OP REFORM. 67 in force; and one of the duties of the new Chief Justice might yet be to arrange a schedule for giving each congressional district a share, by- turns, of the patronage of his court. (8.) But if all other objections were removed, our investigations lead us to think that such a result as an equal participation in executive functions, under this scheme, by those from each district, is quite im- possible. For example, the Department of Justice has only sixty-seven regular appointees, the Navy Department only one hundred and twenty- five, the State Department only forty- six, and the Department of Agricul- ture only ninety-one ; so that but a small portion of the nearly three hun- dred districts can participate at all in the administration of either of these departments. And there would seem to be a difficulty in dealing with the large cities. What members of Congress are to nominate the Federal clerk s serving there? In New York City, the Government has an official force of two thousand five hundred and ten, and there are six members of Congress, giving each four hundred and eighteen appointees. In Philadelphia, this force is one thousand and seventy-one, and there are five members of Congress, giving each two hundred and fourteen appointees. In Boston, this force is eight hundred and fifty-two, and there are two members of Congress, giving each four hundred and twenty-six ap- pointees. These members may be all of one party or not ; and it will be material whether each in equal ratio, or the majority, is to make the nominations, or whether those nominations are to be distributed among the members of Congress from the States in which the large cities are situated. The subordinate officers and clerks at Washington, who are appointed- being over five thousand five hundred, would, if apportioned among members of Congress, give as near as may be nineteen to each member of the House. If we look to the number of such clerks and officers doing duty in the several States, (not, of course, including those in Washington,) they will be found to vary greatly.* In New Jersey there is 'such a clerk or officer to one thousand and ninety-four inhabitants, and each member of the House from that State would have one hundred and eighteen appointees; in Minnesota there is such a clerk or officer to four hundred and ninety-five inhabitants, and each member of the House would have two hundred and ninety-six ap- pointees ; in Georgia there is oue such clerk or officer to one thousand five hundred and sixty-four inhabitants, and each member of the House would have eighty-four appointees ; in Michigan there is one such clerk or officer to seven hundred and sixty-three inhabitants, and each member of the House would have one hundred and seventy-two appointees ; in * A table at the end shows the details in various States as accurately as we have been able to ascertain them. 68 KEPOJRT OP THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. Vermont there is one such clerk or officer to five hundred and forty-one inhabitants, and each member of the House would have two hundred and four appointees ; in Ohio there is one such clerk or officer to nine hundred and forty-eight inhabitants, and each member of the House would have one hundred and forty-one appointees ; in Alabama there is one such clerk or officer to one thousand two hundred and seventeen in- habitants, and each member of the House would have one hundred and two appointees; in Virginia there is one such officer or clerk to eight hun- dred and eight inhabitants, and each member of the House would have one hundred and sixty-eight appointees. The general average of appointees to population in the thirteen States named in the table is one in eight hundred and nine of the inhabitants. But if once the work of apportionment shall be entered upon, further difficulties will at once arise. There is in the central departments, and in some local offices, a class of clerkships at $900 a year ; above these there are four grades of regular clerks, of which the salary of the lo west is $1,200, and the salaries of the others increase as the grades ad. vance ; while in each bureau of the department there is one clerk, or more, and a head of bureau, having much higher salaries; and in some departments there are six or seven grades of offices with salaries ranging from $1,200 to $2,500. These higher clerkships and heads of bureaus are much less numerous than the congressional districts. Besides } some of these offices are of comparatively little importance in reference to official influence, but others are places of great influence. (9.) These obstacles are by no means those of detail alone, for they threaten to defeat economy as well. If, at any time, ten or thirty new clerks shall be needed, to what districts and members are they to be given % Will not a motion for ahundred or three hundred, instead, commend itself to ten times more selfish interests and competing districts ? If ten or a hundred clerks ought to be dismissed, or salaries ought to be reduced, what member will feel at liberty to propose to cut down the pay or to send home the clerks who are both his subalterns and his constituents? How these varied salaries and honors are to be first equally apportioned, or are to be, from time to time, adjusted — as clerkships will multiply and districts will be changed, so that the nineteen parceled to each member shall bring the indispensable equality of salary and influence — whether by lot or by schedule arranged by scientific experts, is more than we can sug- gest ; for we have not been able to see any way in which they can be justly or equally apportioned, except by that general and fair exercise of exec, utive and senatorial discretion which the Constitution provided, which the civil service rules facilitate, and which alone seems to us compat- ible with the views expressed in Congress, the nature of the subject, or the disinterestedness of the people. (10.) Xor does it seem possible to carry out the theory of equality of appointing power among members of Congress, except by making the tenure of the officers and clerks they are to name of the same length as THE ALTERNATIVE THEORY OF REFORM. 69 that of Representatives. On what principle could it be claimed or long maintained that a clerk, who is to be considered as a mere appendage of a member of the House, should hold his place longer than the officer that made him ! The logic and the tendency of the whole scheme would be to reduce the tenure of the executive service, both at Washington and in the States, to two years. Only when that was the case could each member of Congress have equality of rights, bringing with himself a hundred and sixty-two of his friends into the national service in his State and nineteen into the Departments at Washington. And hence the same change that would reverse the system of the Constitution would fill the Departments with a procession of inexperienced appointees who would be urged, by all the obligations of gratitude and all the in- stincts of self-preservation, to take part in congressional elections no less vital to themselves than to the opposing candidates. (11.) If it be suggested that we might have taken notice of the author ity and practice of members of Congress to nominate the cadets for the Military and Naval Academies, and have considered the absence of abuses there and the success of these schools as an answer to our fears and a warrant for extending that practice, instead of advising the new method of competitive examinations, we respectfully submit these fur- ther observations. It has not seemed to us there is any analogy be- tween the authority of selecting a single young man in a district, once in two or three years, who, by virtue of that selection, has merely the op- portunity of going to the gates of the military school, where, if he can, he must pass the rigid examination of a scientific and professional in- stitution ; in which, if he enters, he remains in studious exclusion from all politics for four years, and is each year twice re-examined, and from which he emerges with only a chance that, if found worthy, he may, by executive authority expressed through the Secretary of War, be made an officer of the Eegular Army, and thereby dedicated for life to severe non-partisan duties ; no analogy, we think, between such a case and the right of selection upon the eve of a heated party contest of a con- siderable number of clerks and officers, almost sure to be taken from the member's supporters, who are at once to be sent to the Executive as apart of a class of persons so nominated, by whom alone the admin- istration must be carried on. But in fact, there is no law giving any member of Congress authority to nominate a person for examination at West Point. The statutes expressly state that authority to be in the President, and it is by courtesy that members of Congress name the cadets ; and so unsatisfactory had been all other methods of nomination that the official circulars from the Secretary of War, under which this courtesy is regularly extended, recognizing the precedents of disinterested members of Congress, now contain a notice that " competitive examinations," &c, have been intro- duced, " with results satisfactory," as the basis of these nominations, and go on to set forth the methods of conducting such examinations; 70 REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. which, with general approval among the people, are well known to have in great measure superseded nominations by favoritism. Much the same statement might be made in regard to nominations for the Naval School, except that cadets are appointed by law, " on the recommendation of Representatives," and they graduate as midshipmen. But in the Naval School, also, the advantages of competitive exam- inations, induced by the example of such examinations under the civil service rules, have still further supplanted the old methods. The facts, which we find confirmed by the highest authority, are stated by the editor of a Washington journal* as follows: The position of cadet-engineer being open to any youth of proper age and profi- ciency, the Secretary of the Navy received last summer a very large number of appli- cations, and in order to secure the most efficient he made the examination competitive. The wisdom of this course has fully proved itself in the second class of cadet-engineers, now at the Academy, which has been declared both mentally and physically superior to any that preceded it. Perfectly unconstrained as to our advice, and willing enough to re- lieve ourselves of a possible suspicion, however unreasonable, that we may incline to favor executive rather than congressional authority, we have yet, in view of the fact that members of Congress themselves have substituted competitive examinations for the method of favoritism, been unable to find any argument, in the manner of selecting military or naval cadets, to weigh against the evils of transferring the right of nomination from the executive to the legislative department. The reasons against this alternative method of reforming the civil service seem to us so plain and decisive that we feel like making an apology for giving them so much space in this report ; but it will be a great gain for the system adopted by the President, if the public mind can be convinced that no other is available. Nor have we supposed that our views as to the inconvenience of members of the legislative department discharging functions assigned to the executive department were at all original ; for a Senator quoted with approbation, in debate, in 1871, this language from the speech of a liberal member of the British Parliament: "No man can efficiently serve his constituents and his country whose time is occupied and mind is harassed by hunting and dispensing patronage." SOME OBJECTIONS CONSIDERED. There are some objections so often urged by persons of candor that, perhaps, we ought to notice them. 1. It is objected that the whole theory of the President is wrong, because not founded on business principles. The details of administration are said to be substantially matters of business which ought to be conducted as other large business is conducted ; for example, that of merchants and great corporations. They have no rules and no examinations, and get on prosperously. Why should the Government, therefore, have rules ? * The Chronicle, February 14, 1874. SOME OBJECTIONS CONSIDERED. 7L We answer that, if the objection were ever so well founded in fact, it would not be good against this Commission or the President ; for the act of Congress of March 3, 1871, requires that " rules and regulations" shall be made " for the admission of persons into the civil service," * and for testing " the fitness of each candidate in respect to age, health, character, knowledge, and ability." We believe that, to a great extent, it is mere business that is to be done. But the act of Congress was made necessary because the speculators in nominations out of office and corrupt men in office, would not allow it to be managed on business principles. Banks, or Adams Express Company and the Western Union Telegraph Company having offices all over the country, are left at liberty by people outside their offices to select all clerks and conduct all business on business principles. No local politicians come and demand places for themselves or their favorites. There is no such thing as an equal right on the part of everybody to share the offices. But ho w different as to Government offices ! Every one has the same legal right to share them. Those belonging to the party in power claim an exclusive right to them. A public officer, wishing to regard only the best men, is tempted, menaced, deceived con- tinually, on all sides, by those insisting that it is his duty and their right to have business principles disregarded and partisan and selfish interests supreme. Few men have less real liberty to do the right things they would, than public officers. Hence, the need of fixed rules as standards of justice and sources of strength for honest officials, and as barriers for the people's protection against bad men out of office con- spiring with bad men in office. 2. It is objected that rules tend to withdraw office from the people, and to establish a bureaucracy of office-holders. We think, on the contrary, that the rules facilitate all worthy people in obtaining office by open and honorable means. They are framed in the interest of common justice to all. They offer no obstacles to removals from office, except that a worthy clerk will not be removed arbitrarily merely to make a place for another person. They are intended to break up the monopoly, and destroy the profits of those, who, being out of office, devote themselves to politics as a business, and the other monopoly of those selfish persons, who, being in office, consider all appointments as perquisites to be used for securing power and re-election. These classes barricade all the avenues to public places. It is those interested in the two monopolies mentioned who are most hostile to the rules, because the rules encour- age worthy persons of intelligence, desiring public service or employ- ment, to come and win an entrance to it on equal terms, and on their own merit, without stopping to ask the consent of any one belonging to either of these monopolies. So far from creating an aristocracy, we have shown that the adoption of civil service rules in England has been a great victory in the spirit of republicanism, won by the common people, under 72 REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. the lead of the liberal party, over the lords, the bishops, and the landed aristocracy. And in Germany also, in such of the offices as are not still monopolized by the aristocratic classes, a liberal writer de- clares that examinations have " been the death of the ancient bureau- cracy." The clerks who come nearest to being a bureaucracy are those now kept in office by the influence which put them there. It is easy for a Secretary to remove men who entered through competition without backers, but very hard to remove one who has strong friends, or high officers, perhaps, behind him. Nor is it any more true that these rules tend to establish an aristocracy of office-holders. We have quoted the rule that shows they neither extend nor limit the term of office ; the length of term being left to be fixed by law, and it may make it one month, one year, or a score of years. It may, doubtless, be wise to fix, as far as prac- ticable, the terms of the various classes of offices ; and it is very likely that the public interests require they should be of various lengths, according to the duties of the office. It is a very complicated subject. As the spirit of the rules does not allow the removal of clerks for mere party reasons, of course all the good clerks will not be dis- missed, to make spoils for favorites. And there can be no doubt that any method of selecting better clerical officers, by honest means, will favor their retention, as business men retain their clerks, so long as the interest of the employer will be best served thereby. Few designations can be more unfounded than that of an aristocracy, applied to such servants. Liable at any time to be dismissed for cause, day by day toiling for small salaries in the more humble work of the Government, compelled at all times to obey the elected officers of the people, largely dependent upon their superiors for promotion, it seems something like an insult to the intelligence of the people to se- riously argue the question whether such persons can become an aris- tocracy. 3. It is objected that the rules are intended to destroy parties, ichich are essential to a republic, and to introduce the theories of the English monarchy, ichich discourages parties. "We must refer here to what we have shown elsewhere, viz : that it is the party most republican in England which promotes civil service reform, and that this reform has gained strength there just in proportion as the privileges of royalty and class have given place to republican principles. Instead of parties not being allowed full scope there, they are, in important particulars, more controlling and unrestrained than here. A party in England which loses its majority in in Parliament must go out of power and give place to its opponents, with- out waiting for four years or any other term of offic© to expire. There is nothing whatever in the rules to prevent the largest party action in all honest or salutary ways. Meetings, debates, votes, organization, devotion to the public good by parties, are wholly unrestrained. To the extent SOME OBJECTIONS CONSIDERED. 73 that any person belonging to a party has regard to its principles, or to the good of the country, or to aDy honest method of increasing the power of his party, or to the appropriate offices by which party policy and princi- ples are represented and carried into effect, or to gratifying an honorable ambition in a manly way, the rules and regulations leave him unre- strained. All elected officers and the higher appointed officers (we fear too far down the scale) fall to the control of the party in the majority as a matter of course. There is a restraint, only when the name of party is used and disgraced under the false pretense of patriotism and principles, to make gain out of the honors and offices of the people — only when the spoils-system claims to make of every worthy clerk at the desks of the Departments a menial partisan or a helpless victim. So far from being hostile to fair party action, the rules seem to us to carry out the spirit, and substantially the letter, of the resolutions of all the parties in the national canvass of 1872 ; the republicans, in their resolution, declar- ing " that any system of civil service under which the subordinate posi- tions of the Government are considered rewards for mere party zeal is fatally demoralizing;" theliberal republicans resolving that "honesty,ca- pacity, and fidelity constitute the only claims to public employment;" the democrats resolving "that the civil service of the country has become a mere instrument of partisan tyranny," and the national labor-reformers resolving "that there should be such a reform in the civil service * * as will remove it beyond partisan influences." If the original rules too much checked partisan and selfish influences, of which we are not con. vinced, we do not see how such appeals to the people, or their response to them, would justify us in advising the removal of such restraints. To the objection made by some, that no party can live without more patronage, and that the rules put in peril the party in power, we can only say that the objection seems hardly tenable in behalf of the party in authority, having the vast majority of the Federal offices and en- gaged in resisting parties that are trying to gain power without much aid from patronage or appointed officers. On that theory, it would seem that a party, having once lost power and patronage, ought never to be able to regain control of the Government. But, if honesty, fidel- ity, statesmanship, and sound principles are what the people most re. gard, and what constitute the strength of a party, it is easy to see why a party, with all the patronage and offices of the Union at its will, might yet be in peril from the popular judgment, and be forced to yield to another party that had not a Federal officer among its followers. Additions to the patronage which parties may wield may give more selfish fierceness to their struggles, and may bury honor and principle more deeply beneath the elements of corruption, but they do not change the relative strength or chances of either party. It is not within our sphere to refer to those stronger reasons of recent history, or to the records of success and glory of either party, in stand- ing for the higher sentiment of the people against their prejudices and 74 REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. passions; but we may recall the fact that some of the greatest states- men have thought that patronage, separated from principle, is no source of strength to any party. In the House, in 1870, a member declared, without challenge, that the reputations of members were injured more by the clamors of office- seekers they had tried in vain to satisfy "than all their enlightened labors could redeem." And, in 1871, the present Vice-President said, in the Senate, (having reference to the patronage of Eepresentatives,) that " Looking over the country this year, and I have taken some little pains to learn the facts, I believe that a large majority of the districts lost to the administration party, in the House of Eepresentatives, were lost on account of bad appointments made in the districts, and by the disappointment of men who were turned out of office or wanted to get into office." Whatever the more statesmanlike policy may be, we have acted on that stated by the Vice-President, in the same speech, when he declared that " the great masses of the people of the country, and those who are candidates, or who hold offices elective by the people, can manage the political conventions of the country without the assistance of clerks in the Departments." 4. It is objected that the poicer and responsibility of high officers are im- paired — are in fact devolved upon examining boards. We have already shown that the boards have nothing to do with appointments ; they only certifying the relative merits of each person examined, in certain par- ticulars to which the examinations extend, and leaving the appoiuting- power at liberty to select any one of the fifteen best qualified for admis- sion to the service. Whether the test is the best practicable will be hereafter considered. Assuming it to be so for the present, we say it has always been the duty of the appointing power to select the best applicants, and the power is only limited by the rules in respect of an arbitrary discretion to select the unworthy. We have, perhaps, already said enough in the way of showing that the rules, call for a higher sense of duty and a larger amount of responsi- bility, on the part of public officers, to the higher character and senti- ments, among the people. They call, also, for that constitutional divis- ion of duties, as between Congress and the Executive, which will cause each department to feel its own proper responsibility through perform- ing its own proper functions. They call for the abnegation of official selfishness, for allegiance to common justice and to personal worth, in bestowing offices. They condemn low, party selfishness, and all sorts of personal appropriation of political power; and they demand a higher regard for the maxims of honor and the duties of statesmanship in offi- cial places. Such conditions seem to us to demand and stimulate the highest sense of official responsibility. Salutary as we hold parties to be, they are not ultimate authority; but they are themselves responsible to justice, to honor, to the higher laws of truth and morality, and to SOME OBJECTIONS CONSIDERED. 75 the interests and rights of the people. And upon these elements of offi- cial duty, we hold the rules adopted by the President to be based. The right of removal for any good cause, we repeat, is not impaired, but is strengthened. For it is the clerks, put in by influence and kept in by influence, who are not removed when they should be. The responsi- bility for proper removals can now be made effectual, as against the unworthy new clerks, at least. The higher offices not being within the rules, responsibility to party policy and principles is not weakened. We find nowhere the slightest evidence that the rules have impaired the devotion of the officers to their duties, or the vigor of the administra- tion, but, both at home and abroad, it seems to us that vigor is unim- paired. 5, It is objected that machinery is substituted for individuals, and that the true remedy is a higher public opinion and purer action by the parties. The theory adopted, certainly assumes that the virtue and intelli- gence now among the people, if more wisely sought and applied, are equal to better results. If this be not the fact, then all reform in this generation is, of course, hopeless. But how shall such results be attained ? We join all who pray for more and better teaching among the people and for higher morality in the management of par- ties. We hope all those who oppose the rules will use all their influ- ence for improvement in that direction. The field is open to them. But how long are we to wait for such a reform 1 If there was any power of regeneration in the old system of favoritism, why did our decline begin and go on under the old system of appointments 1 If a method, or machinery, is nothing in political affairs, why not have a monarchy or aristocracy instead of a republic ? There is noth- ing more complicated than the machinery of intrigue by which a class of men combine and co-operate to gain offices and profits at the expense of the people. Some machinery, if rules be machinery, seems to us needed to defeat them, at least until those who decry it shall show other agencies to be adequate. No provision can be more just and simple than that which enables each young man and woman to win the prizes of salary and office by personal worth and capacity fairly tested. 6. It is objected that the rules will favor college graduates and bright men from the academies, to the exclusion of the less educated people generally. We think they are not open to these objections, and we do not favor Such results. The President's rules, thus far, have had no such effect. With a view of ascertaining the education and business pursuits of those appointed under the rules, we have examined the original papers of those appointed in the Treasury Department from the time the rules went into effect until the 31st January, 1873, and the following facts appear : Of sixty-one persons appointed to clerkships of class one, twenty-eight had received only a common school education, twenty an academic educa- tion, and thirteen a collegiate education ; forty -two of these appointees had been clerks, seven had been engaged in mercantile pursuits, two 76 REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. had been book-keepers, seven had been teachers, two had been students, and one (a woman,) had been occupied with domestic duties. Of these thirteen college graduates, twelve had had commercial or clerical expe- rience and the other had been a teacher. Three hundred and four persons competed in the examinations for these sixty-one places. Of these persons, one hundred and seventy-two stated their occupation to have been clerks, and over twenty-four per cent, of them secured appointments ; forty-nine of these persons stated their occupation to have been that of teachers, and less than fifteen per cent, of them secured appointments ; twenty of these persons stated their occupation to have been students, and just ten per cent, of them secured appointments ; eleven of these persons stated they had been engaged in mercantile pursuits, and of these over sixty-three per cent, secured appointments; of these persons, five were lawyers and two were physicians, and no one of the seven secured an appointment. It further appears that in the Post-Office Department thirty-seven persons have been appointed to clerkships of class one upon competitive examinations since the rules went into effect. Of these persons, sixteen had received an academic or collegiate education and twenty-one had received only a common school education. Twenty-three of these ap- pointees had been clerks, six had been engaged in mercantile pursuits, four had been teachers, and one was a lawyer. The average age of the several appointees was, in each Department above enumerated, thirty-one years, the youngest having been eighteen years of age and the oldest sixty years. There is no reason to doubt that the records in the other Departments and the later records in the Treasury Department would show like re- sults; but we have not been willing to delay this report for further investigations. It is obvious that a certain amount of education is essential in the public officers, but the amount needful may vary considerably in the different branches of the service. The question how much may be usefully demanded is not always easy to decide. More experience will give more light. We feel sure the patriotic good sense and the self- respect of the American people will cause them to demand respect- able qualifications in their places of honor and trust and to appreciate how such demands stimulate that common instruction which their expensive schools are intended to secure. As the general questions given in Appendix B will show, no higher qualifications are insisted upon than the common duties of clerkships of class one demand. We believe that those looking mainly to the direct interests of academies and colleges find the standard quite unsatisfactory, because too low] While aiming to exclude the ignorant and the stupid, the President has shown no partiality for pedants or men of literary but not prac- tical capacity. If, in fact, there were different standards of education in different parts of the country, the designation of the five divisions SOME OBJECTIONS CONSIDERED. 77 for district examinations and competitions, therein, would prevent the better educated section from gaining an undue proportion of the offices. In England, when the aristocratic classes were unable longer to keep what they call the common people from the public service, they nat- urally tried to raise the standard of literary attainments so high as to secure a monopoly to that higher education in which such classes might excel. They also tried to establish a permanent tenure of office, and promotions by seniority rather than by competition. Those features of the English system, we have regarded as hostile to the theory of our institutions ; and the rules adopted have, therefore, most regard for practical, business qualities, exacting only so much general information as seems most desirable. It will hardly be expected that we should notice that captious, unfair, and hostile criticism which selects, here and there a single question, and, forgetting how great a good it is to impress the whole people with the conviction that general intelligence is honored by the nation, hangs the merits of the whole system on the point of the indispensable need of that particular question. 7. It is objected that want of integrity was the main fault of the public service, but that its capacity was satisfactory. From this basis it is argued that, so far as the rules seek to improve capacity or have regard to intellectual qualifications, they are inappro- priate and needless. Oar investigations have led us to a different con- clusion. Outside the great departments and offices, want of integrity might have been the more general evil, but within them the adminis- tration suffered much more from want of capacity. lb would have been too disreputable to commend a person known to be dishonest, but persons of influence systematically foisted their incompetent and unfortunate rel- atives and favorites upon the public service. Pressure, menace, selfish influence, and sympathy were used to overcome the scruples of a reluctant officer and to gain a Government salary for an unsuccessful cousin or an unemployed friend. It needs but little experience in official circles to learn how many people tremble at the bare suggestion of an economical measure for weeding out incompetents. Large as was the majority of persons of intelligence and capacity in the clerical service, there can be no doubt that the spoils-system was tending more and more to convert the Departments into something like asylums for incompetents. Over- whelming evidence might be quoted, but a few sentences from the mass must suffice. A report of a committee of the Thirty-ninth Congress says, that "of the officers employed in the New York custom-house, it is believed a majority of them have no special qualifications for their j)laces." In 1867 the chairman of an investigating committee de- clared in the House as, the result of his inquiry, that, " as a general rule, those who, for some defect or incorrect habit in mind or character, have been unable to succeed in the open competition of business, have been forced by their relatives or political friends upon the public ser- vice," and that " the number of officers may be diminished one-third 78 REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. and the efficiency of the whole force of the civil service be increased one- half," by a method of selection which will give competent persons and compel them to work. la 1868 this language was used without challenge in congressional debate: " Why is it that smugglers are the chief im- porters? * * It may as well be admitted, and stated in sharp popular phrase, the smugglers are too smart for the revenue officers." And the head of one of the great departments, in 1871, published the state- ment "that a minority of really competent officers are doing the work, burdened with incompetents," prompt only at the pay-roll. And a Senator declared, in January, 1871, that "it is known that in the de- partments in Washington there are a great many more clerks than would be needed if those there were capable, efficient, and faithful offi- cers; and it is known that many of them are put there merely as a reward for political services." Since these dates there has been considerable improvement, but there is still need of much more in the same direction, which a higher grade of capacity is necessary to accomplish. The English Civil Service Eeport (for 1872, p. 5) sheds light on this matter by stating that only a few appointments had been made in some offices because the reformed system had given such superior capacity that " the natural result has been that even where vacancies have occurred it has not been thought necessary, in every case, to fill them up." Unless a republic is excluded, for some reason we do not appreciate, from this easy method of econ- omy, the same policy may be adopted in our offices, with the same results. 8. It is objected that pass examinations, being more simple, would have been as effective as competitive examinations. As such pass examinations (that is, examinations without competition) were provided for by an act of 1853, and had been since practiced with as much usefulness, probably, as the nature of such examinations would allow, it would seem to be a fair conclusion that if Congress had not regarded them as in their nature inadequate, the provisions of the act of March 3, 1871, calling upon the President to establish such rules as will best promote the efficiency of the service, would not have been thought necessary. And it is worthy of notice that the English civil service reform commenced, under the order in council of May 21, 1855, with only such pass examinations, which, having been on trial for fifteen years, were found as inadequate as in our service. During all that period such examinations were, in one bureau after another, aban- doned in favor of open competition, until finally, by an order in council, made June 4, 1870, it was provided, in respect to those officers and clerks below the grade of the political officers, that thereafter (with a very few specified exceptions) " all appointments * * * shall be made by means of competitive examinations, according to regulations to be from time to time formed by the civil service commissioners." Even before experience had reached this conclusion, the most practi- SOME OBJECTIONS CONSIDERED. 79 cal thinkers had shown why such a conclusion was inevitable. In 1867 Mr. Mill (Considerations on Eepresentative Government, p. 108) said : It is also absolutely Decessary that the examinations should be competitive and the appointments given to those who are most successful. A mere pass examination never, in the long run, does more than exclude absolute dunces. When the question in the mind of the examiner lies between blighting the prospects of an individual and neg- lecting a duty to the public which, in the particular instance, seldom appears of first- rate importance, and when he is sure to be bitterly reproached for doing the first, while in general no one will either know or care whether he has done the latter, the bal- ance, unless he is a man of very unusual stamp, inclines to the side of good nature. A relaxation in one instance establishes a claim to it in others, which every repetition of indulgence makes it more difficult to resist ; each of these in succession becomes a precedent for more, until the standard of proficiency sinks gradually to something almost contemptible. The trial in this country of such pass examinations seems to have confirmed this prediction of Mr. Mill ; for a gentleman of great experience, and fresh from one of the larger departments, declares,* speaking of examinations under the law of 1853, and in no way impugning the in tegrity or capacity of the examiners, that " Precisely this [Mr. Mill's prediction] has occurred under our own system, with the additional downward tendency that has been given by the spoils-theory of dis- tributing office. If a politician has of right a certain number of clerk- ships assigued to him as his share, it requires a very little addition to the theory to give him complete control of the question of capacity and fitness. Such has practically been the result, and the departments have been made the asylum of the worthless and the incompetent." He even says that in some instances the only questions were, "What did you have for breakfast?" or, " Who recommended you for appointment"?" The reasons why competitive examinations do not, in the same way, in- cline to inefficiency and a low standard, are plain to every candid mind. Each person examined is stimulated by the united force of manly priaeand direct interest in the result, not only to stand well among his fellow com- petitors, but to scrutinize the marking of every other competitor as well as of himself. Whether he be marked too low, or some other too high, may be equally decisive" of his rank and of his chances of winning the prize of an appointment. And this honorable competition is practically not as to attainments alone, but as to a good record in the past, and a good character at home. For unless the appointing power be corrupt, dishonorable occupations and bad repute will prevent an appointment of even the persons marked highest; and all those competing have the strongest inducement to bring such facts to the notice of the appoint- ing power. There is reason to believe that the fear of such being the case prevents bad characters from competing at all. It is, for example, hardly conceivable that a gambler or any disreputable person would dare offer himself for competition. While pass examinations may be single) and the record is generally felt to concern one applicant alone, a competi- * North American Review, vol. 114, pp. 94 and 95. 80 REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. tive examination involves justice to many at once, and compels the ap- pointing power to have regard to relative merits as well as mere passa- ble qualifications. When but few of those having equal natural right to share in the honors of office present their conflicting claims, it is plain that the great majority must be disappointed, and it is our expe- rience that the method is the most consonant with the general sense of justice, and tends most to elevate office in public estimation, which makes the selection turn upon relative individual capacity and character, as shown by competition. The young man defeated in an open competition, however disappointed he may be, must respect the victor and admit the justice of the Gov- ernment ; but if defeated of office through a pass examination, he too often believes that the result was the joint effect of the secret doings of his rivals and of the cruel favoritism of the authorities. The great streams of distrust gathered from these ever living springs of discour- agement and suspicion flow over the whole field of our politics and taint the very atmosphere of public life. B ut competitive examinations, through the solicitude for the contest which they present, and the appeal which they make to honorable pride, hope, and ambition, deter all those who fear publicity, and are conscious of incompetence, at the same time that they encourage upright character and present a fair field to merit. To such reasons in favor of competitive examinations there must be added another, which is well expressed by a distinguished writer as fol- lows: It becomes with every schoolmaster an object of ambition and an avenue to success to have furnished pupils who have gained a high place in these competitions ; and there is hardly any other mode in which the state can do so much to raise the quality of educational institutions throughout the country. 9. It is objected that competitive examinations are no test of the special capacity required in the public service. I 1 or much that is necessary to an answer to this objection reference must be made to what we have said about pass examinations, the military and naval schools, the history of civil service reform in England, and the introduction of competitive examinations into our postal service. It must be borne in mind that no absolute test — no perfectly unbiased judgment or infallible standard — is possible. The problem is that of providing the greatest approximation and the best practical results, in that direction. The experience of this country, the experience of other countries, the overwhelming preponderance of the testimony of the offi- cers of our administration, seem to show that competitive examinations, within their proper sphere, are the solution of that problem. In the outset, we are met with the strange objection that such exam- inations, if good anywhere, must be good everywhere, and should be applied to all officers however high, to all employes however low, or to none at all. This seems to us about as reasonable as to declare that SOME OBJECTIONS CONSIDERED. 81 if elections are good anywhere, or appointments are good anywhere, they are each good everywhere, aud should be universally applied. We can better decide where such examinations are required by con- sidering what they tend to encourage, and what to defeat. We have seen that they give value to a good reputation, inspire and reward good business capacity and general education. All this is in favor of their most extended application. They tend to defeat the partialities and injustice of unworthy officers having the appointing power, wherever found : and this effect also favors their extension. They supply too, a means, through the agency of others, of testing certain in- dispensable qualifications on the part of applicants, whenever such applicants are so numerous that the head of the office is not able per- sonally to apply the proper tests ; but this particular need for such ex- aminations extends only to the larger offices — in other words, this need does not exist where the subordinates are so few that the head of the office is able to judge personally of applicants for entrance and promo- tion. Finally, such examinations are useful wherever there is such great pressure for entrance to any bureau or office, or for promotion, as to coerce the head of such office or bureau ; and the existence of this state of things depends partly on the number in office, and partly on the salaries and the duties of the place sought. Where all these reasons for competitive examinations unite, it is very plain they should be applied; but it is as plain that in offices where a part only of such reasons apply, the expediency of their application may be a nice question. The trouble attending such examinations, especially for isolated offices, must also be considered. It is next said that such examinations can test only mere attainments? and not character or business capacity, or sagacity to plan and guide, or the power of control and of efficient execution. To a considerable extent, this is admitted to be the fact ; but in great measure there is such an incompetency attending not only every known, but every con- ceivable method of making selections. If the party method of abso- lute official discretion, which claims to have a more direct regard to the real qualities sought, and which theoretically ought to secure such quali- ties, were not an admitted failure, this Commission should never have been created. But here, as in all the more civilized States, these methods of direct inquiry have failed, at least so far as original admission into the public service is concerned ; and neither here nor elsewhere has any reliable substitute, except that adopted by the President, been sug- gested. As we cannot safely go back, we must go forward. We are led, therefore, to tests turning mainly, so far as directly ap- plied, on certain qualifications, indispensable in themselves, capable of being fairly and absolutely ascertained, and generally found associated with the other desirable qualifications, which, as a rule, it must be ad- mitted are only imperfectly tested by original examination. This avoids most of the abuses so incident to any method of attempting to test ad- 6 -C S 82 REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. ministrative capacity directly. By causing the standing of the candi- dates to be marked by the examiners in reference to qualifications that appear on the papers, there is no opportunity for secretly yielding to corrupt or partisan influences. The method of competition, we say, is just, is salutary in its general influence, and on the average brings the most capable and worthy persons into the service of the Govern, ment. If such are the facts, all speculations, peculiar instances to the contrary, ridiculous examples as to what has been, here and there, or may be, in possible instances, are of little moment, and rather serve to mislead in the solution of the problem than to solve it. When we come to the question of promotions, where the numbers are less and the opportunities of judging of the capacity of the contestants are greater, the superiority of the competitive system, though plain, is not so overwhelming ; and hence it is a more difficult question how far it should be extended to promotions. The principal protection needed is against the injustice of the superior officers and the solicitation of powerful persons ; and such examinations also stimulate those to greater exertion who may hope to rise. The value of such encouragement ex- tended to thousands of clerks in the great Departments, many of whom otherwise might toil year after year without hope of rising, is very great. But if the right of competition for promotion were carried too far, on the basis of mere literary attainments, the authority of the superior officer might be impaired, and mere literary or intellectual attainments might win the prizes which executive capacity ought to gain. It is here, as we have seeu, that opinions most differ, and where more con- siderable experience must make the final adjustment. There is no greater mistake, however, than to suppose that examina- tions for promotion cannot be made, or are not made, to turn mainly upon the most practical tests for the business in hand. We attach a fair specimen-list of questions used, which, we think, must convince all but the most prejudiced of the practical character of such examina- tions. But though the direct examinations for admission do relate substan- tially to attainments, it must not be forgotten that proof of good repu- tation, of previous occupations, of adequate health, and of fidelity to the institutions of the country is also indispensable. And, when the examinations have, in each of the five competitive districts, demon- strated who has such attainments in the highest degree, there are fifteen persons presented, from whom the appointing power may make a selec- tion. It would seem that, in the selection of one from these fifteen, there might be adequate opportunity of applying every practicable test of executive capacity. Few persons, we believe, so much distrust our elementary institutions and the effects of a fair education as to think that the case often hap- pens when the better man or woman for the civil service will not be among that highest fifteen. And, besides all this, when once the selec' SOME OBJECTIONS CONSIDERED. 83 tion is made, the appointment is for only six mouths, and, when that lias expired, there is an unqualified right and duty of applying official scrutiny to that period of probation in deciding whether the person shall be longer retained. But, upon any candid view of the matter, looked at upon principle, it seems to us that, as a rule, those who have been most faithful and skill- ful in business and most studious in the schools would be most likely to pass the best examinations and to be the most efficient and reliable in the public service. As a rule, good qualities are found associated together ; and if attendance upon our schools and academies does not, on the aver- age, make better business men and citizens, we can hardly justify the practice of taxing oue parent's property to educate another parent's children ; for that right rests substantially on the assumption that at- tendance upon the schools makes boys and girls better men and women. However the fact may be, the practical alternatives, we repeat, are not between the method of competition and a perfect remedy for our evils, but between this and the system of spoils and favoritism we have had, or between this and something no nation has tried, and none pre- tends even to have conceived — unless, indeed, we think we can restore the simplicity and the virtues of our early history. As the utility of competitive examinations seems best decided by ex- amples, we add further illustrations of their steady extension. Attention has just been called to the fact that such examinations in England have given officers so superior that it has not been necessary to fill some of the vacancies at all ; it being the intention, as the report adds,"toreducethenumberof * * officers, * * as the guarantee for the efficiency of each officer is increased by the institution of a higher standard of examination." The English report for 1872 says that " during the past year open com- petitive examinations, * * in compliance with the wish of the postmas- ter general," were extended to " inferior clerks in the post-office, * * newspaper-sorters, and telegraph-messengers," and that 1,995 such sit- uations were thus filled. The report next refers to the results of such examinations, when applied to subjects which, as we have seen in the opinions of heads of bureaus, are sometimes regarded as not appropriate. The report says : There is, however, one class of competitions to which we desire to draw particular attontion, and we do so the more readily because their success has been most satisfac- tory, though they have reference to situations to which it is sometimes asserted the principle of open competition cannot properly be applied. In several of the depart- ments there exist situations of a technical or professional character, for which the scientific or theoretic knowledge that can best be tested by examination^ less essential than practical experience in matters connected with the art or profession in question. In these cases, if in any, the method of personal selection or nomination might appear at first sight to have an advantage over any form of open competion. But it is obvious that under the former system, however conscientiously administered, it mnst be a mat- 84 REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. ter of accident whether the best qualified persons come within the view of the individ- ual with whom the selection rests ; whereas by inviting public competition, candi- dates may he brought forward, whose merits could never otherwise have become known . The report then refers to the application of competition to the selec- tion of persons " practically competent to superintend the supply of all articles of furniture and fittings" for public buildings, and able to frame estimates of cost and working drawings, etc. Of the result in this field of application, the report further states : It might be thought that here the system of examination, and still more of open competitive examination, must fail, and it would undoubtedly have failed, if it had been limited, as it appears sometimes to be supposed that it must necessarily be lim- ited, to estimating the proficiency of the candidates in book-knowledge." That this is not our view of the meaning of " open competition" is shown by the steps which were adopted in this case to carry out the wish of the first commissioner of works. It is further stated that thirty-seven candidates offered themselves; from whom two were selected, who " have proved in every respect admirably qualified for tbe peculiar and difficult duties which they have to discharge. We have given at some length the particulars of this case, because it affords a specimen of the method pursued in other instances of a similar or analogous character. In one of these in- stances only * * has the result proved otherwise than highly satisfac- tory." The report says that the candidates for admission to the military acad- emies at Woolwich and Sandhurst have also been sent before the boards under the civil service commission for selection by competitive exami- nation since July, 1870, and that up to June, 1871, 630 candidates had been examined and 125 vacancies filled. It will be perceived how closely this corresponds to the growing practice we have pointed out in respect to our military and naval schools. In the same way the report says that competition has, during the last year, been substituted for the former method of admission to the " control department," viz : the supply and transport, etc., of the army. It closes on the subject of competitive examination, with strong testi- mony to the continued good results of that system throughout India, where it was first applied by the English government, and where Christian civilization is achieving such vast works of improvement. The high order of capacity and attainments which the examination- papers indicate is quite remarkable. Yet, while these evidences are being cited, from the highest authority, of the steady growth, the vast utility, and the republican spirit of com- petitive examinations in England, we are surprised to find it stated in some of our journals— on the authority of the organ of the English aristocracy, the Quarterly Ee view— that such examinations do not bring a satisfactory kind of persons into the service. * No error is now more prevalent than this in the mind of the American peonle Misrepresentation is added to misconception on this point. SOME OBJECTIONS CONSIDERED. 85 10. It is objected that the reform is so limited as not to be worth, contend- ing for. To the extent that this objection comes from those who resort to rid- icule as the most available argument, it is hardly appropriate for us to notice it. To those who, as a matter of principle, refuse to take any part in practi- cal reforms, unless they are intheoutsetcomplete in their scope and rapid in their progress, we can only say that such persons mistake the inevitable conditions of political improvement. The first stage of such reforms is the development among the people of a clear view of the evils to be remedied ; the second, to find high officers or able men who will lead in the practical work ; the third, to select the proper points of at- tack and wisely concentrate the assault upon these points ; and the last is to sustain the patience, courage, and self-sacrifice needed through the often wearisome and disappointing trials that attend the first measures of relief. Tue movement for reforming the civil service is in this last stage. In no stage is more faith, patience, and persistency needed on the part of its friends. The obstacles of corruption, intrigue, and selfishness are vast in strength, ceaseless in activity, multifarious in form. They can no more be attacked in all places or all along their line at once, with success, than the general of the Army in the civil war could have achieved vic- tory by attacking all the fortified places, and the whole length of the lines of the enemy at the same moment. There must be concentration upon a few points, courage, firmness, and, if need be, disappointments and sacrifices, before victory. The friends of reform have gained a deci- sive position within the enemy's lines. They have only to be patient and steady, improving their opportunities wisely, to achieve complete success. In looking at the forces arrayed against each other, it seems to us that quite enough was attempted at once, and perhaps too much. While, on the one hand, those demanding ideal perfection and practical com- pleteness, from the outset, complain that too little is attempted to be worthy their efforts, those, on the other hand, who believe in handing over all the offices of the Government as the spoils of victorious parti- sanship, see enough attempted and achieved to make them dread, in the near future, the general overthrow of the spoils-system. The leaders of mercenary politcs are active, constant, and always ready to maintain the contest over the narrowest issues. Instead of saying that the Departments at Washington and the great offices in New York are not worthy their notice, they are ready for a battle about the humblest clerkship and the smallest drippings of patronage. If it can be demonstrated beyond question that the new methods in- troduced will enable the administration of the Departments and offices in Washington and New York City to be carried on more efficiently and with less expense, the problem of civil service reform will be solved, and the victory of the higher over the lower elements of our politics will be 86 REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. assured. Upon these points the main struggle is now centered, and if the results of one or two years more of adaptation and experience shall be as successful as the experiment has been thus far, there is reason to believe that there will be, thereafter, little organized resistance to the princi- ples adopted by the President. They would be so strongly entrenched in the interests, the intelligence, and the patriotism of the people, that no party in power would any more be able to overthrow them than the hostile, reckless elements in the community are able to reverse the great achievements of patriotism and justice which have so lately illustrated our politics. If the experiment was being tried in only a single Department at Washington, or in only one great office, such as that of the collector or postmaster at the city of New York, it would still have the substantial interest and importance which attach to the whole subject of bring- ing purer, abler, and wiser men into the service of the people. The question of merit against influence in conferring office, the question of checking instead of increasing the partisan and mercenary Spirit in our politics, the balance of power between the bad system which all good men condemn and the better elements which all bad men obstruct — in short, all the possibilities of reform at this time would be involved in the ex- periment. Defeat would mean a long eclipse of the hopes of reform. The real decisive issue is this : Is competitive examination of per- sonal qualifications, by a fair method, a better test of fitness for original entrance to the public service than political indorsement and a pre- ponderance of influence? Wherever that issue is on trial, we think there ought to be a great concentration of public scrutiny, and that it will be a great misfortune if corrupt influences shall gain strength through misconception of the real issue. Let it be once shown so as to command the assent of the honest and intelligent portion of the community, that such examinations and competitions are fairest to all applicants, that they most stimulate good influences among the people, that they check the intrigues and destroy the profits of corrupt politi- cians, that they give the most capacity and character to the public ser- vice, and can it be doubted that they would very soon be extended to every appropriate office and clerkship of the country, whether Federal, State, or municipal? We have no space to point out how such results would affect elective officers and all the higher and more political portions of the Administration as well. Let a great bureau or office be once filled by the class of men which fair competition would bring in, and it would be hardly possible for nomination and confirma- tion to keep a mere scheming politician in effective control as its head, even if there should long be a desire to do so. For these reasons the pres ent attempt involves all the possibilities of thorough reform for a con- siderable period, unless, indeed, some happy suggestion can be made of a method not yet hinted at. If those who object to the experiment of civil service reform because it threatens too much, and those who object and excuse themselves be- SOME OBJECTIONS CONSIDERED. 87 cause they say it attempts too little, could but meet face to face, we should have little, occasion to answer the objections of either side. But, if the enemies of the principles of that reform secure the aid of the friends of those principles by using the pretense that too little is attempted to be of value, then, indeed, the argument of ridicule and contempt will make defeat all the more disastrous to the public interests. 11. It is objected that the system will involve too much cost and complication. We have no inclination to avail ourselves of this opportunity to answer those attacks upon the policy of the President which seek to prejudice that policy by presenting issues as to whether or not some of the per- sons he has employed have been paid a compensation disproportioned to the services rendered. If there were any foundation for such objec- tions, they would be mere individual issues, or accusations of a want of prudence on the part of the President, wholly aside of the merits of the methods inaugurated for the reform of the civil service. The people are interested in having these matters kept distinct. The system adopted is really simple and inexpensive, and need never be otherwise. No candid person, we think, at all qualified to judge, will fail to regard the sums paid* to those commissioners, not otherwise in the public service, as a very inadequate compensation for the time and labor they have been compelled to devote to their complicated and embarrassing duties. Trifling as this amount would be, to be paid by a great nation for such services as it ought to have to mature the best methods for the civil service, the members of the Commission might, we think, be reduced very soon when the experimental stage should be passed. Of those who, being in the employment of the Grovernment, have served on this Commission, we can say no more than that they have done so without pecuniary reward, and at the cost to them of a great amount of time, anxiety, and labor, which nothing less than a strong sense of the need of improving the public service could have induced them to bestow. And the fact that the great, delicate, and responsible labor of the examiners in conducting so many hundreds of examinations in the large Departments and offices for more than two years has been performed with- out pecuniary reward, (with the single exception we have named,) gives a foretaste of the unselfish and patriotic zeal in the cause of official reform upon which Congress may at all times rely. And the alacrity of the people, already pointed out, to aid in extending examinations over the country, shows how readily, with very simple agencies and small expenditures, tests of capacity may be placed at the gates of all the offices where they are needed. In our opinion, however, reliance ought not to be placed on gra- tuitous service; but we think that the present system can be car- ried on effectively with no larger appropriation than Congress has * Two thousand dollars per year, and traveling expenses. 88 REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. annually made. Some embarrassment, and perhaps some delays, have already resulted from the unjust demands made upon extra and uncom- pensated labor. This was incident to the nature of the new duties. But if the President should be authorized to make a proper allowance from the appropriation for the extra services required from those other, wise in the public service, we think such difficulties would be re- moved and existing defects and want of perfect adaptation could soon be supplied. JOINT ACTION OP THE PRESIDENT AND THE SENATE. It must be plain to every one that such parts of the rules as contem- plate nominations to the Senate, with more regard to subordinate offi- cers and less for the exigencies of local politics, can only be made effect- ive when the Senate and the Executive shall act upon the same gen- eral theory of conferring office. The fact that, in regard to the appoint- ments of many higher officers, the Constitution provides that the Senate shall participate, indicates that some different considerations were con- sidered as involved in such appointments from those involved in the case of subordinate officers. It has not been our view, however, that this difference furnished any justification for disregarding direct, per- sonal qualifications, but only that it made it necessary to secure those qualifications in combination with such other capacity — and in many cases that might be named, with such views of policy — as would be necessary to insure harmony and vigor in -the general administration. These reasons, as well as the very nature of a senatorial confirmation, to some extent, at least, exclude competitive tests from being applied to this class of appointees. The reform of the civil service as to such appointments, therefore, must be a question between the people and the Senate. And, if, through experience applied to the subordinates of the Departments, it shall be made clear that more regard for merit and less for politics will give more vigor and elevation to the service, it would be unjust to the people and to the Senate alike to doubt that the experience thus gained would soon secure a reform in all the higher spheres of offi- cial selection. We might hope even that the time would come when a Federal collector or postmaster in a great city, with no duties but dis- tributing the mails and collecting the revenues, would no more be allowed to interfere with city and State elections and conventions than a general in command of a fort or a commodore in command of a fleet is now allowed to practice such interference. In the meantime, the President can do no more than he has under- taken to do; that is, to first send in for confirmation the name of some person from among subordinates, when personal merit and the demands of the public service allow a nominee to be selected from such officers- But it is plain that, if the Senate shall not act upon the same policy as the President, as to persons requiring its confirmation, the President will be brought into frequent collisions with that body, upon the hap- pening of which he is almost compelled either to withdraw his nominee THE SITUATION AND THE PROSPECTS. 89 or to unduly press a confirmation. This has been the main source of difficulty in most of the cases in which it has been declared that the President has not conformed to the rules as they are interpreted by those who have made the charges that the President has not been faith- ful to the spirit of his own rules. We are compelled to think it would be more hopeful for the reform of the civil service if the position of the President in this regard were bet- ter appreciated, and if the people were more aided in understanding how impossible it is that the reform should be fully carried out in this partic- ular, until the Senate and the President shall act upon the same gen- eral principles. And these views, as well as those presented in answer to the objec- tion that the reform is too limited to be of much importance, have caused us to regard it as unfortunate that the portion of the rules which relates to officers requiring confirmation by the Senate should be pre- sented as involving either the whole method or even the most decisive portion of the reform adopted by the President. There was reason from the outset for thinking that, in this part of the new system where competitive examinations were not provided for, there would be the most imperfection and the slowest progress. It being beyond the power of the President alone to fully carry it out in that particular, it seems to be as unjust as it is unwise to hold him alone responsible for falliug below an ideal perfection. It is no part of our duty, perhaps, to bring to the attention of the people the amount of fidelity to their interests, and of resist- ance to solicitation and pressure, which are required on the part of the President in sustaining civil service rules against favoritism ; but it is part of our duty to point out one of the greatest sources of peril to the reform inaugurated, and to any method of reforming the civil service, which is the spirit of impatience, the unreasonable expecta- tions, and the sweeping, unmerited censures which are so often found where candor, patience, and justice are needed. If the force of public censure could be concentrated as much upon those who, in so many places, exert an influence hostile to the true principles of civil service reform, as it is upou those who are called upon to withstand and overcome all these influences, we think the time of complete triumph would be very near at hand. When, in every State, city, and village, those desiring the best men, rather than the most active partisans for their officers, shall unite their voices and their influence for securing appointments for such men and in resisting those who oppose them, instead of uniting merely in a demand upon the President alone to achieve that reform, then, indeed, the end will be near and the road easy. THE SITUATION AND THE PROSPECTS. Eegarded as a whole, the situation and the prospects may be stated as follows : 1. The practicability of fairly conducting examinations as to the qual- 90 REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. ities to be tested, and of fairly rating the results of competition, and of preserving reliable evidence of the same, has been established. 2. It has been demonstrated that competitive examinations for en- trance to the public service will, besides diminishing evil influences in our politics generally, bring a better class of persons into that service and insure more efficiency in administration. 3. In regard to promotions, it has been shown that the method of competition may be so united with the exercise of the proper authority of heads of offices or bureaus as to prevent the favoritism and discourage- ments too frequent under the old method of making promotions, and secure more fidelity and intelligence in the service. 4. There will be needed for some time longer supervision and investi- gation, on the part of a Commission, in order to secure the appropriate application and adaptation of the principles of the new system to the the several parts of the service to which it may be applied. 5. To arrest the new system now, when it has encountered all possible obstacles and has surmounted most of them, but has not had time to develop the experience required to exhibit the best application of its methods and the full results of its influence, would be in every way inconclusive and unfortunate. 6. To carry on the reform for another year, there is needed an ap- propriation of $25,000, with the authority in the President to give therefrom a moderate compensation to any person employed, for the services rendered by virtue of such employment, whether such person be otherwise in the service of the Government or not. 7. It is desirable that the appropriation should be in such language as to no longer leave doubt among the people whether it be the inten- tion of Congress to allow the new system a full and fair trial; for we are convinced that distrust on this point has, while greatly encouraging the elements of resistance and enfeebling those of support, in no small degree, increased the difficulties of the President and of this Commis sion. And, in addition to the increased prestige and vigor which an unmis- takable indorsement by Congress would impart to the new system, it is plain that (in the language of the President's message of December, 1872,) "It will require the direct action of Congress to render the en- forcement of the system binding upon my [his] successors." We have now presented, as clearly as we have been able, and with that fullness which the occasion appeared to call for, the reasons and the facts which seemed necessary for an understanding of the action taken under the statute of 1871, for the reform of the civil service; and, in concluding this embarrassing portion of our duties, we cannot better express our convictions than by adopting the language of the high- est officers elected by the people: "Thereisapublicfeelingin this country, founded in reason, comprehending the best interests of the country, THE SITUATION AND THE PROSPECTS. 91 which demands reform in the civil service ;"* and " The elevation and purification of the civil service of the Government will be hailed with approval by the whole people of the United States."t Dorman B. Eaton. Samuel Shellabarger. Dawson A. Walker. E. B. Elliott. Joseph H. Blackfan. David 0. Cox. Note. — The signature of Alexander G. Oattell, one of the members of the civil service commission, does not appear, in consequence of his absence. * Speech of Vice-President Wilson in the Senate, January, 1871. + Annual message of President Grant, December, 1870. APPENDIX DISTRIBUTION OP APPOINTMENTS. 93 e 5 a .2 S».g §5 < Is X Is % 1 3 a, a It 8.1 1 §< 1.2 CIS ; S,p C> <4> K) «> ~ <» fO s to bi • 99^.0 lodd-e qoug 0^ uoi^indod jo 01:^31 <£. ■noi^'Btndoj r)iffiinir,ioic*OCTi'ino)t-ti , oo)wao t-ooiw^iraooootiH^oor-ociWiH f -* ■w 10 CMOllO — COr Tp Ol tO CO (N •j&j.Tpsooi qoue joj 9sno"H; 9q^ jo jeqaiein qoisg joj !ja9ni^jiad9(T a\hisu9jx m 899q.ajodde 93ej9Ay ■tnqranxoQ jo ^othsiq; 9ift ni sjnooi -jnioddVjo gjisqs "e^uaorj. -jodojdSmpnpai'genoH 9q^ jo J9qui9ai qOT33 joj B99^nToadB oSujgAy •£.%\Yboo\ TpB9 J0 J QsnoH gqj! jo jgqingni qoB9 joj sgg^utodd'B oStejOAy *£?I[B0Ol qoBo joj S9Ai^u9S9 Jda-g; jo 9snoH 9l ft J° 9-i9qai9j^[ •^TI«D0T qo"B9 joj sgg^aioade tejox Is |l •9jn^{n.ou3Y '90T}811p M tH in .-i S5 C* 1-1 r-l OTHrtHNcS V ffl CO into W (M r ©ti-i-'J'l-'^i-l.-i? moitoi~-cNoioo^«oicociect-ocOQi ©H(MO i-t so 1- r. 1- r-: ioaiCTa)ifjr-i«Hcor-n«cst-'C) «OtC0t-10!NSD'0C-p-Hffla)(0 JO Ol CO i-( so CM rt-a>— iirjQOi>soio cxro -j n o o» is o n CO-axflHCDintMW'tl'QCMWroHOHCT t- SO OT lO CO -^ C* "V rH C* rH SO rH CO o o ■T-. ^ C '-> {> ra p3 CD © ® ® -tJ^a 55 C5 ■— I _, ^ U C ■— C5 - « « £ 2 o o ® o HHOCS ■2.2 S3 3 o ct >-. C3 tea 94 REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. APPENDIX B. SPECIMENS OF EXAMINATrON-PAPERS; BEING A COPY OF THOSE USED ON THE LAST DISTRICT EXAMINATIONS OF APPLICANTS FOR ADMISSION TO THE SEVERAL EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS. [Please to read the directions at the head of each sheet, and carefully comply -with them.] LETTER AND BRIEF. Upon completing each paper, the candidate should note on it the exact time he has been engaged upon it, and sign it. Upon completing the first five papers he should return them to the examiner. 1. Write a letter, of about one page, in the space below, addressed to the head of the Department in which you seek an appointment, giving the date and place of your birth, your present legal residence and post-office address, and a statement of your education and of your occupations to the present time, especially such as, in your opinion, have tended to fit you for a clerkship under Government. Sign the letter with your full name, fold it, and. indorse upon it a summary or brief of its contents. This exercise is designed to show your skill in simple English composition. ARITHMETIC. Notation and numeration. The answers must be written directly under the questions to which they pertain. Care must be talcen to insert the proper points. 2. Write in figures the following numbers : Nineteen thousand and seventeen. Two thousand, and two thousandths. One million and one, and three millionths. Seven hundred and sixteen millions, four hundred and thirteen thousand, nine hun- dred and thirty-three, and decimal one million, one hundred and three thousand and. six ten-millionths. 3. Write at length the numbers expressed by the following figures: 98,705,001. ° " 17,000.09863. 1,398,913.413. 1,000,000.000001. Addition. 4. Add the following columns of figures, and write the footings underneath the- proper columns : $3,556,377 24 $2,539,56180 6, 509, 473 43 4, 721, 875 50 21, 388, 548 00 15, 674, 875 68 12,016,675 39 8,937,747 31 18, 825, 500 48 13, 911, 987 30 11,734,834 50 9,013,705 67 14,256,879 69 11,231,695 26 14,462,932 37 11,910,286 27 8,869,227 72 7 308 155 53 5, 372, 630 72 2, 878, 429 51 5, 547, 747 20 4, 765, 266 23 6, 675, 411 60 4, 893, 873 82 8,874,136 80 5 818,397 39 9,128,728 30 7| 857; 161 06 6, 555, 549 45 5 567, 084 15 9,876,483.97 10,511328 19 13,763,998 46 7,686,364 85 4,605,962 41 4, 805, 864 23 5, 816, 640 83 7,823,418 61 9, 883, 258 77 10, 164, 206 05 1, 999, 164 64 1,998,348 35 1, 992, 392 46 1, 992, 504 98 1, 989, 450 54 994,041 33 98, 768, 984 58 18, 867, 432 21 APPENDIX SPECIMEN-QUESTIONS. 95 Common and decimal fractions Give tlie operation at length in each case. 5. Add $ and {f . 6. Multiply 4 by if. 7. Divide -ft- by -ft-. 8. Subtract .11289 from .45. 9. Multiply .903 by .76598. 10. Divide .0004 by .4. 11. Convert J into a decimal fraction. 12. Convert .9375 into a common fraction, and reduce it to its lowest terms. Miscellaneous examples. 13. A government officer collected $24,728, on which he was entitled to a commission of f of one per cent. Wtat was the amount of the commission ? Give the operation at length. 14. An army fought two battles. In the first it lost 16 per cent, of the original num- ber, and in the second 12| per cent, of the remaining number, after which it mustered' 36,750 men. What was its original strength ? Give the operation at length. 15. $2,975 is the interest at 7 per cent, per annum for 1 year, 7 months and 6 days on what amount, reckoning 360 days to the year ? Give the operation at length. . 16. By the act of March 3, 1873, the value of the pound sterling is fixed at $4.8665 in standard gold coin of the United States in all transactions taking place after January 1, 1874. What amount in United States gold coin will be required to purchase a "bill of exchange on London for £740 10s. Gd., when exchange is quoted at If per cent, premium ? Give the operation at length. 17. What amount in gold coin must be sold at a premium of 8f per cent, in order to purchase with the proceeds $13,750 in United States 5-20 bonds at 109J? Give the operation at length. 18. What is the cost of each of the following items, constituting part of a soldier's ration : 12 oz. of pork, at $17.50 per barrel ; (200 lbs.) 1 lb. 6 oz. of flour, at $6.86 per barrel ; (196 lbs.) 2.4 oz. beans, at $2.10 per bushel ; (60 lbs.) 1.6 oz. of rice, at $6.75 per 100 lbs. Give the operation at length. BOOK-KEEPING. 19. What are the principal points of difference between double-entry and single- entry book-keeping ? 20. Name the principal books required in book-keeping. 21. Give the journal entry on the books of James Smith of the following transaction : October 9, 1873, James Smith bought of Thomas Brown merchandise to the amount of $2,350, of which he paid $1,000 in cash, the remainder being charged to him on Brown's books. ACCOUNTS. 22. John Thompson, postmaster at Thompsonville, on the 1st of July, 1873, owed the United States $98.54 ; July 9, 1873, he received from the Post-Office Department stamps of the value of $893, with which he was charged ; July 16 he collected for the Department a draft for $890 on the postmaster at Brownsville ; August 3 he paid a contractor the amount due him for a quarter's services, less a fine of $28.75 for neglect of duty, on a route the compensation of which was $900 per annum ; August 7 he paid a draft drawn on him by the Department for $489.53 ; September 30 he paid his own salary for the quarter at the rate of $1,200 per annum, and the quarterly salaries of four route-agents, at the rate of $900 per annum each. During the quarter he collected $22.75 on unpaid letters, $9.80 for postage on newspapers, and $89.43 for box-rents. State his account with the United States in the form below. ORTHOGRAPHY. 23. Copy all of the following words, and correct the spelling of such of them as are incorrectly spelled : Separate, privelege, eligible, offerred, preferred, receit, neccessary, trafficking, at- tornies, moneys, forceible, admitteuce, buisness, recollect, reccomend, feasible, commis- sary, consistancy, abreviate, govenor, indispensable, tremenduous, accomodate, griev- ious, gauger. 96 REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. The exercises are not all incorrect. 24. Copy all of the following sentences, and correct such as contain errors in syntax : Him who the money was received by should be held accountable. The difference between him and I is not great. Neither the President or Secretary were present. Which of the two courses is preferable ? He done his work very well. The two first Secretary's of the Treasury were Hamilton and Wolcott. He writes more rapid than me, but my writing is the most legible of the two. No one can become a good clerk unless they are diligent. Wisdom, and not riches, procure esteem. The Chief Clerk learned him how to state the account. Passports to foreign countries are issued by the State Department. The data which was furnished was not sufficient. Exercise 25 is an interlined rough draught of a letter to be copied, which it is not practicable to reproduce here. HISTORY,, GEOGRAPHY, AND GOVERNMENT. History. 26. When, by whom, and for what causes was the Declaration of Independence adopted? 27. Name the thirteen original States. 28. Name at least six of the principal battles of the Revolutionary War. 29. Name the Presidents who were elected for two terms of office. 30. At about what dates were steamboats, railroads, and telegraphs first used in the United States ? Geography. 31. Name the States which border on the Atlantic Ocean and those which border on the Pacific. 32. Name the States by or through which the Mississippi River flows. 33. Name the three principal mountain ranges and the five largest rivers of the United States. 34. What is the difference between latitude and longitude 1 ? 35. Give the proper definition of a peninsula and of a cape, and an example of each in the United States. Government. 36. What do you mean by the Constitution of the United States ? How can it be amended ? 37. What is the difference between the method of selecting Senators of the United States and the method of selecting United States judges, and how do the tenures of these two classes of offices differ ? 38. By whom are laws made in this country, and which is of the higher authority, a law or a constitution ? 39. What is meant by trial by jury ? 40. What instrument defines the powers of Congress, and what instrument the pow- ers of a State legislature ? APPENDIX C. BEING A COPY OF QUESTIONS PUT ON AN EXAMINATION FOR PROMO TION, AND INTENDED TO INDICATE THE EXTENT TO WHICH SUCH QUESTIONS TURN ON DIRECT PRACTICAL QUALIFICATIONS. Examination for second, assistant examiners, Patent-Office, January 14, 1873. 1. For whatpurpose does the law grant the protection of letters-patent ? • 2. On what is the law creating the Patent-Office and authorizing the issue of letters- patent founded ? 3. What are letters-patent 1 4. What is the duty of a second assistant examiner ? 5. Upon taking up au application for examination, what are the points to b3 con- sidered ? APPENDIX INVESTIGATION OP A CHARGE. 97 6. What is a caveat, and who may file one in the Office ? 7. An application may be made for a patent for a device — 1st. Before the filing of a caveat by another party for the same invention. 2d. Atter the filing of the caveat, but within the year of its life. 3d. After the expiration ot the caveat, or 4th. It may be filed before the expiration of the caveat, but not allowed until after its expiration. In each of these cases, what should the examiner do ? 8. Should a claim for a combination include the mechanism through which the ele- ments claimed co-operate ? 9. Is the duplication of a known device ever patentable ? 10. What authority may properly require a division of an application, and when should it be exercised t 11. State the generally-received theory of winds. 12. How are railway-rails produced ? Describe the process by which railway-rails are produced from scrap or other iron. 13. What is hard rubber, and what are its uses? 14. What is tanning? Describe the process. Specify the materials used. 15. Describe the construction and operation of the electrical apparatus by which gas is lighted in buildings. lb'. Specify the various motive powers in use. 17. Describe the construction and operation of the common sewing-machines. 18. Describe minutely how you would proceed in the examination of an application. 19. What would you do when, any doubtful question arose, of law or practice, in your examination of applications ? 20. How does a locomotive draw its load, and what is the effect of increasing the surface of wheel and rail which come in contact ? APPENDIX D. INVESTIGATION OF A CHARGE AGAINST A BOARD OF EXAMINERS. The following extracts will show the manner in which the Commission deals with complaints against the boards of examiners. The case referred to is the only instance in which a distinct charge of irregularity or injustice has been made. For obvious reasons the portions of the letters which would identify the complainant are omitted. In February last the complainant wrote to the board of examiners of the War De- partment, from his residence in Pennsylvania, as follows : Gentlemen : Your communication in regard to the examination on the 4th of Feb- ruary was received. You state that my average was 66.8, or 3.2 below the minimum standard. I cannot but regard your way of marking as arbitrary and unprincipled ; for you must either have disregarded the examination-papers entirely, or have given such unreasonable pre-eminence in importance to one or two points, in which I am conscious I was somewhat deficient, (writing,) as to entirely swamp the many points in which I am conscious I was proficient. I am speaking, gentlemen, from no bad motive, but from a sense of propriety and justice. # # * # *' * * I feel, gentlemen, that if you had marked me according [to] the above standard, you would not have reported my average 66.8. I have a high regard for the present administration, but at the same time I will con- demn chicanery and injustice wherever they are found. Truly, &c, The Commission on February 26, 1874, Resolved, That the complaint of * * * against the action of the board of examiners of the War Department be made the subject of examination by the Civil Service Commission, on the 4th day of March next, at their rooms, No. 1421 G street, third floor, at 2 o'clock p. m., and that * . * * be requested to then appear before the Commission, or to make in writing a more specific statement of the grounds of his complaint against the examining board ; also, that the members of the examining board be requested to be present at the meeting ; and that the Secretary of the Commission be requested to notify the several persons above mentioned of the meeting. 70S 98 REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. The complainant did not attend, but in substance restated his case in writing. The members of the board of examiners attended at the time and place designated, and produced the original examination-papers of the complainant, and their markings thereon. These markings were investigated by the Commission, aided by the re- vision of another board of examiners, and by the chief examiner. This investigation brought the Commission to the conclusion that the original marking was fair and impartial. The reasons of this conclusion were explained in a letter to the complain- ant, to which he made the following reply : • , Pa., 17th March, 1874. Sir : I have to acknowledge the receipt this day of your letter, accompanied by the report of the chief examiner, who was appointed by the Civil Service Commission to determine whether or not there were grounds for my complaint against the marking of the board of examiners for the War Department. I desire to express to the Commission my thanks for their promptness and impar- tiality, and at the same time my regrets for the groundless trouble which I have given them. Very respectfully, E. B. Elliott, Esq., Member and Secretary Civil Service Commission. FIRST ANNUAL REPORT OF THE UNITED STATES CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. S3ECOJSTU EDITION. "WASHINGTON: GOVERNMENT FEINTING OFFICE. Junk, 1884. FIRST AMUAL REPORT UNITED STATES CIVIL .SEKYICE COMMISSION. SECOND EDITION. WASHINGTON:- GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE. Juke, 1884. To the Senate and House of Representatives : In compliance with the act of Congress approved January 16, 1883, entitled "An act to regulafe and improve the civil service of the United States," the Civil Service Commission has made to the President its first annual report. That report is herewith transmitted, together with communications from the heads of the several Executive Departments of the Govern- ment, respecting the practical working of the law under which the Com- mission has been acting. Upon the good results which that law has already accomplished I congratulate Congress and the people, and I avow my conviction that it will henceforth prove to be of still more signal benefit to the public service. I heartily commend the zeal and fidelity of the Commissioners and their suggestions for further legislation, and I advise the making of such an appropriation as shall be adequate for their needs. CHESTEE A. AETHUE. Executive Mansion, February 29, 1884. Washington, D. C, February 7, 1884. Sir: We have the honor to submit herewith the first annual report of the United States Civil Service Commission, for the year ending January 10, 1884. Dorman B. Eaton, John M. Gregory, Leroy D. Thoman, Commissioners. The President. CONTENTS. Page. Rule as to coercion, &c — 8 Political assessments , -- 9 The first provisions for examinations , 12 Abuses to be arrested 13 Pass examinations 12 Experience of competitive examinations and their character 13, 14, 15 The classified service 15,16 The examiners 17 Soldiers and sailors 20 Applications for examination , 19 Who may compete 20 Subjects of examination 20 Special and technical examinations 21 ■Questions and examinations 22 Marking and grading 22 The apportionment 23 Residence 24 Certifying for appointment - .- 24 Women in the service 25 Removals 26 Promotions and other exceptions to the rules 27 Probation 24 The Commission no patronage 30 Executive patronage diminished 30 The common schools and an office-holding class 30 Practical effects in customs and post-offices 31 Practical effects in the Departments 37 Independence of legislative and executive departments 38 Suggestions pf reform measures 38 The civil service law and rules. Appendix No. land 2 41 to 51 The civil service regulations. Appendix 3 51 Commissioners, officers, and examiners. Appendix 4 57 Examples of questions used. Appendix 5 60 Tables of those examined. Appendix No. 6 63 Tables of Department officers. Appendix No. 7 66 Bribery law of New York. Appendix No. 8 67 Reports from Executive Departments. Appendix 9 68 5 FIEST ANNUAL EEPOET OF THE UNITED STATES CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. The first report from a new branch of the executive service, the pur- pose and methods of which are by many misunderstood, should present all the facts and explanations needed for a correct judgment. In conformity with the requirement of the civil service act, the rules and regulations in force for carrying it into effect are made a part of this report.* They will be more readily understood if we have in mind the leading provisions of the act itself. Its ultimate purpose is plainly declared in its title, which is, "An act to regulate and improve the civil service of the United States." But, subordinate to that end, several results must be attained which, both in the law and in the rules, ap- pear to be the more direct objects of their provisions. 1. Official authority and influence must no longer be used to impair the freedom of elections or to coerce the political action of citizens. 2. Extortion from those in the public service, whether under the form of political assessments or otherwise, for the purpose of paying the expenses of parties or candidates, must come to an end. * The act was approved January 16, 1883. It took effect from its passage, though one of its provisions allowed vacancies in the service to be filled, according to'the old methods, until July 16; after which none could be filled, within the sphere of its first application, except from among those who had been examined under it. It is the six months from July 16 to January 16, the close of the first year, to which all the appointments herein mentioned refer. The three commissioners nominated by the President, Dorman B. Eaton, of New York, John M. Gregory, of Illinois, and Leroy D. Thoman, of Ohio, were confirmed by the Senate March 1. On the 9th of that month they took the oath of office, and on the same day the first meeting of the Com- mission was held at Wormley's Hotel, Washington, D. C. Mr. Thoman acted as sec- retary until June 11, when W. S. Koulhao entered upon his duties as secretary. Pursuant to a request from the President, the Commission entered at one e upon the consideration of the subject of rules, which, after very Blight modifications, were approved and promulgated by the President on the 7th day of May. Mr. Charles Lyman entered upon his duties as chief examiner May 12. During that month and the next, the members of the Commission more than once visited every office, except those in California, to which the rules were applicable ; first for the purpose of select- ing examiners, and next for the supervision of the first examinations. It was essen- tial to have persons examined, marked, graded, and ready for filling all vacancies after July 16. There was no failure or delay in that regard. 7 8 REPORT. OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. 3. Selections for the executive service on the basis of official favor and partisan influence must be suppressed by requiring examinations and other adequate tests of character and capacity as the conditions of entering this service. 4. The true responsibility and independence of the legislative and executive departments under the Constitution must be restored and preserved. I. The civil service act (section 2, clause 2, sub. 6), referring to the public service at large, declares "that no person in said service has any right to use his official 'authority or influence to coerce the political action of any person or body." In making the rules, the President exercised not only the authority conferred by that act and by the Eevised Statutes (section 1753,) but also that vested in the Executive by the Constitution. This ample au- thority, exercised in the spirit of the act, enabled the President to give its purpose a more emphatic and comprehensive expression in the lan- guage of the first rule. The second rule, which declares that no person by reason of being in the employment of the people shall be under any obligation to ren- der any political service, and that he will not be removed or otherwise prejudiced for refusing to do so, is in the same spirit, and may be re- garded as a complement of the first rule ; the first asserting the right of the private citizen to freedom from the coercion of executive officers, and the second asserting the right of such officers to freedom from the coercion of parties and factions. The enactment by Congress of the provisions quoted is the highest evidence of grave abuses against which such rules are aimed. It is too early to speak with definiteness of the effects of these rules. The influ- ence of old habits and theories affects conduct long after new standards of duty have been accepted. Though under Eule 23 a violation of either rule is made good cause for removal, the utility of such rules must in' some degree rest in their power as precepts ; for obviously only gross forms of their violation can be easily proved. The first step to- wards the protection of all rights is the distinct recognition of them and the public acknowledgment of a duty to protect them. That step at least has been taken. In the face of pledges at once formal and public, it will require more audacity to invade, and there will be a readier courage to defend, the freedom which it is the object of the first two rules to guarantee. No case of the violation of either, in the particulars referred to, has been laid before the Commission. Whether in the period since the Civil Service rules went into effect there has not been a diminished tendency on the part of Federal officers to meddle with the political action of citizens, and a more vigorous and general condemnation of the REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. 9 practice by the public, are questions to be decided upon a careful obser- vation of the facts, which are as open to all others as to the members of the Commission. Those parts of the act and of the rules which forbid political assess- ments, which prohibit discrimination by reason of political or religious opinions in making appointments (Eule 8) and which compel selections for the public service on the basis of merit instead of favor and influence, strongly support the freedom and justice which it is the special object of the first two rules to maintain. II. The provisions of the act (sections 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15) against as- sessments or other forms of extortion for political purposes from the fears of those whose tenure of office is precarious, prohibit officers and employes paid from the national Treasury becoming the collectors or receivers for such purposes of any part of each other's earnings. They forbid the solicitation or reception of assessments in the offices, navy- yards, forts, or arsenals of the nation. They make penal the discharge, promotion, change of compensation, or any form of degradation of any public servant by reason of any payment or non-payment for such pur- poses. Their aim is to secure to that class of citizens the real liberty to pay or not to pay, without loss of salary or occupation, of which many of them have long been deprived. Statutory provisions so ample made it unnecessary for the President to do more than to declare his accord with their spirit, and to pledge the exercise of his authority for the same ends. This much is done in Eule 2, taken in connection with Eule 23, which makes any violation of these provisions or of the rules "good cause for removal." The fifteenth section of the act, moreover, makes the violation of any of these provisions punishable by fine or imprisonment. This fact, as well as the very nature of the subject itself, points to the courts as the most appropriate and efficient bodies for dealing with such offenses. They alone can compel the attendance of witnesses, administer oaths, require the production of papersJ and decide upon and enforce adequate punishment. The Commission has, nevertheless, the duty to bring to the notice of the President, or of other proper executive officers, any information it may have calling for a removal. It may investigate charges. It is required to state in its reports the practical effect of the law and the rules in this as well as in other particulars. ~No inform ation calling for such removal has as yet come before the Com- mission. An investigation now being conducted by the Commission tends to show that the twelfth section of the act has been violated by a private citizen from each of two States, in the form of surreptitiously sending or carrying circulars into the Departments at Washington, by which contributions were solicited from those in the public service in aid of 10 EEPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. the political funds of those States, and one or more of the employes in those Departments appears to have assisted in the distribution of these circulars, but apparently without knowing their contents or the pur- pose of their distribution. We are satisfied that but trifling sums have been secured, and this illegal practice appears to have ceased upon public attention being called to it. That the threat of these punishments has greatly increased the sense of freedom of those in the public service to pay or not to pay political assessments, and that it has consequently greatly diminished the amount paid, seem to be facts generally recognized. With a view to more definite statements, we have obtained informa- tion from as many as possible of those best informed, mainly in those parts of the country where Federal officials are the most numerous and the collection of assessments has heretofore been most enforced. The conclusions we have reached are as follows: 1. That the amounts for corresponding periods collected from the same number of Federal officers and employes since the act went into ef- fect have not been more than from one-half to one- fourth as much as for- merly, and that while a feeling of complete safety in declining to pay is by no means attained, this diminution in the amount collected would otherwise measure the proportion of the whole amounts before secured which was paid by reason of fears of removal or hopes of promotion. 2. That the requests for contributions since the act went into effect have not employed the language of menace or demanded definite amounts or a percentage of salaries, but they have distinctly recognized the freedom of the public servant by appealing to him, not as a mem- ber of a class of annual rent-payers, but respectfully, as if he had. the same liberty, rights, and duties as any other citizen. 3. That the practice of former years of opening in the great cities, near the public offices, assessment-collection bureaus, to which partisan tax gatherers summoned the clerks and laborers of the Government, and from which they were pursued to their desks and workshops, has been wholly discontinued. 4. These changes, and the undiminished vigor and enthusiasm of parties at the late elections, have made clearer the truths that an office, however humble, is a public trust and not a favor held on condition of an annual rent; and that a party, whether in power or out of power, may not only maintain a vigorous life but may effectively present its just claims for support, without extorting the expenses from those humble servants of the nation who are least able to defend their rights as freemen. Note. — It may be mentioned as one of the indirect effects of the civil service act that, 'within a few weeks after its passage, a law was enacted in the State of New York with provisions against political assessments even more stringent than those of the act of Congress, and that they extend not only to the public servants of the State but to those of its counties, municipalities, and towns as well. REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. 11 III. The most important and exacting duties of the Commission are con- nected with the examinations and other tests of character and capacity for which the act provides, and which, subject to the rules, it places in charge of the Commission. The examinations are the direct object of several of the rules. It is the main purpose of the act to establish a system of examinations for ascertaining the fitness of applicants for doing the public work. The new system is to take the place of that vast machinery of patron- age, largely based on official favor and social and political influence, which, though materially curtailed in recent years, had long been the most effective means of entering the executive service. In other words, a merit system of office is substituted for a spoils system. There can be no more emphatic evidence that the old system had become intoler- able than the passage of the civil service act, by which members of Con- gress made a patriotic surrender of so much of their patronage. Bat if we have in mind a few of the worst consequences of the old system, we shall be able to more readily and fairly estimate the appropriateness and practical effects of the act and rules. They were these: 1. A virtual repudiation of the moral and legal duty of the appoint- ing power, to select the most meritorious applicant, and conse- quently an unjust and despotic denial of the paramount claims of the most worthy. 2. The substitution of superior backing for superior merit as the basis of appointments seriously impaired the independence essential to the constitutional responsibility of executive officers for the proper execution of the laws. 3. Members of Congress, pursued alike by the importunate appeals of those seeking office as a charity and by the clamor and threats of those demanding it as a reward for partisan work, were no longer independent. They were almost forced to devote to office-seeking the time needed for legislation, and to foist incompetent supernumeraries upon the public treasury which it was their special duty to protect.* 4. Despite the large proportion of competent and meritorious persons who found entrance, the bringing in of so many of the political office- begging and office-earning class tended to lower the public service in the estimation of the people, and to obstruct the work of Congress. 5. Such a system caused the people to overlook the important dis- tinction between elective officers and the constitutional advisers of the President, on the one hand, who represent and must deal with political opinions and local interests, and the purely administrative subordinates, on the other, who, representing neither opinions nor interests, should * In a speech, in Congress, in 1870, the late President Garfield used this language : " We press for appointments — we crowd the doors ; Senators and Representatives fill the corridors and throng the offices until the business is obstructed, &o. The result is that unworthy persons get places." 12 REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. do their work in the same manner irrespective of political or religious opinions, whatever party may be in power. 6. The system which thus made party patronage of clerkships at Washington, also made patronage of the subordinate places in the customs-offices and in the larger post-offices, the heads of which are subject to confirmation by the Senate. Selections for these places were dictated by the same influence which controlled confirmations. The power of confirmation was thus made a dangerous political force in the States and in the elections, tending alike to impair the counterpoise between members of the two houses of Congress and between Federal and State authority. Congress and the Executive alike, in language of marked directness and significance, have sought to suppress the graver forms of these evils of patronage ; Congress by declaring, in the tenth section of the civil service act, " that no recommendation of any person who shall apply for office or place under the provisions of this act, which may be given by any Senator or Member of 'the House of Bepresentatives," except as to the character or residence of the applicant, shall be received or considered by any person concerned "in making any exam- ination or appointment under this act"; and the President by declaring in the first rule that " official authority or influence shall not be used to coerce the political action of any person or body "; in Eule 8 that "no discrimination shall be made by the appointing power by reason of political or religious opinion or affiliations"; and in Eule 16, that "selections for appointment shall be made from the four highest in grade which shall be certified for appointment on the basis of merit shown on the examinations." Here we find perhaps the most authoritative and disinterested asser- tion possible of the untrustworthiness and vicious tendency of all recommendations for appointment. This, however, was not the first emphatic condemnation by Congress of recommendations and solicitations on the part of its members. Thirty years ago these evils were already so grave that Congress was com- pelled to seek a remedy and took the first steps toward substituting a merit system for a patronage system. At a much earlier date in Great Britain the same causes had forced the Government to resort to exam- inations in order to get at real capacity for doing the public work. That older Government had found that no amount of recommendations or solicitation, coming, as they almost always do, from deeply interested parties, could be accepted as reliable evidence. The first examinations were known as pass examinations, and were confined to favorites recom- mended by members of Parliament, lords, bishops, and great politicians, who issued tickets of admission to the examining boards. These exam- inations kept out the merest dunces among those recommended, but left unbroken the old aristocratic monopoly of the gates of entrance to the examinations. In 1853 and 1855 Congress followed the example of EEPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. 13 England by requiring the clerks in the departments at Washington to be arranged in four classes, and forbidding an appointment of those recommended until after a pass examination. However high the recom- mendations made by members, and however earnest the solicitation made by friends, those laws (now E. S., sec. 164) inexorably required a real test of competency in the form of an examination before an exam- ining board of three persons selected from the department which the applicant was seeking to enter.* The essential vices of the jjass-examination system were these : 1. The examinations were not open to all persons apparently quali- fied, nor even to all such persons belonging to the dominant party, but rather to such of the favorites of the dominant faction of that party as members of Congress and great politicians recommended. Though the more disinterested and patriotic of those who monopolized patronage brought large numbers into the service who were both capa- ble and worthy, the tendency was strong in favor of the office-begging and office-earning classes. 2. The tenure of the members of the examining boards was too pre- carious for strong resistance to influence and solicitation, but it should be said to their credit that they sometimes defeated the great officers and politicians who tried to push their favorites past the examinations. 3. These pass examinations denied the Government a choice from among the most meritorious applicants. There was no competition or comparison of merits between them, but only the chance of taking a person examined separately, on peril of offending his backers by refus- ing him. It was thus inevitable that one of the chief objects of the civil service act and rules should be the re-establishment of the system of free, open, competitive examinations. (See act, sec. 2 ; Eules 6, 11, 12, and 13.) f * Between 1872 and 1875 there was a Civil Service Commission appointed by Presi- dent Grant, and competitive examinations, which, resting upon his authority and upon a meager provision in an appropriation act, were conducted under many embarrass- ments. But members of Congress were not then prepared to surrender their patron- age. In 1874 and 1875 appropriations in aid of the reform were refused, although the President in messages in those years requested appropriations for continuing them, and declared that the results of the competitive system thus far had been to improve the public service, and that he believed they could be made still more bene- ficial. Though refusing the appropriation, Congress even in that period of reaction did not repeal the clause in the appropriation act nor the laws requiring pass exam- inations. The consequence was that the pass examinations were resumed and mem- bers of Congress again succeeded to the greater share of the old monopoly of desig- nating those who could be examined. t It is proper to mention that competitive examinations had had a trial more thor- ough than those under President Grant, referred to in the last note. The success of that experiment led to the rigid enforcement of such examinations at the custom- house and post-office at New York City (where they had before been tried in a quali- fied form), in March, 1879. They have been enforced at those offices since that date, and selections for appointment have been exclusively made from among those stand- ing highest in the competitions. So quickly were the good effects apparent that the 14 EEPOET OP THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. COMPETITIVE EXAMINATIONS. There is nothing in the nature of competitive examinations requiring different subjects or harder questions than those appropriated for pass examinations. But as they require the merits of those seeking appoint- ments to be put in comparison, it is but natural that the competition should raise the standard. 1 At the mere will of the examiners and the departments the pass examinations could have been extended to any subjects however literary or ornamental. But the competitive exam- inations required by the civil service act are by its terms (section 2, sub. 2, clause 1) required to "be practical in their character, and, so far as may be, (to) relate to those matters which will fairly test the relative capacity and fitness of the persons examined to discharge the duties of the service into which they seek to be appointed." Rule 6 is to the same effect. The seventh rule enumerates those branches or subjects to which alone all the examinations must be confined, except in the very few cases which fall under the fifth clause of that rule. There are certain essential conditions of competitive examinations, fully recognized and carefully provided for in the act and rules, which should be borne in mind in estimating their practical effects : 1. Accepting the theory that appointive offices are trusts and places of duty, in the common interest, these examinations treat the claim of every applicant as meritorious and strong in proportion, not to the in- fluence behind him, but to the good character and capacity he tenders in his own person for the salary. 2. They allow, therefore, no monopoly by any party, faction, or officials of the privilege of being examined, but open the examinations to all ap- plicants who, according to the rules, have the apparent qualifications essential in the places they seek irrespective of political or religious opinions or affiliations. (See Rule 8.) 3. To protect that privilege those who make applications in proper form must be notified in the order of the reception of their applications to attend the proper examinations. 4. After being graded according to merit those examined must be certified for appointment in the order of their grade, subject to the annual message of the President for 1880 commended them to the consideration of Congress. The same beneficial results have continued. For more than fourteen years competitive examinations, hased on a much longer trial in » limited sphere, have been enforced, with great public advantage, throughout the administrative service of Great Britain and British India. The intrinsic difficulties attending their first enforcement in Great Britain were far greater than with us, for the reason that such examinations are repugnant to the exclusive spirit and class distinctions of an aris- tocracy. That change was essentially republican in spirit which compelled the sons of lords, bishops, and the great land-owners to compete side by side with the sons of the humblest classes for admission to the administrative service of their country. The same year (1870) in which a competition of merit was made general, the public schools were by law, for the first time, required to be supported by general taxation. REPORT OP THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. 15 conditions of apportionment among the States and Territories, required by the second section of the act. The parts of the public service for which such examinations are ap- propriate are those in which the applicant's opinions are not qualifica- tions; consequently they are unsuitable to be applied to candidates for elective offices (or to the constitutional advisers of elective officers), an essential part of whose fitness is, that they are the representatives of political opinions or local interests. But competitive examinations are especially useful for places for which the highest qualification is an ability to do the public work, as directed by superior officers, in the same businesslike manner, whatever party may be in power, and what- ever may be the political or religious opinions of the citizens most di- rectly affected by the work to be done. THE CLASSIFIED SERVICE. It was the part of wisdom in the outset to enforce the new system broadly enough to fairly test its merits without making it so general as to involve serious inconvenience in case of failure. There was need to bear in mind that the greatest opposition from patronage-mongers and partisans would be at the first stages, when the examiners would be the most inexperienced, the Commission most embarrassed by novel ques- tions, and the ill-informed most easily misled. Moreover, the abuses to be suppressed increase in geometrical ratio with the magnitude of the business in the offices and the number of officials required. The head of a small office has ample time to learn the character and capacity of all those seeking appointments, and he need not be ignorant of the con- duct of his subordinates. Butinthe Departments, and larger post-offices, and customs offices, the chief officer can hardly know the merits of more than a small proportion of the applicants. The power and opportunity for intrigue and selfish influence at such offices are dangerously great. It was plain also that persons nominated for confirmation by the Sen- ate could not with advantage be subjected to examinations, at least without the consent of that body, which has not yet been given. At the other extreme of the Executive service were those employed merely as laborers or workmen, whose examination as to attainments would be as impracticable as it is needless. These considerations suggested the proper limits of the examinations at the outset. In the Departments at Washington, the classification, already referred ' to as existing under the Eevised Statutes (including all persons receiv- ing salaries of not less than $900 nor more than $1,800 per annum), embraced a suitable number for the first examinations in that branch of the service. Those thus included are designated fhe classified Depart- mental service.* * The classification existing by law in the Departments when the civil service act was passed, and which covers all places at Washington thus far embraced within the examinations, is inconvenient and misleading. There are various places not classified 16 REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. A similar classification, as directed by the first and second clauses of the sixth section of the act, was made of the parts of the postal and customs service which, the act required to be brought, in the first in- stance, under the rules, and the portions of the service embraced in the two latter branches are designated, respectively, the classified postal service and the classified customs service.* These three branches are, in the aggregate, designated the classified civil service. The number of places included in the classified departmental service (at Washington), and consequently to be filled from those certified on the basis of the examinations, is, as nearly as we can ascertain, 5,652. The classification of the customs offices to which the act at first ex- tends was made by the Secretary of the Treasury on the 26th of March last into five classes, of which those in the lowest receive an annual compensation of $900, and the highest (excluding those confirmed by the Senate) receiving a salary of $1,800 or over. The number of places thus classified in the customs service, at the eleven ports and twenty-five customs offices to which it extends, is in all 2,573. A classification of those in the post-offices to which the act at first extends was made by the Postmaster-General iflto four classes on the 4th day of April, 1883. The highest class embraces those who receive an annual compensation of $1,800 or over, and the lowest those who re- ceive a compensation of $800 or less, but the latter includes no person employed merely as a laborer or workman. The whole number of places embraced within this classification at the twenty-three post- offices (being the largest in the Union) was (January 1, 1883), 5,699. In the three branches of the classified service, therefore, the number of places to be filled on the basis of competitive examinations is in the aggregate 13,924. The increase, since made, in the classified service carries the number above 14,000.f which seem to come within the principle of the old classification. It is presumed that at the proper time this classification will he extended, and that its lines will be made regular and consistent. One effect of its present deficiency and inconsistency is to be regretted. Persons not well informed — and some within the Departments — seeing cer- tain places really outside the classification, but which should consistently be within it, filled by persons not examined under the Commission, have considered, and in some cases, have informed members of Congress that the rules in such instances are being disregarded. It is believed that no violation of the rules in that regard has taken place. The power and duties of the Commission, so far as relates to examinations, .are, by section 2 of the act, confined to the classified service, and do not extend to any employe's not classified, whatever the position or duties of such employe's. The right of transfer from place to place in the same Department is given to its head by section 166 of the Revised Statutes, and that right is not taken away by the civil service act. The Commission has neither authority nor responsibility in the matter of such transfer. * See Rule 5, which shows the post-offices and customs offices thus included. t If we assume the civil service of the United States to embrace in all about 110,000 persons, a large proportion of the whole must be classed as laborers or -workmen. There are 48,434 postmasters. Of the remaining 61,566, 4,017 are in the Railway Mail REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. 17 In the grades above those classified in the Departments at Washing- ton there are 359 officers, of whom 76 are subject to confirmation by the Senate. Of the 5,652 included in that classification only 135 are excepted under Eule 19. Ample authority is conferred upon the President by the third clause of the sixth section of the act to require the new system to be extended to other parts of the executive service whenever, in the light of the ex- perience gained, the public advantage is likely to be promoted thereby. No further legislation in that direction seems necessary. But if a more enlightened and independent sentiment, developed among the people, shall hereafter so encourage the President, heads of Departments, and the Senate that they will co-operate in enforcing a joint policy which shall require the selection of chiefs of Bureaus and of postmasters and collectors at the larger offices from among the subor- dinates at such offices, who would bring business experience rather than partisan activity to those positions, there would be a yet greater extension given to the merit system of office, and a new and salutary ambition would be awakened among subordinates. And beyond that, there would be a great relief from the solicitation and controversy which attend appointments to such positions. THE EXAMINEES. The act requires the examiners, other than the chief examiner, to be selected by the Commission from among those in the official service of the United States. It is the principal duty of the chief examiner, under the direction of the Commission, to secure accuracy, uniformity, and justice on the part of all the examiners. He is, in that particular, the executive officer of the Commission. (See Begulations 1 and 2.) For such purposes he has visited, during the past six months, nearly every office to which the rules apply, and most of them more than once. Every such office, including those at San Francisco, has also been visited, and most of them more than once, by one or more members of the Com- mission. The Commission does not directly conduct examinations or mark or grade those examined, although some of its members have attended a majority of all the examinations held. The Commission is a board of final appeal from all examinations, and as to all complaints concerning marking and grading, or other matters coming within the sphere of its duties. It has also to take care that everywhere the public interest and convenience are regarded in the grade of questions and in the method of the examinations. Sendee, and 4,010 are in the Internal Revenue Service outside of Washington. The number in the diplomatic and consular service is also large. To these must be added the officers and clerks of Congress and of all the Federal courts. Those under the rules at the outset embrace, therefore, a very large proportion of the officials to which the competitive system can properly be extended. 15817 OS E 2 18 REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. The selection of examiners from those in the public service was re- quired by Congress in the interest of economy, as well as to secure examiners who should be familiar with the real needs of the offices for which applicants were to be examined. They are paid no extra com- pensation. Three examiners, selected at each post-office coming under the rules, serve as a Board for the examination of applicants for that office ; and from three to five selected in each customs district to which the rules extend serve as a Board for that district. For the seven Executive Departments at Washington a common Board of ten is selected, two members of this Board coming from each of the three Departments having the largest number of subordinates, and one from each of the four others. This Board supervises the examinations at Washington for the Departmental service, and marks and grades all persons examined there or elsewhere for that service. Besides the Boards above named, special ones are selected to examine applicants for places for which special knowledge or skill is required, as draughtsmen, telegraphers, patent examiners, &c. The Commission used the greatest care in the selection of the exam- iners, in order to secure gentlemen of candor, good judgment, and con- scientiousness, united with a high order of intelligence and practical experience. We wish to bear testimony to the efficient and satisfactory manner in which, without exception, the duties of these Boards have been performed. The result has shown what those best acquainted with the public service anticipated. It has been made clear that many members of that service, ready to make sacrifices and efforts for its improvement, are glad to welcome such tests for admission as will substitute demonstrated merit for partisan influence and secret favor. We have found ample numbers in the offices fully competent for the administration of a sys- tem which they believe will improve alike the reputation and efficiency of. that service of which they are a part, and to the honor of which they are justly sensitive. Even if an appropriation could have been secured to pay outside examiners, they would have known far less of the needs of the service, and their employment would have been justly regarded, in the Departments and offices, as an offensive and unwarranted con- demnation of the capacity and fidelity of those serving there. In States and Territories in which no postal or customs examiners are yet required, the examinations of applicants for the Departmental service, unless they prefer to go into some adjoining State, or to attend at Washington, are held under the charge of a Board selected by the Commission from among persons in the Federal service in such States and Territories. Boards of this latter class have already held examina- tions in North and South Carolina. The need of supplying promptly the wants of the classified postal and customs service caused examina- tions to be first held in the States to which such classified service ex- tends, but local examinations for the service at Washington are now being extended to other States. RETORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. 19 THE APPLICATION FOR EXAMINATION. To every person requesting to enter the classified service a blank ap- plication paper is sent. The filling of this paper is the first step in the applicant's examination. In the proper blanks he gives his name, age, residence, and occupation for each of the past five years, and such other facts in regard to himself and his experience, education, and qualifications as are important to be known. All these statements are made under oath, and are required to be confirmed by the vouchers of not less than three nor more than five persons, who state, in blank cer- tificates on the same sheet, their knowledge of the applicant and their belief of the truth of his statements, and vouch for his character, ca- pacity, and good reputation. No recommendations outside of these vouchers are allowed to be received or considered by the Commission, the examiners, or the appointing officers. (See section 10 of act.) The application thus filled is returned to the Commission or to the proper Examining Board, and if its statements show that the applicant is regularly vouched for, and that he is entitled by age, health, and citizenship to be examined for the service he seeks, his name is entered upon the proper record, with the date of his application, and his paper is placed on file. When the next examination is held, at a point which seems convenient for him, he is notified to be present. If the applications on file at any office are in excess of the number that can be examined at one time, the earlier applicants, by Eule 13, are summoned first ; except that at Washington the duty of appor- tionment may require those to be first examined who are from States whose qualified applicants are in deficient numbers. This excludes all preference of applicants through favor or patronage, and is in the spirit of the act, section 5, which makes all willful and corrupt ob- struction of the right of examination a criminal offense. The appli- cants who are in excess of the number that can be examined at one time stand first upon the record to be notified for the next examination. Examinations are held as frequently as the needs of the service re- quire. Thus far all applicants (except some from the District of Co- lumbia, where the number is excessive, and in one or two similar cases outside) have been notified to attend the first examinations held after their applications were received. The application paper is itself a sort of preliminary examination. It asks the same questions that any wise and experienced business man or appointing officer would desire to ask concerning the circumstances, health, character, and experience of the applicant, and it frequently de- ters from the examinations unworthy or incompetent persons, who find themselves unable to answer satisfactorily the inquiries proposed, or unwilling to give the information asked for. Of the hungry host of place- seekers, many are weeded out by the necessity of making this sworn statement of their career, while to genuine and worthy applicants it opens the way for the proper statement of their qualifications. 20 REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. WHO MAY COMPETE. A competition theoretically perfect would be one in which every per- son, from any part of the country, could compete for every vacancy. But the needs of the public business, as well as the provisions of the act that the examination shall be practical, and shall fairly test the capacity and fitness needed for discharging the duties of the place sought, require limitations. The qualifications needed for carriers or for weighers, for example, are quite different from those needed for copyists, or for some grades of clerks. Questions appropriate for ordi- nary clerkships would be unfit tests for telegraphers, or Pension-Office examiners. Provision is therefore made under which the application paper designates the grade or description of places sought ; and it fol- lows that the real competition is between all those who seek the same grade or places. Further than this, the act, by requiring the appointments to the serv- ice at Washington to be apportioned among the States, Territories, and the District of Columbia, practically makes the competition between those from the same State or Territory, rather than an inter-State compe- tition. In some cases, perhaps, this State competition may put into the service a person inferior to the one whom the broader competition would have supplied. But it gives to each State and Territory, what it has not yet had, a proportion of the appointments numerically due to its population, and it will unquestionably stimulate education in the States as well as increase the local interest in all matters affecting the admin- istration of the Federal Government. SOLDIERS AND SAILOES. Every provision of law favorable to those who have rendered honor- able service in the Army or Navy of the United States is preserved in the civil service act and the rules; and in the latter (see Bule XI) these patriotic privileges have been in the matter of age and otherwise some- what extended. Every person honorably discharged from such service by reason of disability incurred in the line of duty, if he shall exhibit the measure of capacity found to be essential in the civil service, is allowed a preference. SUBJECTS FOR EXAMINATION. The branches embraced in the general examinations for ordinary clerkships and other places of the same grade, are given in Eule 7. In none of these branches do the questions go further than is covered by the ordinary instruction in the common schools of the country. A limited examination is provided under Clause 4 of Eule 7, for copyists, messengers, carriers, night inspectors, and other employes of similar grades, including only a part of the branches above named, the subjects and questions being varied in number and grade to meet the require- REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. 21 ments of the different parts of the service. This allows persons of only- limited attainments to secure the positions for which they are competent. The common-school education must have been exceedingly defective which does not enable one to pass this examination. It will be noticed that, even in the general or higher grade of exami- nation, under Clause I of Eule 1, proficiency in the first three subjects secures eligibility for appointment. Therefore failure in the last two will exclude no one from the service, though a good standing therein raises the grade of the applicant and gives him the better chances for an appointment. If any shall notice with regret that only common-school education is exacted for entering the public service at the higher grade, and that thus only small direct reward is offered to academic and college learn- ing, it may be remembered, on the other hand, that both by rewarding excellence in the common schools and by barring out corrupt influence from public office, learning of every grade, and good character and manly effort in every position are stimulated and strengthened. The common schools are the gates to the academies and the academies are the gates to the colleges. It should always be a paramount object to keep the public service freely open to as many of the people as have the ability and information needed for doing its work. The best informed and most meritorious of those who enter it will be likely to win the higher prizes through pro- motion when once the merit system for admission shall be fairly estab- lished. And though the higher education is not necessary in order to gain admission to the public service, it will nevertheless prove its value in the mastery of the principles and methods of that service, and so gain higher consideration, and give increased power to those who possess it. SPECIAL AND TECHNICAL EXAMINATIONS. While only the common-school education is required of the applicant for the ordinary clerkships and subordinate places in the classified serv- ice, there are other places, comparatively few in number, for which higher qualifications are requisite. Among these are clerkships in the State Department, which demand some knowledge of modern languages and of other special subjects; assistant examiners, draughtsmen, and other places requiring technical knowledge or skill, in the Patent Office; pension examiners and other clerkships in several Departments requir- ing some knowledge of law ; draughtsmen and other employes in the Supervising Architect's Office and Engineer Department and employes in other technical or scientific Bureaus or divisions of the service. Eule 7, Clause 5, provides for the special examinations for such places. Special Boards of Examiners have already been designated in the State Depart- ment, the Patent Office, and the Pension Bureau. Special examinations have been held of a telegrapher for the Department of Justice, and a 22 REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. topographic draughtsman for the Engineer Department. These two examinations were noncompetitive, the need of filling the vacancies being urgent, and only one applicant offering in each case. They are the only non-competitive examinations which have thus far been held under the rules. QUESTIONS AND EXAMINATIONS. In order to secure uniformity and justice, the questions for the exam- inations are almost invariably prepared by the Commission, those for any Examining Board outside of Washington being forwarded for its use just .before an examination is to be held. They are printed upon sheets with adequate space below each question for writing the answer or solution. The applicant gets his first knowledge of the questions as the sheets are given him, one after the other as his work advances, at his examination table. The examinations are open to such spectators as can be accommodated without interfering with the quiet due to those being examined, but the answers are not exhibited without the consent of the person who wrote them. The question sheets, with the answers thereon, are preserved as a part of the permanent records of the Com- mission, so that the fairness of the marking and grading can be tested as well a year as a week after they are made. In Appendix No. 5 are given examples (except that for brevity the answer spaces are omitted) of the several grades of questions, being the same actually used on several of the general and limited examinations, and they are "a fair specimen of the average character of the whole. It is hardly necessary to add that, except in the very few examinations needed for places requiring tech- nical or scientific knowledge, no questions more difficult have been used. The examples in arithmetic do not go beyond the needs of the public business. Every question in geography, history, or government is con- fined to that of the United States. Not a word of a foreign language, nor a technical term of art or science, nor any example in algebra, geometry, or trigonometry has been employed in any one of the general or limited examinations, and these examinations-alone are used for at least ninety-five out of every hundred places within the classified service. MARKING AND GRADING. The rules and regulations contain sufficient explanation of the methods pursued in marking and grading. That work is done by the Boards of Examiners, and while doing it they do not know whose papers they are marking.* (See Eegulation 21.) This saves the examiners from bias and from suspicion of partiality. * At the smaller offices those examined may, by handwriting or otherwise, be known to the examiners, but in such offices the temptations to injustice are less, and no complaint of that nature has been made to the Commission. REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. 23 The grave responsibility and the guarantees of fairness under which the markings and gradings are made are to be found in the penal clause of the fifth section of the act and in Eules 8 and 23. It has been found practicable to attain a high degree of uniformity and certainty in these markings, and the appeals to the Commission for their revision have been very small in proportion to the numbers examined, hardly two cases in a hundred. So much uniformity, however, has not been attained without much care. In the first attempts some diversity in applying the standards - for marking and grading was perhaps inevitable between the different local Boards. But the same standard was applied to all those exam- ined for the same office, thus avoiding all injustice. The example in marking and grading, given in the regulations, suf- ficiently illustrates the method. It will be seen that a failure in one question, or even failures in several of the fifteen to thirty questions, need not prevent the applicant's securing the required grade. High proficiency in one subject may cover deficiencies in others; there- fore, ability to get into the service can in no case depend upon an answer to any one or two questions, or even entirely upon the informa- tion shown upon any one subject. Yet it should be said that bad pen- manship seriously threatens failure in competing for positions as copy- ists, or for clerkships of the lower grade, where penmanship is especially important. THE APPORTIONMENT. The apportionment of new appointments at Washington is to be made to States and Territories according to population, as ascertained at the last preceding census. The number that will fall to any one of them within a year cannot be accurately known, because the whole number of vacancies is not known beforehand. Following the appor- tionment of representation in Congress, which is also based upon pop- ulation as ascertained at the last census, the certification to fill vacan- cies is made as nearly as possible in the same ratio. It may not be at any moment mathematically exact, but in the year will be as nearly complete as the appearance of proper persons from the several States and Territories will allow. It will be noticed that the appointments already made to the service have been made from twenty-six States and Territories-* RESIDENCE. In the application paper the residence of all applicants must be stated under oath.- The question whether legal or mere temporary residence is intended arises under this law as well as under so many * From the District of Columbia there have been two appointments in excess, which resulted from an unanticipated selection of more than one from a single certification to a Department, a thing not likely to happen again. 24 REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. others, but the Commission assume that legal residence is meant by the act. If mere present residence should be treated as the intention of the act, an applicant might fix such residence in any State to which he may go perhaps for the very purpose. The custom of officers of the Government retaining for 5 ears a legal residence in the States from which they came, leads others not in Gov- ernment employ to suppose that they too may continue to claim a legal "residence in the States in which they or their parents formerly lived, jhough they may long since have established permanent homes here. It is natural that at the seat of Government a large excess of appli- tants for the public service shall be found. Under the old system the District of Columbia supplied numbers of clerks greatly disproportioned to its population. The requirement by Congress that new appoint- ments shall be apportioned to the States and Territories on the basis of population, has diminished the chances of residents of Washington to secure Government places in the same ratio that it has increased the chances of those who reside elsewhere. CERTIFYING FOE APPOINTMENT. Those who have attained a grade showing fitness for appointment at Washington are placed upon the proper registers kept by the Com- mission, for the service there ; and at other places by the Examining Board at each place. (See Eules 13, 14, and 16, and Eegulations 4 to 10.) These registers are permanent books of record showing the age, grade, residence, date of entry thereon as eligible for appointment for all parts and grades of the service. When a vacancy occurs at Wash- ington, the Commission, and when at a post-office or customs office the Examining Board for the same, certifies from the proper register four persons who are graded highest among those entered thereon for the grade or part of the service in which the vacancy exists. In the latter offices, where no apportionment is required, the four graded highest must in every case be certified. At Washington, the Commission takes the four names from the list of those from one or more States (having names upon the register) which have the strongest claim ou the basis of the apportionment. But the highest in grade, from the State or States which have such claim, must be taken ; and the whole action in that regard appears of record. The grade is won by the applicant him- self. The order of selection is fixed by the law and the rules. This excludes both favor and patronage. The need of certifying as many as four is twofold : First. The appointing power, conferred by Congress upon the heads of Departments under the strict terms of the Constitution, is a power of choice — a right of selection for appointment from among several. That opportunity of choice is inseparable from the power itself. On the other hand, it is the duty of the appointing officer to use that right of choice by selecting the most worthy and capable. Congress may by REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. 25 law facilitate such exercise of that right by a system which brings to the notice of the appointing officers persons proved to be both capable and of good character, together with the evidence of such facts. From these it may require the appointment to be made. To aid the appoint- ing power in that way, and not to weaken it, is the principal object of the examinations. Congress and the Executive co-operated in aid of doing what the appointing officers have found it impossible to do alone. The laws of 1853 and 1855 affirmed the same principal by allowing no one to be appointed who had not been examined.* Second. Inasmuch as the head of the Department knows best the kind of excellence needed in a particular vacancy, he is allowed a choice among several. A choice between four seems to preserve the authority of the appointing power, and to allow a sufficient variety of capacity for answering the needs of the public business. For both these reasons a requirement that the applicant graded highest be taken would be indefensible. In a vast majority of cases we have reason to think that those certi- fied were at that date unknown to the appointing officers. It is the evident duty of the appointing officer to select the most fit of the four certified, and in the great majority of cases the highest in grade among the four certified has been appointed. "WOMEN IN THE SERVICE. Nowhere on the part of the Commission or its subordinates is there any favor or disadvantage allowed by reason of sex. Only under free, open, competitive examinations have the worthiest women the oppor- tunities, and the Government the protection, which arise from allow- ing character and capacity to win the precedence and the places their due. The need for political influence or for importunate solicitation, especially disagreeable to women, for securing appointments in the classi- fied service exists no longer. Eule 16, clause 3, controls the certification ofwomen for appointment so completely that the Commission has no discretion on the subject. The law in force before the passage of the civil service act gave the heads of Departments authority to decide when women are required or can be accepted. Both the civil service act and the rules leave that authority unimpaired. In order to prevent disappointment we ought to add that, perhaps because the examinations naturally appeal to the hopes and the ambition of women, a greater number of them, in proportion to the places treated by the Departments as open to their sex, have been examined, and hence the number of women waiting to be certified is large in a like ratio. * Several years before the passage of the civil service act, the then Attorney-Gen- eral held that the right of choice might he limited to three. 26 REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. REMOVALS. The power of removal and its exercise for just reasons are essential both to the discipline and the efficiency of the public service. A life tenure would be indefensible. The civil service act and rules leave the authority and duty of removal undisturbed, with this exception, that the second rule forbids a removal for refusing to perform a political service or to pay a political assess- ment, and the last rule adds every violation of either rule or of the pro- visions of the act against assessments to the good causes for removal which existed before. The act and rules have greatly diminished the pressure upon appointing officers for removals, and have taken from them the temptation to make removals of their own motion for the mere purpose of making a vacancy for a favorite. Many removals, and those the most indefensible in former years, were unquestionably ma"de not because the person removed was not a useful public servant, but because some powerful influence was to be conciliated, some friend was to be grat- ified, or some dangerous enemy was to be placated by putting a particular person in the vacancy. Nevertheless, save in the particulars mentioned, the power to remove for even the most partisan and selfish reasons remains unchanged. The changes are only in the opportunity of filling the vacancy with favor- ites and henchmen, and in the greater peril from a frowning, hostile pub- lic opinion. , Whether this taking away of such causes for removals will keep mer- itorious officials longer in their places will depend upon the question whether an administration is more anxious to promote the interests of the people, or to bribe elections by patronage and appease the clamors of partisans by making vacancies. It is still possible to promise the spoils of a hundred thousand offices as the rewards of party victory in a na- tional canvass. It is still possible to remove every person in the class- ified service once in four years or once in four months. But the vacan- cies can be filled only by those, who irrespective of party, demonstrate superiority in free, open competition of character and capacity. It is worthy of notice that any loss of patronage and profits which may result from the enforcement of a merit system will fall not very unequally upon both the great parties. The spoils system, upon the theory of its friends, opens three sources of strength. (1) Extortion from Federal officials, under fear of removal by the party in power, of vast sums for its campaign expenses. (2) Servile work for that party by all these officials enforced by the same fear. (3) The promise of places made to outsiders as the reward of work and contributions for carrying elections. Manifestly the first two of these sources of strength, and perhaps the most effective on that theory, are the loss and sacrifice of the party in power alone. It makes that sacrifice on the very threshold of reform. REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. 27 It is not, however, so generally seen that the third surrender is, on that theory, the common loss of both parties. Yet such is the fact; for a party in power, after secretly assuring all its subordinates who are effective workers that their best efforts for the party will make them safe, can, on the methods of that system, make proclamation just as effectively and corruptly as the other party to the office-seeking class that three or four thousand places will be the prizes of the most effect- ive workers and contributors for the elections.* PROMOTIONS AND OTHER EXCEPTIONS FROM THE RULES. Eule 19, recognizing needs in the public service familiar to those ac- quainted with the conditions of good administration, allows the appli- cants for certain places to be appointed without examination. The confidential or fiduciary relations sustained by those who fill some of these places, the occasional need of employing persons of professional standing or of peculiar capacity in others, and the lack of temptation for disregarding the public interests in filling others, are the reasons for all but one of these exceptions. The entire exceptions (aside from that relating to promotions) cover but few places — not exceeding 135 in all the Departments at Wash- ington; and in the postal and customs services the ratio of excepted places is smaller still. The exception of examinations for promotion requires further notice. The need of caution in making the great changes which a new system involved, together with the fact that the commission had too much work at the outset, were perhaps in themselves adequate reasons for not dealing at once with the difficult subject of promotions. The act, moreover, recognizes the value of examinations as far greater for enter- ing the service than for rising in it. It leaves their extension to pro- motions in the discretion of the President. The difference between the value of competitive examinations for ad- * This application of the spoils system is not a mere theory. It has been successfully made in the State of New York, where the spoils system was first, and has been, most effectively enforced. When Draper, a Republican, was collector at the port of New York, he removed a subordinate as often as every third day for a whole year. When Smyth, another Republican, succeeded Draper as collector in 1866 he removed 830 of his 903 Republican subordinates at the average rate of three every four days. When Grinnell, another Republican, succeeded Smyth as collector in 1869 he removed 510 out of his 892 Republican subordinates in sixteen months. When Murphy, another Republican, succeeded Griunell as collector in 1870 he removed Republicans at the rate of three every five days until 338 had been cast out. It was the expectation of such spoils which gave each candidate for collector the party strength which secured his confirmation. Thus, during a period of five years in succession, collectors, all belonging to one party, for the purpose of patronage, made removals at a single office of members of their own party more frequently than at the rate of one every day. In 1,565 secular days 1,678 such removals were made. Upon the appointment of Mr. Arthur as collector in 1871 he put an end to this disgraceful proscription. 28 REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. mission and for promotion is plain enough. The applicant for original entrance to the service is a stranger to the head of the office and igno- rant of its duties. But those who seek promotion are well known to the head of the bureau or office. They have served under his own eyes. No one knows so well as he their capacity or the qualifications needed in the vacant place. They are seeking places of authority where dis- cretion, a sense of justice, facility in arranging and dispatching busi- ness, capacity for discipline and for command are not only the most essential qualifications, but are the most difficult of/all to be tested by examinations. Yet there are parts of the service in which examination for promotion may be of great advantage. The principal causes of unjust promotions, in the absence of exami- nations, are (1) importunate solicitations and coercive influence from the outside; and (2) prejudice, favoritism, or corruption on the part of the appointing officers. We need not stop to inquire which class of these abuses is the most frequent or pernicious. The first thing essential is a real liberty of choice on the part of the appointing officers to pro- mote the most worthy. Then we can deal with prejudice and favoritism within the offices. We can then also consider the relative claims of superior capacity, seniority, and well-tested fidelity, which help to com- plicate the whole subject of promotions and require the most careful consideration. The outside interference is far more indefensible, if not more per- nicious, in regard to promotions than in regard to original admissions. For the importunate backer of a new man may perhaps know something of the merits of the friend he pushes; but it is sheer presumption for an outsider, ignorant as he must be of the duties of those in a bureau, to assume to instruct the officer at the head ap to the merits of those who have served under him for years. Nevertheless, and in plain re- pugnance to the spirit of the tenth section of the civil service act, the duty of promoting is now seriously embarrassed by solicitations and the coercive influence of persons having no right of interference, nor means of judging of the usefulness of the candidate. In some of the best governed countries such intrusion in behalf of a favorite has not only been condemned by regulations, but the favorite is himself treated as the secret promoter of the intervention. He is therefore held ineligible for promotion until he has purged himself of the connivance of which he is assumed to be guilty. Here is a great step towards freedom of choice by the appointing power in the matter of promotions. Members of Congress have set a self-denying and patriotic example, in the same spirit, in the tenth section of the civil service act which in substance, and it would seem, in legal effect, forbids every appointing officer receiving or considering any recommendation on the part of a member of Congress except as to character or residence. In law, a pro- motion is in a certain sense an appointment. If others having no duty REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. 29 in the matter would follow this example of forbearance, it might be made almost as practicable for any one to rise in the service, as it now is for any one to enter it, on personal merit. PROBATION. The rules provide for a probationary service of six months before any absolute appointment can be made. At the end of this time the ap- pointee goes out of the service unless then reappointed. During the probation, the character of the service rendered by the probationer and his fidelity are carefully observed, as the question of a permanent ap- pointment depends upon them. The probation is a practical scrutiny continued through six months in the very work which the applicant is to do. In this part of the system candid persons will find a sufficient answer to the common and oft-re- peated objections based on the assumption that no merely literary examination can show all the qualities required in a good officer. ^Nobody pretends that an examination in any branch of learning is an adequate test of business capacity. Congress clearly recognized its inadequacy, and therefore provided that in all cases " there shall be a period of pro- bation before any absolute appointment or employment." Instead of this practical test being foreign to the competitive system, it is original with that system and is everywhere an important part of it. It has been shown, moreover, upon each of the several trials of competi- tive examinations that in alarge majority of instances the superior men in the competitions are also the superior men in the public work. The propor- tion, among very bright minds, of those who have good business capacity is at least as great as the proportion of those having that capacity among men of very dull minds. Between these extremes, they who ex- cel in the schools do so by reason of the fidelity, patient labor, and good habits— qualities which also fit them for the public service. Probation, in its short trial under the Civil Service act, has borne testimony to these antecedent probabilities, proving that the best men for the work of the Government, in the class which seeks to enter its service, are to be found among those who stand highest in the examina- tions. The first person to enter the public service anywhere under the present rules — a young man at the post-office at Saint Louis — was the first in the competition, and he was the first to be promoted for merit at the end of his probation. The first person appointed under the rules to a department at Washington, was a lady who stood first on the com- petitive list of her sex. Her practical capacity has proved to be as excellent as her attainments. THE COMMISSION HAS NO PATRONAGE. After so full an explanation of the new methods, it would seem su- perfluous to add that the Commission does not dispense patronage, and 30 REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. that it has no power or opportunity to influence appointments or pro- motions, but it receives maDy letters which show that the writers think otherwise. This misunderstanding arises/from the old system, which made the belief almost universal that all appointments and promotions go by favor or influence. Even if it be conceded that a Commissioner might be dishonest and bold enough to violate the eighth rule, and to incur the severe penal- ties of the fifth section of the act, for party or personal ends, it is plain that no applicant could be unjustly refused an examination, that none could be notified for examination, or certified for appointment, out of the proper order, without the knowledge of the three Commissioners and the secretary, of whom two are adherents of one party and two of the other. The facts are that of the 3,542 of persons who have been examined, the politics of not one has been known to either Com- missioner at the time of his examination (except in the case of four or five personally known to one of the Commissioners), and that the pol- itics of neither of those who have been appointed was known to either Commissioner at the time the certification was made.* EXECUTIVE PATRONAGE DIMINISHED. Before the Civil Service act was passed the 14,000 places now classified were filled at the discretion of executive officers. If members of Con- gress had usurped the control of many of them, that fact did not make the filling of them less effective for the dominant party. The tenure of every place was the continuance of executive favor. Under the merit system the cod sent of no executive officer is needed to give access to the examinations. The marking and grading which the applicant earns for himsjelf compel his certification for appointment in the order of merit and apportionment. The mere opportunity of select- ing one from four amounts to nothing in the way of patronage. It may fairly be said, therefore, that those thus entering the public service have put themselves into office. The places they fill are not only taken out of the patronage of the party in power, but they are taken out of patron- age absolutely. They are made the prizes which merit earns for itself Every place added to the classified Civil Service is a diminution of exec- utive patronage, and of the spoils which a party in power may award to its camp-followers. THE COMMON SCHOOLS AND AN OFFICE-HOLDING CLASS. The means by which, as we have seen, competitive examinations are surely breaking up the class monopoly of patronage, are equally certain * The letters received by the Commission indicate that there are some persons who have not taken notice that no influence is needed to enable any applicant to seoure an examination, and others seem to think that the proper order of certification for ap- pointments may be changed by solicitation, and therefore appeal to third persons to assist them. It is hardly necessary to say that such intervention of third parties ia as unnecessary as it must be unavailing. REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMNISSION. 31 to prevent the growth of class monopoly or bureaucracy in the future. Under free competition no officer can award places to his favorites; no party can either make its platform a test for office-holding or exclude from the service the adherents of the other party. The political opinions, the social standing, the occupations, the sym- pathies and theories of those who enter the classified service will be as varied as the character, the pursuits, and the feelings of that vast citi- zenship from which applicants now spontaneously seek the examina- tions and win their way to the offices. Once in office, they will be free, by reason of the manner in which it was secured, to discharge those political duties and co-operate in manly and honest ways within their party, as becomes every citizen of a republic. It appears from statistics presented herewith that 65 per cent, of all those who have entered the service through competitive examinations were educated in the common schools alone. But the service has not been filled by boys and girls direct from these schools. The average age of all those appointed under the new system has been about 32 •years. If we assume the average age of leaving the common schools to be 16 years, it appears that, taking all those appointed, there has been an average period of sixteen years of practical life between the schools and the public service. Nevertheless, if the making of that knowledge which all the people are taxed to teach to all the children a condition of office-holding creates a bureaucratic class, then, indeed, the results of the new system are admonishing. But if universal taxation for teaching the subjects named in the seventh rule is justifiable, then to require superior excellence therein to be made a test for appoint- ments is a clear and obvious duty. This, at least, is unquestionable : that the nation, by bestowing its offices upon the most meritorious of those whom the States have edu- cated at public expense, will greatly hono r and stimulate the public- school system of the country.* EFFECT OF THE RULES IN THE CUSTOMS OFFICES AND POST-OFFICES. The period, during which vacancies have been filled on the basis of competition, is that between July 16 and January 16, though the examinations began in June.t The whole number of persons examined for the postal and customs service has been 2,758, of whom 1,585 were successful, having been graded above the minimum of sixty-five. * Thoughtful men are noticing the tendency of the new system to aid and honor the public schools. Governor Cleveland, of New York, for example, after stating in in his last message "that New York leads the States in the inauguration of a compre- hensive system of civil service, " declares that ' ' the children of our citizens are edu- cated and trained in schools maintained at the commori expense, and the people as a whole have a right to demand the selection for the public service of those whose natural aptitudes have been improved by the educational facilities furnished by the State." t The earlier examinations were held as fellows, 42 REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. iners shall be so located as to make it reasonably convenient and inex- pensive for applicants to attend before them ; and where there are per- sons to be examined in any State or Territory, examinations shall be held therein at least twice in each year. It shall be the duty of the collector, postmaster, and other officers of the United States, at any place outside of the District of Columbia where examinations are directed by the President or by said board to be held, to allow the rea- sonable use of the public buildings for holding such examinations, and in all proper ways to facilitate the same. Sec 4. That it shall be the duty of the Secretary of the Interior to cause suitable and convenient rooms and accommodations to be assigned or provided, and to be furnished, heated, and lighted, at the city of Washington, for carrying on the work of said commission and said ex- aminations, and to cause the necessary stationery and other articles to be supplied, and the necessary printing to be done for said commission, Sec. 5. That any said commissioner, examiner, copyist, or messenger. or any person in the public service who shall willfully and corruptly by himself or in co-operation with one or more other persons, defeat deceive, or obstruct any person in respect of his or her right of examina tion according to any such rules or regulations, or who shall willfully corruptly, and falsely mark, grade, estimate, or report upon the ex animation or proper standing of any person examined hereunder, or aid in so doing, or who shall willfully and corruptly make any false repre- sentations concerning the same or concerning the person examined, or who shall willfully and corruptly furnish to any person any special or secret information for the purpose of either improving or injuring the prospects or chances of any person so examined, or to be examined, be- ing appointed, employed, or promoted, shall for each such offense be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction thereof, shall be punished by a fine of not less than one hundred dollars, nor more than one thousand dollars, or by imprisonment not less than ten days, nor more than one year, or by both such fine and imprisonment. Sec. 6. That within sixty days after the passage of this act it shall be the duty of the Secretary of the Treasury, in as near conformity as may be to the classification of certain clerks now existing under the one hundred and sixty -third section of the Revised Statutes, to arrange in classes the several clerks and persons employed by the collector, naval officer, surveyor, and appraisers, or either of them,, or being in the public service, at their respective offices in each customs district where the whole number of said clerks and persons shall be all together as many as fifty. And thereafter, from time to time, on the direction of the President, said Secretary shall make the like classification or ar- rangement of clerks and persons so employed, in connection with any said office or offices, in any other customs district. And, upon like re- quest, and for the purposes of this act, said Secretary shall arrange in one or more of said classes, or of existing classes, any other clerks, agents, or persons employed under his department in any said district not now classified ; and every such arrangement and classification upon being made shall be reported to the President. Second. Within said sixty days it shall be the duty of the Postmaster- General, in general conformity to said one hundred and sixty-third sec- tion, to separately arrange in classes the several clerks and persons em- ployed, or in the public service, at each post-office, or under any post- master of the United States, where the whole number of said clerks and persons shall together amount to as many as fifty. And thereafter, from time to time, on the direction of the President, it shall be the dnty of the REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. 43 Postmaster-General to arrange in like classes the clerks and persons so employed in the postal service in connection with any other post-office; and every such arrangement and classification upon being made shall be reported to the President. Third. That from time to time said Secretary, the Postmaster-General, and each of the heads of departments mentioned in the one hun- dred and fifty-eighth section of the Eevised Statutes, and each head of an office, shall, on the direction of the President, and for facilitating the execution of this act, respectively revise any then existing classifi- cation or arrangement of those in their respective departments and offices, and shall, for the purposes of the examination herein provided for, include in one or more of such classes, so far as practicable, subor- dinate places, clerks, and officers in the public service pertaining to their respective departments not before classified for examination. Sec. 7. That after the expiration of six months from the passage of this act no officer or clerk shall be appointed, and no person shall be employed to enter or be promoted in either of the said classes now ex- isting, or that may be arranged hereunder pursuant to said rules, until he has passed an examination, or* is shown to be specially exempted from such examination in conformity herewith. But nothing herein con- tained shall be construed to take from those honorably discharged from the military or naval service any preference conferred by the seventeen hundred and fifty-fourth section of the Eevised Statutes, nor to take from the President any authority not inconsistent with this act conferred by the seventeen hundred and fifty -third section of said statutes; nor shall any officer not in the executive branch of the government, or any person merely employed as a laborer or workman, be required to be classified hereunder; nor, unless by direction of the Senate, shall any person who has been nominated for confirmation by the Senate be re- quired to be classified or to pass an examination. Sec. 8. That no person habitually using intoxicating beverages to excess shall be appointed to, or retained in, any office, appointment, or employment to which the provisions of this act are applicable. Sec. 9. That whenever there are already two or more members of a family in the public service in the grades covered by this act, no other member of such family shall be eligible to appointment to any of said grades. Sec. 10. That no recommendation of any person who shall apply for office or place under the provisions of this act which may be given by any Senator or member of the House of Eepresentatives, except as to the character or residence of the applicant, shall be received or consid- ered by any person concerned in making any examination or appoint- ment under this act. Sec. 11. That no Senator, or Eepresentative, or Territorial Delegate of the Congress, or Senator, Eepresentative, or Delegate elect, or any officer or employee of either of said houses, and no executive, judicial, military, or naval officer of the United States, and no clerk or employee of any department, branch or bureau of the executive, judicial, or mili- tary or naval service of the United States, shall, directly or indirectly, solicit or receive, or be in any manner concerned in soliciting or receiv- ing, any assessment, subscription, or contribution for any political pur- pose whatever, from any officer, clerk, or employee of the United States, or any department, branch, or bureau thereof, or from any person re- ceiving any salary or compensation from moneys derived from the Treas- ury of the United States. Sec. 12. That no person shall, in any room or building occupied in 44 REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. the discharge of official duties by any officer or employee of the United States mentioned in this act, or in any navy-yard, fort, or arsenal, so- licit in any manner whatever, or receive any contribution of money or any other thing of value for any political purpose whatever. Sec. 13. No officer or employee of the United States mentioned in this act shall discharge, or promote, or degrade, or in manner change the official rank or compensation of any other officer or employee, or promise or threaten so to do, for giving or withholding or neglecting to make any contribution of money or other valuable thing for any political purpose. Seo. 14. That no officer, clerk, or other person in the service of the United States shall, directly or indirectly, give or hand over to any other officer, clerk, or person in the service of the United States, or to any Senator or Member of the House of Eepresentatives, or Territorial Delegate, any money or other valuable thing on account of or to be ap- plied to the promotion of any political object whatever. Sec 15. That any person who shall be guilty of violating any pro- vision of the four foregoing sections lihall be deemed guilty of a misde- meanor, and shall, on convietion thereof, be punished by a fine not ex- ceeding five thousand dollars, or by imprisonment for a term not exceed- ing three years, or by such fine and imprisonment both, in the discretion of the court. Approved, January sixteenth, 1883. KEPOKT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. 45 APPENDIX No. 2. CIVIL SERVICE EULES. In the exercise of the power vested in the President by the Constitu- > tion, and by virtue of the 1753d section of the Eevised Statutes, and of the civil service act approved January 16, 1883, the following rules for the regulation and improvement of the executive civil service are hereby amended and promulgated: Eule I. No person in said service shall use his official authority or influence either to coerce the political action of any person or body or to interfere with any election. ETJLE II. No person in the public service shall for that reason be under any obligation to contribute to any political fund, or to render any political service, and he will not be removed or otherwise prejudiced for refusing to do so. Eule III. It shall be the duty of collectors, postmasters, assistant treasurers, naval officers, surveyors, appraisers, and custodians of public buildings, at places where examinations are to be held, to allow and arrange for the reasonable use of suitable rooms in the public buildings in their charge, and for heating, lighting, and furnishing the same, for the pur- poses of such examinations; and all other executive officers shall in all legal and proper ways facilitate such examinations and the execu- tion of these rules. Etjle IV. 1. All officials connected with any office where, or for which, any ex- amination is to take place, will give the Civil Service Commission, and the chief examiner, such information as may be reasonably required to enable the Commission to select competent and trustworthy examiners; and the examinations by those selected as examiners, and the work in- cident thereto, will be regarded as a part of the public business to bo performed at such office. 2. It shall be the duty of every executive officer promptly to inform the Commission, in writing, of the removal or discharge from the public service of any examiner in his office, or of the inability or refusal of any such examiner to act in that capacity. Etjle V. There shall be three branches of the service, classified under the civil service act (not including laborers or workmen, or officers required to be confirmed by the Senate), as follows: 1. Those classified in the departments at Washington shall be desig- nated " The Classified Departmental Service." 46 REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. 2. Those classified under any collector, naval officer, surveyor, or ap- praiser in any customs district, snail be designated "The Classified Customs Service." 3. Those classified under any postmaster at any post office, includ- ing that at Washington, shall be designated "The Classified Postal Service." 4. The Classified Customs Service shall embrace the several customs districts where the officials are as many as fifty, now the following: New York City, N. Y. ; Boston, Mass. ; Philadelphia, Pa. ; San Fran- cisco, Cal. ; Baltimore, Md. ; New Orleans, La. ; Chicago, 111. ; Burling- ton, Vt.; Portland, Me.; Detroit, Mich.; Port Huron, Mich. 5. The Classified Postal Service shall embrace the several post offices where the officials are as many as fifty, now the following: Albany, N. Y.; Baltimore, Md.; Boston, Mass.; Brooklyn, N. Y.; Buffalo, N. Y.; Chicago, 111.; Cincinnati, Ohio; Cleveland, Ohio; Detroit, Mich.; In- dianapolis, Ind. ; Kansas City, Mo. ; Louisville, Ky. ; Milwaukee, Wis. ; Minneapolis, Minn.; Newark, N. J.; New Orleans, La.; New York City, N". Y.; Philadelphia, Pa. ; Pittsburg, Pa. ; Providence, R. I. ; Rochester, NY.; St. Louis, Mo. ; St. Paul, Minn.; San Francisco, Cal.; Washing- ton, D. C. ' Rule VI. 1. There shall be open, competitive examinations for testing the fit- ness of applicants for admission to the service. Such examinations shall be practical in their character, and, so far as may be, shall relate to those matters which will fairly test the relative capacity and fitness of the persons examined to discharge the duties of the branch of the service which they seek to enter. 2. There shall, so far as they may be deemed useful, be competitive examinations of a suitable character to test the fitness of persons for promotion in the service. Eitle VII. 1. The general examinations under the first clause of Rule VI for admission to the service shall be limited to the following subjects: 1st. Orthography, penmanship, and copying. 2d. Arithmetic — fundamental rules, fractions, and percentage. 3d.. Interest, discount, and elements of book-keeping and of accounts. 4th. Elements of the English language, letter- writing, and the proper construction of sentences. 5th. Elements of the geography, history, and government of the United States. 2. Proficiency in each of these subjects shall be credited in grading the standing of the persons examined in proportion to the value of a knowledge of such subjects in the branch or part of the service which the applicant seeks to enter. 3. No one shall be entitled to be certified for appointment whose standing upon a just grading in the general examination shall be less than sixty-five per centum of complete proficiency in the first three sub- jects mentioned in this rule, and that measure of proficiency shall be deemed adequate. 4. For places in which a lower degree of education will suffice, the Commission may limit the examinations to less than the five subjects above mentioned ; but no person shall be certified for appointment, under this clause, whose grading shall be less than an average of sixty five per centum on such of the first three subjects or parts thereof as the ex- amination may embrace. REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. 47 5. The Commission may also order examinations upon other subjects of a technical or special character, to test the capacity which may be needed in any part of the Classified Service which requires peculiar in- formation or skill. Examinations hereunder may be competitive or non-competitive, and the maximum limitations of age contained in the twelfth Eule shall not apply to applicants for the same. The applica- tion for, and notice of, these special examinations, the records thereof and the certification of those found competent shall be such as the Commission may provide for. After consulting the head of any De- partment or office, the Commission may from time to time designate, subject to the approval of the President, the positions therein for which applicants may be required to pass this special examination. Eule VIII. No question in any examination, or proceeding by, or under, the Commission or examiners, shall call for the expression or disclosure of any political or religious opinion or affiliation, and if such opinion or affiliation be known, no discrimination shall be made by reason thereof by the examiners, the Commission • or the appointing power. The Commission and its examiners shall discountenance all disclosure, be- fore either of them, of such opinion by or concerning any applicant for examination or by or concerning any one whose name is on any regis- ter awaiting appointment. Eule IX. All regular applications for the competitive examinations for admis- sion to the classified service must be made on blanks in a form approved by the Commission. All requests for such blanks, and all applications for examination, must be addressed as follows : 1. If for the Classified Departmental Service, to the U. S. Civil Service Commission, Wash- ington, D. C. 2. If for the Classified Postal Service, to the postmaster under whom service is sought. 3. If for the Classified Customs Service, to the head of either customs office in which service is sought. All officers receiving such applications will indorse thereon the date of the reception thereof and transmit the same to the proper examining board of the district or office where service is sought, or, if in Washington, to the Civil Service Commission. Etjle X. Every examining board shall keep such records, and such papers on file, and make such reports as the Commission shall require ; and any such paper or record in the charge of any examining board or any officer shall at all times be open to examination as the Commission shall direct, and upon its request shall be forwarded to the Commission for inspection and revision. Etjle XI. Every application, in order to entitle the applicant to appear for examination or to be examined, must state, under oath, the facts on the following subjects : 1. Full name, residence, and post office address. 2. Citizenship. 3. Age. 4. Place of birth. 5. Health and physical capacity for the public service. 6. Eight of preference by reason of military or naval service. 7. Previous employment in the public serv- ice. 8. Business or employment and residence for the previous five 48 REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. years. 9. Education. Such other information shall be furnished as the Commission may reasonably require touching the applicant's fitness for the public service. The applicant must also state the number of members of his family in the public service, and where employed, and must also assert that he is not disqualified under section 8 of the civil service act, which is as follows: "That no person habitually using in- toxicating beverages to excess shall be appointed to or retained in any office, appointment, or employment to which the provisions of this act are applicable." No person under enlistment in the Army or Navy of the United States shall be examined under these Eules, except for some place in the Depart- ment under which he is enlisted requiring special qualifications, and with the consent in writing of the head of such Department. 2. The Commission may by regulations, subject to change at any time by the President, declare the kind and measure of ill-health, physi- cal incapacity, misrepresentation and bad faith, which may properly exclude any person from the right of examination, grading or certifica- tion under these rules. It may also provide for medical certificates of physical capacity in the proper cases; and for the appropriate certifi- cation of persons so defective in sight, speech, hearing or otherwise, as to be, apparently, disqualified for some of the duties of the part of the service which they seek to enter. Eule XII. 1. Every regular application must be supported by proper certificates of good moral character, health, and physical and mental capacity for doing the public work, the certificates to be in such form and number as the regulations of the Commission shall provide; but no certificate will be received which is inconsistent with the tenth section of the civil service act. 2. No one shall be entitled to be examined for admission to the Clas- sified Postal Service if under sixteen or over thirty-five years of age, excepting messengers, stampers, and other junior assistants who must not be under fourteen years of age ; or to the Classified Customs Service, or to the Classified Departmental Service, if under eighteen or over forty-five years of age; but no one shall be examined for appointment to any place in the Classified Customs Service except that of clerk or messenger who is under twenty-one years of age; but these limitations of age shall not apply to persons honorably discharged from the mili- tary or naval service of the country, who are otherwise duly qualified. Eule XIII. 1. The date of the reception of all regular applications for the Classi- fied Departmental Service shall be entered of record by the Commis- sion, and of all other regular applications by the proper examining boards of the district or office for which they are made; and applicants when in excess of the number that can be examined at a single exami- nation shall, subject to the needs of apportionment, be notified to appear, in their order on the respective records. But any applicants in the several States and Territories for appointment in the Classified De- partmental Service may be notified to appear for examination at any place at which an examination is to be held, whether in any State or Territory, or in Washington, which shall be deemed most convenient for them. 2. The Commission is authorized, in aid of the apportionment among the States and Territories, to hold examinations at places convenient REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. 49 for applicants from different States and Territories, or for those exam- ination districts which it may designate and which the President shall approve. Eule XIV. Those examined shall be graded, and shall have their grade marked upon a register after those previously thereon, in the order of their excellence as shown by their examination papers, except that those from the same State or Territory may be entered upon the register to- gether, in the order of relative excellence, to facilitate apportionment. Separate registers may be kept of those seeking to enter any part of the service in which special qualifications are required. Eule XV. The Commission may give a certificate to any person examined, stat- ing the grade which such person attained and the proficiency in the several subjects, shown bv the markings. Eule XVI. 1. Whenever any officer having the power of appointment or employ- ment shall so request, there shall be certified to hint, by the Commission or the proper examining board, four names for the vacancy specified, to be taken from those graded highest on the proper register of those in his branch of the service and remaining eligible, regard being had to the apportionment of appointments to States and Territories; and from the said four a selection shall be made for the vacancy. 2. These certifications for the service at Washington shall be made in such order as to apportion, as nearly as may be practicable, the original appointments thereto among the States and Territories and the District of Columbia, upon the basis of population as ascertained at the last pre- ceding census. 3. In case the request for any such certification or any law or regula- tion shall call for those of either sex, the four highest of that sex shall be certified, otherwise sex shall be disregarded in such certification. 4. No person upon any register shall be certified more than four times 'to the same officer in the customs or postal service, or more than twice to any Department at Washington, unless upon request of the appoint- ing officer; nor shall any one remain eligible more than one year upon any register. No person while remaining eligible on any register shall be admitted to a new examination, and no person having failed upon any examination shall within six months thereafter be admitted to another examination without the consent of the Commission. But these restrictions shall not extend to examinations under clause 5 of Eule 7. 5. iAny person appointed to or employed in any part of the classified service, after due certification for the same under these rules, who shall be dismissed or separated therefrom without fault or delinquency on his part, may be reappointed or re-employed in the same part or grade of such service at the same office, within eight months next following such dismissal or separation, without further examination. Eule XVII. 1. Every original appointment or employment in said classified serv- ice shall be for the probationary period of six months, at the end of 15817 c s R 4 50 REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. which time, if the conduct and capacity of the person appointed have been found satisfactory, the probationer shall be absolutely appointed or employed, but otherwise be deemed out of the service. 2. Every officer under whom any probationer shall serve during any part of the probation provided for by these rules shall carefully observe the quality and value of the service rendered by such probationer, and shall report to the proper appointing officer, in writing, the facts ob- served by him, showing the character and qualifications of such proba- tioner, and of the service performed by him ; and such reports shall be preserved on file. 3. Every false statement knowingly made by any person in his appli- cation for examination, and every connivance by him at any false state- ment made in any certificate which may accompany his application, shall be regarded as good cause for the removal or discharge of such person during his probation. Exile XVIII. Every head of a department or office shall notify the Commission of the name of every person appointed to, or employed iD, the classified service under him (giving the date of the appointment and the designa- tion of the office or place) from those examined under the Commission ; and shall also inform the Commission of the date of any rejection or final appointment of employment of any probationer, and of the pro- motion, removal, discharge, resignation, transfer, or death of any such person after probation. Every head of any office in the postal or cus- toms service shall give such information on these subjects to the Board of Examiners for his office as the regulations of the Commission may provide for. Eule XIX. There are excepted from examination the following: 1. The confiden- tial clerk or secretary of any head of a department or office. 2. Cash- iers of collectors. 3. Cashiers of postmasters. 4. Superintendents of money-order divisions in post-offices. 5. The direct custodians of money for whose fidelity another officer is under official bond; but these excep- tions shall not extend to any official below the grade of assistant cashier or teller. 6. Persons employed exclusively in the secret service of the Government, or as translators, or interpreters, or stenographers. 7. Persons whose employment is exclusively professional. 8. Chief clerks, deputy collectors and superintendents, or chiefs of divisions or bureaus. But no person so excepted shall be either transferred, appointed, or promoted, unless to some excepted place, without an examination under the Commission. Promotions may be made without examination in offices where examinations for promotion are not now held, until rules on the subject shall be promulgated. Eule XX. If the failure of competent persons to attend and be examined, or the prevalence of contagious disease or other sufficient cause, shall make it impracticable to supply in due season for any appointment the names of persons who have passed a competitive examination, the appoint- ment may be made of a person who has passed a non competitive exam- ination, which examination the Commission may provide for; but its next report shall give the reason for such resort to non-competitive ex- amination. REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. 51 Exile XXI. 1. No person, unless excepted under Eule 19, shall be admitted into the classified Civil Service, from any place not within said service, without an examination and certification under the rules ; nor shall any person who has passed only a limited examination under clause 4 of Rule 7, for the lower classes or grades in the departmental or customs service, be promoted within two years after appointment to any position giving a salary of $1,000, or upwards, without first passing an examination under clause 1 of said rule, and such examination shall not be allowed within the first year after appointment. 2. But a person who has passed the examination under said clause 1, and has accepted a position giving a salary of $900 or less, shall have the same right of promotion as if originally appointed to a position giving a salary of $1,000 or more. 3. The Commission may at any time certify for a $900 or any lower place in the classified service any person upon the register who has passed the examination under clause 1 of Eule 7, if such person does not object before such certification is made. Eule XXII. The Civil Service Commission will make appropriate regulations for carrying these rules into effect. Eule XXIII. Every violation, by any officer in the executive civil service, of these rules, or of the 11th, 12th, 13th, or 14th section of the civil service act, relating to political assessments, shall be good cause for removal. [Eules, 6, 7, 8, 11, 13, 16, 18, and 19 were amended and promulgated November 7. Eule 12 was amended and promulgated December 5> 1883. Eule 16 was amended and promulgated January 18, 1884. Present Eule 21 was promulgated January 18, 1884; former Eule 21 is now 22; and 22 is Eule 23. Saint Paul, Minn., and Minneapolis, Minn., were added to the list of post-offices, Eule 5, clause 5; ana Eules 11, 12, and 21 were amended and promulgated April 23, 1884.] REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. 53 APPENDIX No. 3. REGULATIONS. Tbe United States Civil Service Commission, acting under the author- ity of the Civil Service Act of January 16, 1883, and the rules promul- gated by the President, makes the following regulations: CHIEF EXAMINER. 1. The Chief Examiner shall, as far as practicable, except when other- wise directed by the Commission, attend the examinations held by the several boards of examiners. He shall take care to secure accuracy, uniformity, and justice in all their proceedings, which shall at all times be open to him; but leaving the duty of the examiners, in marking and grading those examined, unimpaired. The Commission will, in its discretion, designate one of its own members, or request the detail of a suitable person, to supervise examinations whenever deemed needful. 2. He shall prepare and submit to the approval of the Commission proper forms and questions. He shall take care that the rules and reg- ulations are complied with, and bring every case of injustice and irreg- ularity observed by him to the attention of the Commission. He shall take such part as the Commission shall assign him in the work at Wash- ington. It shall be his duty to confer, from time to time, with the heads of the postal and customs offices which he officially visits concerning the regularity, sufficiency, and convenience of the examinations for the service under them. SECRETARY. 3. The Secretary shall keep the minutes of the proceedings of the Commission and have charge of and be responsible for the safe keeping of the books, records, papers, and other property in its office. He shall make the proper certification of those eligible for the Departmental service. He shall generally conduct the correspondence of the Com- mission and perform such other appropriate duties as it may assign to him. BOARDS OF EXAMINERS. 4. The general Board of Examiners for the Departmental service shall consist of two persons from the Treasury Department, two from the Post-Office Department, two from the Interior Department, and one from each of the other Departments. But any three members may be designated by the Commission to constitute the acting Examining Board for any examination. The secretary of the Board of Examiners for the Departmental serv- ice shall keep a record of its proceedings and have charge of its papers. 54 REPORT OP THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. 5. In case of examinations to be held at other places than those hav- ing the classified service, the Commission will designate an Examining Board for that purpose. 6. For each post-office, the Board of Examiners shall consist of three persons. 7. The Examiners for each customs district shall consist of two per- sons selected from the office of the collector, and one from each of the other customs offices which are subject to the rules ; but if there be no office subject thereto except that of the collector, the three shall be se- lected from his office. 8. Three Examiners may serve as a Board for conducting any exam- ination; and the Examiners for any customs district will determine which three shall hold any examination, taking care that, if an exami- nation is wholly or mainly for any office, one or more of the examiners from that office shall be on the acting Board. In case of a failure or disagreement as to which three shall be the Board for any examination, the Commission or Chief Examiner shall designate the local examiners who shall serve. In case of the disability or necessary absence of one of the three examiners selected, the other two may conduct the exami- nation. 9. Each Examining Board in the postal and customs service shall se- lect one of its members to serve as secretary, and it shall be his duty to keep a complete record of the proceedings of the Board and of all examinations held. He shall also keep the Eecord of Applicants and Examinations, and the Begister of Persons Eligible for Appointment. He shall have charge of all books and papers belonging to the Board and shall be responsible for their safe-keeping. On application of the proper appointing officer, he shall certify to such officer, in conformity to the rules, the names of the four persons of highest grade remaining on the register. He shall also answer all proper requests for application blanks, and send due notifications to applicants to be examined, and shall give all other notices required to be given by the Board. 10. No examiner or officer serving under the Commission must at- tempt to control or influence appointments, removals, or promotions. 11. Care must be taken by the examiners not to allow such visitors as they may admit, nor any conversation or other cause, to obstruct or distract those being examined. 12. Examiners must not disclose for public information, unless by consent, the names of those examined, nor more than the general results of examinations. 13. Complaints which show injustice or unfairness on the part of any Examining Board, or any one acting under the Commission, will be con- sidered by the Commission, and if necessary it will revise the marking and grading on the papers, or order a new examination, or otherwise do justice in the premises. 14. The head of each post-office and of each customs office, to whteh the rules are applicable, should inform the local Board of Examiners of probable vacancies, that examinations for filling them may be held in due season, and (as contemplated by Eule 18) should promptly inform the Board of Examiners for his office of the name of every person re- fusing an appointment or employment, or who shall be appointed to or employed in the classified service under him (giving the date of the appointment and the designation of the office or place), and of the name of every person rejected or finally appointed or employed after proba- tion, including the date thereof, and of the promotion, removal, dis- charge, resignation, transfer, or death of every such person. 15. The Board of Examiners for each office or district must promptly notify the Commission of the need of holding an examination in and REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. 55 for such office or district, and may appoint the time for the same, but subject to any change the Commission may find it necessary to make for the more convenient and effective discharge of its duty to see that the examinations are accurate, uniform, and just. The notice must state under which clause or clauses of Eule 7 the applicants are to be ex- amined, and must, when practicable, be given at least twenty days before the time appointed therein for the examinations. EXAMINATIONS. 16. Notices in writing should be mailed to applicants for examination in the postal and customs service at least eight days before the examina- tion, except in cases of non-competitive and special examinations, and they shall clearly specify the place and the time, including thfriour, of holding the same. 17. All competitive examinations for admission to the civil service shall be in writing, except that tests of physical qualities or expertness may be added as the Commission shall approve. 18. The examination sheets will be given out in the order of their numbers; each, after the first, being given only when the applicant shall return to the examiners the last sheet taken by him. 19. Not more than ten questions shall be given in any subject of the examination ; and, to facilitate the marking, the questions in the same subject shall, as far as practicable, be equal in difficulty. Care shall also be taken that the time allotted for the examination shall be reason- ably sufficient for answering the questions. 20. In general no competitive examination should occupy more than five hours, and every Examiner will exercise all due diligence to secure fairness, and to prevent all collusion or fraud in the examinations. 21. The examination papers of each applicant shall be marked only with a number, and his name with his number shall be placed in a sealed envelope which shall not be opened till after his papers are marked. 22. The examination papers shall, so far as practicable, be reviewed by each Examiner separately, and in any case of disagreement the aver- age of the markings, to be made on the papers by all, shall be the final marking on each question, subject to the regulation as to revision. 23. The views of the heads of post-offices and customs offices, as to whether applicants for the several parts of the service under them shall be examined in the five subjects under clause 1 of Rule 7, or only in a less number of subjects under clause 4 of that rule, will be accepted by the Commission so far as its duty to require uniformity, and adequate tests of capacity for doing the public work, will permit. MARKING AND GRADING. 24. To whichever of the five subjects, or parts thereof, mentioned in Eule 7 a competitive examination may extend, the marking and grad- ing of the applicant upon each is to be conducted in the same way. 25. To determine the Standing of the applicant in any subject, mark and credit each answer in proportion to its completeness and accuracy according to regulations prescribed for each subject ; the perfect answer being credited 100. Divide the sum of the credits by the number of questions upon the subject : the quotient will be the applicant's Standing in that subject. , 26. To determine whether any applicant has reached an Average / Standing of 65 per centum in the first two or the first three subjects, add the figures marking the applicant's Standing in each; divide their 56 REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. sum by the number of the subjects and the quotient will be the Average Standing therein. 27. No applicant is entitled to go upon the Eegister of those eligible for appointment, whose Average Standing upon the first three subjects, or such parts thereof, as are covered by the examination is below 65 per centum; therefore, when the marking and grading have been carried so far as to show such Average Standing to be below 65 per centum, they need not be carried farther ; and if the examination includes no part of the 4th or 5th subject, such Average Standing will be the General Av- erage to be entered on the Eegister. 28. To whatever number of subjects the examination may extend, the General Average will be ascertained by dividing the sum of the marking showing the Standings in each of the subjects by the number of subjects. 29. Every example, though it be a case of dictation or copying, is regarded as a question under these regulations, and, although only a portion of the topics included in a subject under Eule 7, is embraced in the examination, it will, for the purpose of the marking, be treated as a subject. The following example illustrates these directions: [Sam of credits in each subject divided by number of questions gives credit in that snbjeot.) First subject. •g P o Second subject. o II -" i Third subject. o 5 Fourth subject. •g fl O Fifth subject. ■g rg o Question 1 Question 2. Question 3. 80 45 71 50 65 Qaestion 1.. Question 2.. Question 3-. Qaestion 4.. 40 90 1 74 ' 56 ^ Question 1.. Question 2.. Qaestion 3.. Question 4.. Qaestion 5.. 70 45 90 85 100 Question 1-- Qn est ion 2.. Question 3.. Question 4.. Qaestion 6.. 60 50 35 90 100 Question 1.. Question 2.. Question 3.. 60 90 80 Divido I 311 260 390 335 230 credits by I number | 5 4 5 5 3 questions. J 62.2 65 78 67 76.68 The grade at which the applicant will go upon the Eegister, is, there- fore — 348.86 62.2 + 65 + 78 + 67 + 76.66 = 348.86. = 69.77. NON-COMPETITIVE EXAMINATIONS UNDER RULE 20. In case the necessity shall exist at any office or Department for hold- ing a non-competitive examination under Eule 20, the following condi- tions shall be observed: 30. The Commission shall be immediately notified of such necessity and of the grounds thereof, showing that it is impracticable to supply in due season for any appointment the names of persons who have passed a competitive examination by reason of the failure of competent persons to attend and be examined, or the prevalence of contagious disease, or other sufficient cause. 31. If the Commission shall not disapprove the holding of a non-com- petitive examination, the Secretary of the Commission at Washington, or of the Examining Board for any post-office or customs district, shall notify REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. 57 for such examinations any persons whose names may be on the record, as applicants for places analogous to those to be filled, and whom the exigency of time may allow to be notified, not less in number than the vacancies and places to be provided for, nor more than four for each of them. 32. If the number of applicants on the record be insufficient to furnish such supply, then the Examining Board, or in its absence the Secretary, may notify other suitable persons, nominated by said Board or Secre- tary, upon consultation with the head of the office, who, taken together with said regular applicants notified, shall, if practicable, be not less in number than four to each place to be filled. The persons selected for appointment or employment shall be required to make oath to the proper application paper, before entering upon their official duties. 33. The non -competitive examination shall conform as nearly as prac- ticable, in subjects, questions, and marking, to the competitive exam- inations of the same grade ; but no person shall be appointed under such non-competitive examination whose average standing upon the first three subjects, clause 1, Bule 7, or such parts thereof as may be used, is less than 65 per centum ; Provided, There are those who pass at or above that grade from whom the places can be .filled. 34. The names of all the persons passing the examination shall be certified to the proper officer, and the existing vacancies shall be filled therefrom ; but no person by reason of such non-competitive examina- tion shall be appointed at any other time than during such exigency oi to any other vacancy or place. 35. A record shall be kept by the local Examining Board, and by the Secretary of the Commission at Washington, of the persons thus notified, examined and appointed, or employed, and copies of notices and the examination papers shall be preserved : and said Board shall after each such examination and appointment make full report to the Civil Service Commission of all the facts. 36. In case a majority of the Commission may not be present, when an examination hereunder may need to be held at Washington, the same may be conducted under the charge of the chief examiner and any two members of the Board of Examiners. SPECIAL EXAMINATIONS. 37. Special Boards of Examiners will, when deemed necessary, be designated by the Commission for the examinations in special and technical subjects under clause 5, Bule 7, and one or more members of each such Board will be selected from the office or bureau for which the Board is to serve. These special Boards shall be subject to the regula- tions prescribed by the Commission for the general Examining Boards as far as they are applicable, except as herein otherwise provided. 38. Applications for any special examination must be made in the form prescribed by the Commission, and must be accompanied by certificates as required in the case of ordinary applications. The min- imum limitations of age shall be the same as those prescribed by Bule 12 for the several branches of the service, but no maximum limitations shall be required except such as the Commission may from time to time prescribe. 39. Whenever a special examination is to be held, notice in writing, specifying the time and place of the examination, shall be sent to a suitable number of the applicants, in the order of their application for the same, in time to allow their attendance. 58 REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE 'COMMISSION. 40. Each special examination shall embrace the subjects approved by the Commission therefor, after consultation with the head of the office concerned or the Special Examining Board for such office; and shall, as far as appropriate, be conducted under the same general regulations, as to the marking of the examination papers and the grading of the persons examined, as those for ordinary examinations. 41. A special record of applicants and a special register of eligibles shall be kept for each part of the service or office requiring special examinations ; and when the Commission, or the proper Examining Board, shall be notified by the appointing officer of a vacancy in such p"art of the service, certification shall be made to him of the names of the four persons graded highest on the special list of eligibles for the same, or of a less number, if four names do not remain thereon. 42. In case that competent special applicants do not apply, or do not appear for a competitive examination after suitable notice, a non-com- petitive examination may be held in as near conformity as may be to the regulations provided for non-competitive examinations for admis- sion to the service. For such examination, applicants on the general Record, and persons on the general Register of Eligibles whose appli- cation papers claim the special knowledge required, may be notified, and if they appear shall be examined, as if special applicants ; but no person so examined shall forfeit his right to the general examinations, or lose his place on any register of eligibles by reason of his special examination. Adopted, December 10, 1883. REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. 59 APPENDIX No. 4. COMMISSIONERS, OFFICERS AND EXAMINERS. Commissioners. DORMAN B. EATON. JOHN M. GREGORY. LEROY D. THOMAN. • Chief Examiner. CHARLES LYMAN. Secretary. WILLIAM S. ROULHAC. Stenographer. JOHN T. DOYLE. Messenger. MATHEW F. HOLLORAN. Departmental Examiners, Washington, D. C. William H. Webster, of Interior Department, Chairman. A. M. Judson, of Treasury Department, Secretary. Sevellon A. Brown, of State Department. E. W. Clark, of Treasury Department. Oliver W. Longan, of War Department. T. K. Sailer, of Navy Department. N. A. C. Smith, of Post-Office Department. M. L. Harrison, of Post-Office Department. F. L. Campbell,* of Interior Department. James R. Young, of Department of Justice. \Special Examiners, State Department. Sevellon A. Brown. Theo. F. Dwight. Francis J. Kieckhoefer. Special Examiners, Patent Office, Washington. Robert G. Dyrenforth. Solon W. Stocking. Franklin A. Seely. Perry B. Pierce. Charles J. Kintner. Special Examiners, Pension Office. Otis G. P. Clarke. Calvin B. Walker. Abiel W. Fisher. •Weston Flint^ appointed January 21, 1884, to succeed F. L-T Campbell, resigned. 60 BEPOET OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. EXAMINING BOAEDS. AT CUSTOM-SOUSES. BALTIMORE, MD. Herny E. Torbert. Thomas S. Plummer. John P. Carter. John E. Fellman. Charles L. Wilson. boston, mass. John M. Fiske. Frederick Grant. Geo. O. Davis. George C. Joslin. Henry Sherwin. burlington, vt. John A. Arthur. Jerry E. Dickerman. John F. Bichardson. CHICAGO, ILL. Augustus S. Campbell. Frank C Greene. Charles D. Stone. DETROIT, MICH. H. C. Christiancy. William A. Gavett. F. A, Blades. NEW ORLEANS, LA. George L. Bloomfield. J. M. Holland. F. W. Gibson. T. G. Tracey. John Weber. NEW YORK, N. Y. John M. Comstock. Nelson G. Williams. Cyrus A. Stevens. Henry D. Stanwood. Charles W. Musgrave. PHILADELPHIA, PA. William D. Smith. George W. Silvis. H. B. Geissinger. William Gaw, Jr. Thomas E. Evans. port huron, mich. Frank Whipple. Edgar G. Spalding. George G. Van Alstine. portland, me. David Moulton. Charles W. Eoberts. Horatio Hight. Franklin Sawyer. san francisco, cai» J. Frank Miller. Charles C. Leavitt. John Pattison. Nathan B. Hoyt. H. F. Cooper. EEPOKT OP THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. 61 AT POST-OFFICES. ALBANY, N. Y. Joseph D. Craig. A. D. Sandford. C. H. Zeilman. BALTIMORE, MD. Milo V. Bailey. William H. H. Sultzer. Sydney Adams. boston, mass. Charles Soutje. E. S. Barker. Albert T. Stahl. BROOKLYN, N. Y. Charles B. Morton. William B. Hopkins. Lewis E. Wiebe. BUFFALO, N. Y. A. G. Miller. Charles H. Dobbins. William Graser. Chicago, ill. M. J. McGrath. E. P. Upham. W. D. Rawlins. cincinnati, ohio. Alonzo Burt. Joseph W. Kahler. Wilbur Du Bois. cleveland, ohio. Robert Harding. A. J. Williams. _L. M. Oviatt. detroit, mich. Frederick Woolfenden. Stephen A. Griggs. Charles F. Swan. INDIANAPOLIS, IND. P. C. Trusler. R. C. Craft. David M. Elliott. KANSAS CITY, MO. Robert C. Van Horn. William H. Rogers. W. H. R. Lykins. LOUISVILLE, KY. E. S. Tuley. Henry A. Chittenden. John Henseler. MILWAUKEE, WIS. Hamilton Shidy. John L. Kaine. Jerome B. Johnson. NEWARK, N. J. Theodore F. Mercer. Edward T. Cone. Charles Huebner. new orleans, la. John H. H. Taylor. C. A. Tessier. Henry J. Carter. NEW YORK, N. Y. E. Perry Jones. Edwin B. Grove. Edward S. Post. PHILADELPHIA, PA. Edwin A. Barber. Dudley W. Burchard. Francis A. Davtes. pittsburgh, pa. Robert Ostermaier. Stephen Collins. T. A. Blackmore. providence, r. i William D. Brayton. Charles H. Williams. George M. Kendall. ROCHESTER, N. Y. W. Seward Whittlesey. Willis G. Mitchell. George F. Loder. SAINT LOUIS, MO. J. B. Harlow. Warren P. Edgarton. John H. Cookson. SAN FRANCISCO, CAL. William C. Dougherty. Barlow Dyer. Daniel S. Richardson. WASHINGTON CITY. Seymour W. Tullock. James E. Bell. H. P. Springer. 62 EEPORT OP THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. APPENDIX No. 5. The questions below are an example of those used in the grades which fall under the 1st and 4th clauses of Rule 7, known respectively as the general and limited examinations. They are a fair sample of all those used in those grades. It is at one or the other of those grades that fully 95 out of every 100 applicants have been examined under the rules. The questions are frequently varied, indeed almost at every examination, with- out materially changing their grade, and there are special adaptions of them to various places in the postal and customs offices. For the sake of brevity the ample spaces for the answers on the examination papers are omitted. General Examination under Clause 1 of Rule 7. first subject. Question No. 1. One of the examiners will distinctly read (at a rate reasonable for copying) fifteen lines from the Civil Service Law or Rules, and each applicant will copy the same below from the reading as it pro- ceeds. Question No. 2. Write below, at length, the names of fifteen States and fifteen cities of the Union. Question No. 3. Copy the following, which is section five of the civil service act, in the blank below: Sec. 5. That any said commissioner, examiner, copyist, or messenger, or any person in the public service who shall willfully and corruptly, by himself or in co-operation with one or more other persons, defeat, deceive, or obstruct any person in respect of his or her right of examination ac- cording to any such rules or regulations, or who shall willfully, corruptly, and falsely mark, grade, estimate, or report upon the examination or proper standing of any person examined hereunder, or aid in so doing, or who shall willfully and corruptly make any false representations con- cerning the same or concerning the person examined, or who shall will- fully and corruptly furnish to any person any special or secret informa- tion for the purpose of either improving or injuring the prospects or chances of any person so examined, or to be examined, being appointed, employed, or promoted, shall for each such offense be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction thereof, shall be punished by a fine of not less than one hundred dollars, nor more than one thousand dol- lars, or by imprisonment not less than ten days, nor more than one year, or by both such fine and imprisonment. SECOND SUBJECT. Question 1. Multiply 307968 by 490875 and divide the product by 307968. Write in full the operation. Question 2. Divide three-fourths of eight-ninths by one-seventh of three-fifths and subtract one-seventh from the quotient. REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. 63 Question 3. Divide one thousand and eight and three one thous- andths by three and eight one hundredths, expressing the process in decimal fractions. Question 4. The compensation of a clerk, beginning June 30, was $133.33 a calendar month. On the first of October his salary was increased 15 per cent., and so remained until June 1, when it was in- creased a further amount of three per cent, on the original salary. What was the whole amount payable to the clerk for the j ear? Question 5. A commissary suddenly forced to change quarters had on hand 980 bushels of wheat which cost 80 cents per bushel. He sold six per cent, of it at a loss of four per cent, and four per cent, of it at a loss of t ree per cent. How much was the whole loss incurred by the sale? THIRD SUBJECT. Question 1. A note for $2,647.34 is payable eleven months from date with interest at 3£ per cent. What will be the amount due on the note at maturity? Give all the figures in the operation. Question 2. A disbursing agent failed, owing the Government one item of $308.45, another of $2,901.02. The Government agreed to make a discount of 13 per cent, on the first item and 11£ per cent, on the second. How much was payable under the agreement? Question 3. June 30, 1880, A gave B a note for $1,005 payable July 4, 1882, with interest at 4 per cent. May 1, 1882, A paid $235. What was the amount of principal and interest due B when the note matured ? Question 4. A contractor furnished the Government articles as fol- lows : June 8, 1880, 300 barrels of flour at $4.50 a barrel, and July 6, 1880, 187 yards of carpet at $1 a yard. August 4, 1880, 1,000 yards of carpet at 87 cents a yard. The Government paid on account as follows : June 12, 1880, $1,000; July 10, 1880, $100; August 4, 1880, $500. State the dealings between the parties in the form of a debit and credit account, showing the balance due. FOURTH SUBJECT. Question 1. Give a definition as full as the space will allow of (1) a verb; (2) a noun; (3) an adverb; (4) an adjective; (5) a preposition; (6) a conjunction ; and of (7) the phrase, " the grammar of the English language." Question 2. Write a letter, addressing it to the President and giving your views, as far as you are willing to express them, in regard to the duties and responsibilities of an officer in the public service which you seek to enter. Let it fill, as nearly as may be, the following space. FIFTH SUBJECT. Question 1. Which States extend to or border on the sea or tide water ? What is the capital of each of said States? Question 2. What is meant in our history, (1) by the Colonial period; (2) by the Continental Congress,; (3) by the Declaration of Independ- ence; (4) by the Emancipation Proclamation? Let your answers, as nearly as may be, fill this blank. Question. 3. State in general terms, but as particularly as the space below will permit, what are the authority and functions of (1) the Con- gress of the United States ; of (2) the Supreme Court of the United States; of (3) the President of the United States; and give the names of each of the Executive Departments at Washington. 64 report of the civil service commission. Limited Examination under Clause 4 oe Eule 7. First subject same as in examination under Clause 1. SECOND SUBJECT. Direction. — In case the examiners think that any of the following examples may have been seen by the applicants, they can in the first strike out a line of the figures, and, in the others, change some of the figures without altering the grade of the question. Question 1. Add the following : Question 2. Find the difference 64379582 between the following numbers : 28597346 905127038624 91731625 605138759928 52613719 26598421 53679713 83576532 62985274 79365497 Question 3. Subtract ten thousand one hundred dollars and six cents from one hundred thousand and seven dollars and five cents, giving all the figures required in the operation. Question 4. Multiply 7089 by 983. Question 5. Divide 368506 by 375. Question 6. When board costs three dollars and seventy-six cents per week what will it cost from March 15 to July 4th? Question 7. How many times is 17 cents contained in ten thousand dollars and ten cents ? Question 8. There are seven hundred and three dollars to be divided between nine men and three boys. The boys are to have twenty-five dollars and five cents each, the "residue is to be equally divided among the men, what is each man's share 1 Give all the figures involved in the solution. REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. 65 APPENDIX No. 6. The following tables show the statistics of the examinations in the three branches of the classified service. These considerations should be borne in mind in considering them : 1. That the ratio of those who fail to those who succeed is likely to be much less when the grade of questions shall be better understood ; for the more incompetent will see they have little chance of succeeding. Besides, a better class has appeared at each succeeding examination. 2. It was necessary in the outset to examine a large number to make sure of having those competent to fill every variety of vacancy. Many appointments may be now made without further examinations. The excessive number examined from the District of Columbia was the re- sult of conforming to a rule having an unanticipated effect, which has been since amended. 3. In regard to education, the records of the Commission are defect- ive in not showing how long those who have been at an academy or college have remained at either, nor how many are graduates. If a per- son has been but a month at an academy or college, he is put under the head of those institutions. The habit of calling so many schools acad- emies, and so many academies colleges, helps to make this unavoidable classification the mo^e misleading. Table showing numbers of examinations, number of those examined, passed, appointed, age, education, tf-e., in the Departmental service, Washington. States, Territories, and District of Colombia. Edncation. s .a o St Alabama Arizona Territory California Colorado Connecticut Dakota Territory District of Columbia Delaware Florida Georgia 'Illinois Indiana Indian Territory Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Nebraska 15817 C S E 5 4 1 7 4 9 2 125 1 2 3 24 40 1 3 15 21 6 14 2 1 2 3 2 1 53, 24 G6 REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. Table showing numbers of examinations, number of those examined, passed, appointed, age, education, $c. — Continued. States, Territories, and District of Columbia. Utew Hampshire INew Jersey Hew York ..-. North Carolina Ohio Pennsylvania Hhode Island. - - v South Carolina Tennessee Texas Vermont Virginia Washington Territory "West Virginia "Wisconsin Total 784 Education. 217 a ° 2 53 Table showing numbers of examinations, the number euamined, and of those who passed,' were appointed, their age, education, fyc. , in the customs service. k M . licant for each year separately during the previous five years. 4. The appraiser says that he came into office while the civil service rules of President Hayes were being enforced, so that he is unable to make comparisons between the new system and the old. "As to the character and capacity of those appointed under the rules, the best answer I can make is that in all cases in connection with this office where probationary terms have expired, they have been made permanent on account of the good character and sufficient capacity of the incumbents, and where they have not yet expired I may add that the probationary occupants are rendering good service, and entirely satisfactory as far as I am informed. "As to the general effect of the new system upon the moral tone and business efficiency of this office, I am inclined to think that it has been favorable." He says he has not made a single removal for political reasons since he became appraiser. Every removal has been for good cause. Speak- ing of the right of removal, he says, "It has been, as a general rule, so exercised as to increase very greatly the efficiency of the present civil service system, and this has helped to make that system even more effectual than it otherwise would have been in support of the moral tone and business efficiency of the employes." He says that " the prohibition of assessments has had the effect * * * to diminish somewhat the amount of donations made by officers for such purposes." Philadelphia. — 1. The collector says, "The most immediate and sensible benefit of the new service has been to relieve higher officials from political pressure and increase their independence of mere local party claims." Referring to the effect on, character and capacity, he says, "It b,a$ REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. 43 been good as far as can be judged from their present relative numbers and subordinate positions. "All have been faithful and diligent, as is shown by the fact of the retention of all of them after the probationary term of six months."' Eeferring to the general effect of the new system, he says : " No ma- terial change, the appointments under the civil service act not having yet been in sufficient numbers or sufficiently high grades to immedi- ately impress the service." He says a rule in regard to assessments similar to the civil service act, had been enforced at his office before its passage, and hence the effect of the law has been small. " I have no dissatisfaction to express with the effects of the new sys- tem. On the contrary, I think the general tendency would be to im- prove the service, not so much in character and capacity perhaps as in more orderly and business-like habits, which security of tenure will encourage. But this effect will be slowly brought about." He says persons filling the higher places in his office have been there many years. " In time the appointees under the rules as they are pro- moted to till intermediate and higher grades will make their impression, and the results of competitive examinations in securiug a better average of original material, and a more general knowledge of business meth- ods in the several stages of promotion, will increase the average effi- ciency of the whole service." 2. The appraiser says he has never been annoyed by solicitation and pressure for office, because " this department has been practically con. ducted upou a civil service basis." There has been but one appoint- ment made to his office under the rules. For this place he says he got a very good man. He made a special examination of those certified as to their fitness before making the selection from them. The general effect of the new system in his office has not been visible. He says no man there was ever required to contribute a cent for any political purpose, but more or less political pressure was exerted. He thinks his subordinates have not contributed so liberally since the passage of the civil service act. "Any opinion I might express," he says, " of the general effects of the civil service act would be of little value." 3. The surveyor says, on coming to his office, he instituted an exam- ination of the night inspectors with very good results. He says ten persons have been appointed in his office under the civil service act, all of whom have proven to be efficient officers. " From my personal experience I have no hesitation in saying that I consider the act of January 16, 18S3, a most excellent one, not only in that it relieves heads of departments from the importunities of political managers, and that it allows the question of what is proper political opinion to be one of individual conviction, but that it has removed the dread that political contributions must be paid at the risk of official dig- 44 REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. pleasure — in fact, many abuses by its operation are happily things of the past. " The most beneficial result has been to impress on subordinates that moral conduct and efficient service are the present requirements, and that their tenure of office and future promotion depends on individual merit and not on the political fortune of their friends." Portland. — The collector says that inasmuch as he entered his office after the civil service act went into effect, he cannot speak compar- atively. " I am credibly informed, however, that my predecessors were subject to more solicitation and pressure for office than I have been, and I have no doubt that the law referred to has much to do with the change in this particular. " The character and capacity of those appointed under the rules have been entirely satisfactory. " I know of no officer on the force in this district who is not faithful and diligent in the discharge of his duty. " There has been, to my knowledge, no solicitation of political assess- ments at this office since I have had the honor of occupying my present position. I have no dissatisfaction to express with the effect of the new system in any particular." He thinks it desirable to have the status of temporary appointees at his office more carefully defined, as it is an office where many more offi- cials are employed at some seasons of the year than at others. Poet Huron. — The collector says there has been no appointment under the civil service act in his force, and he has not been relieved from any pressure for office. He cannot say whether there has been any relief from pressure for assessments at his office, because he assumed his duties after the civil service act went into effect. San Francisco. — 1. The collector says there has been a new col- lector lately appointed at this office. The report is from the former col- lector. He says : " I was relieved to a great extent from pressure for political assessments. " The character and capacity of those appointed under the rules were generally good. With one or two exceptions all have given satisfaction." He says there has been, as yet, no marked effect upon the moral tone or business efficiency of the office. He cannot speak as to political assessments at the time of the late elections. 2. The naval officer says there has been relief from the pressure of office-seekers. He expresses the opinion that the character and capacity of those appointed under the new law compare very favorably with those ap- pointed under the old system, if they are not superior. " In my office there has been but one appointed under the law. He has been faithful and diligent in the discbarge of his duties, but no more so than the old clerk?." REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. 45 He says civil service reform has generally prevailed in the custom- house at San Francisco. " There are a large number of clerks here who have been steadily employed for fifteen or twenty years. " The effect of the present law has certainly given more confidence in the tenure of office to subordinates, and it has thereby added to the moral tone, and perhaps to the business efficiency of clerks, though there was little complaint on that score previous to the adoption of the present system." He says that the prohibition of political assessments has made it very hard for committees to collect them, but he thinks the clerks have gen- erally contributed something. He adds that "while there are some objections to the system, I believe there are few heads of departments who would recommend its aboli- tion. For a new law it has worked admirably, and when perfected it will be very acceptable to the people as well as to the office-holders." GENERAL RESULTS REACHED. In some particulars, the Rules as at first approved, disclosed defects which from time to time have been supplied by amendments. It has required a careful and constant study of their operation and of the needs of the service to bring the new system to its present state of efficiency. Doubtless much remains to be done to secure the best results attainable from it. In a few instances the questions nay not have been the most appropriate possible, but more and more, With increased experience, they are being adapted to the needs of the public service. There has been a very small number of cases in which a short ^(elaj has occurred in filling vacancies. It was not possible in the outset, when the Com- mission was compelled to devise and create all forms and methods as it advanced, to anticipate every contingency and be prepared with the best means of doing everything at once. Nevertheless, it can be said that the new methods have been applied so promptly, smoothly, and effectively', that not in a single department or office has there been delay or embarrassment in the steady and timely doing^of the public work. Not a complaint of hinderance or obstruction has come from a single offi- cer. It has been, so far as the Commission is informed, only in the mis- representations or misconceptions of the hostile or ill-informed that any injustice or evil effects from the introduction of the new system have had an existence. But more than mere negative results have been reached, and they may be summarized as follows: 1. That the partisan and proscriptive tests, long enforced at the gates of the Depai tments and great offices, may, without loss of any kind, and with increasing 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. 2. That with the growing approval of Congress itself, shown by in- 46 EEPOKT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. creased appropriations for the Commission, and with great relief and advantage in the Departments and offices declared by those who pro- side over them, the old system of Congressional influence and official favor for securing appointments may be arrested if not destroyed. 3. That a system of open, free, public examinations, under a non- partisan Commission, may be successfully conducted for testing the character and capacity needed in the public service, without extend- ing the examination, except for a small number of special places, be- yond 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. 4. That a merit system of office, of which such examinations are the most important part, even under all the disadvantages attending its first introduction, has proved itself capable of supplying for the public work officers at least as worthy and capable as those secured under any other system, without introducing any evils peculiar to itself. 5. That the new system is rapidly suppressing the old practice under which members of Congress were almost compelled by their constitu- ents to become hunters and agents for places and promotions in the Departments, whereby a steady encroachment was being made by the legislative upon the executive department, if, indeed, the practice was not equally destructive of the independence of both. But it should be mentioned that patronage and favor on the part of the Executive also are being in equal measure suppressed. " Under the merit system the consent of no executive officer is needed to give access to the examinations. The mere opportunity of selecting one from four amounts to nothing in the way of patronage. It may fairly be said, therefore, that those thus entering the public service have put themselves into office. The places they fill are not only taken out of the patronage of the party in power, but they are taken out of patron- age absolutely. They are made the prizes which merit earns for itself." Had it not been for the rules, every vacancy in the nearly 14,500 places to which the Examinations now extend might have been filled by selections to suit the pleasure or interest of the executive officers of the Government. The 438 appointments made during the past year in the departmental service could have been treated as so much patron- age for strengthening the influence of the Executive against Congress. Twice or ten times that number of places, but for the civil service act and rules, migh^ have been secured through removals for the sake of making patronage to be dispensed by the Departments, postmasters, and customs officers, for carrying elections, without any dangerous dis- regard of a definite policy to which the country was committed. All of those 14,500 classified places, but for that act and what has been done under it, might in the late elections have been promised by both parties alike as the spoils of the victors. REPORT OP THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. 47 But this is not all. The selection of perhaps one-half of the persons brought into the service during the year was from the party not in the control of the Administration, and was, therefore, not only a surrender of Executive patronage, bat of party patronage as well, in the common interests of character, capacity, and justice. On the theory of the spoils system this has been a great sacrifice and loss on the part of the party in power. According to a better theory, however, it was no loss, but a plain and patriotic duty, yet none the less magnanimous and un- precedented, in the administration of the country. To. maintain the new system, now in good working order, it is plain that the same high sense of duty, the same surrender of all mere par- tisan considerations, and the same fidelity to justice and sound princi- ples must continue to prevail. PARTISANSHIP IN OFFICE. There is reason to think that the selection for appointment of those who excel in the examinations, rather than of those who have excelled in partisan zeal and persistent pushing for places, has done something to arrest the proscriptive party spirit which has existed in some at least of the Departments and great offices. When adherents of both parties can secure appointments on merit alone, those vicious associations of public officials under a party test of membership which have for their main object to coerce assessments and work for the party controlling the Administration cannot long survive. They may perhaps give place to other associations devoted to those more appropriate and useful pur- poses which call for no divisions on political grounds and recognize the true principles of public administration. The right of such officials to vote and freely express their opinions no one will question ; but, in the degree that they become proscriptive partisans, they forget the proprieties of their position and are likely to become poor public servants. THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND THE MERIT SYSTEM. The effective support which the new system is bringing to the cause of popular education should not be overlooked. In no way can a nation do more to advance the dignity and success of the public schools of the people than by making excellence in the good character they develop, and in the studies they teach, as far as possible, the tests for the holding of its official places of honor and profit. The youth of the country will be quick to see that good character which cannot be impeached, an excellence in their studies, which gives a high place on the register for appointment, and not vicious activity in party fac- tions or unmanly subserviency to a great officer or politician are most effective for securing appointments. It is not inappropriate to repro- 48 REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. duce here this note, which appeared in the first report of the Coinmis sion. Thoughtful men are noticing the tendency of the new system to aid and honor the public shools. Governor Cleveland, of New York, for example, after stating in his last message "that New York leads the States in the inauguration of a comprehensive system of civil service,'' declares that " the children of our citizens are educated and trained in schools maintained at the common expense, and the people as a whole have a right to demand the selection for the public service of those whose natural aptitudes have been improved by the educational facilities furnished by the State." It appears from statistics presented herewith that 70 per cent, of all those who have entered the service through competitive examinations were educated in the common schools alone. But the service has not been filled by boys and girls direct from these schools. The average age of all those appointed under the new system nas been nearly 30 years. If we assume the average age of leaving the common schools to be sixteen years, it appears that, taking all those appointed, there has been an average period of 14 years of practical life between the schools and the public service. " It should always be a paramount object to keep the public service freely open to as many of the people as have the ability and information needed for doing its work. The best informed and most meritorious of those who enter it will be likely to win the higher prizes through pro- motion."* * The eifect of the introduction of the merit system into the British civil service was in the highest degree favorable, both to popular education and to libera! princi- ples. Indeed, the movement for establishing that system in Great Britain was largely a contest between those, on one Bide, who stood for the old aristocratic patronage- monopoly of appointments enjoyed for centuries by the rich and the high-born, and those, on the other side, who stood for the just claims of character and capacity in hnmble life. After speaking of the advantages of that system in other respects, Sir Charles Trevelyan, than whom no one is better informed on the subject, in a letter to one of the members of this Commission, says : " The same change which has increased the efficiency of the civil and military services has given a marvelous stimulus to edu- cation. Formerly, boys intended for any branch of the public service had no motive to exert themselves, because, however idle they might be, they were certain to get an appointment. Now, from their earliest years, boys know that their future depends upon themselves, and a new spirit of activity has supervened. * * * All this has led to a great improvement in the efficiency of the administrative service." Tho aristocratic classes, with many honorable exceptions, opposed the introduction of that system on the same ground that they opposed popular education atthepublic expense ; that is, that both would weaken their means of influencing the Government at the same time that they would give greater opportunities and influence to the sons and daughters of the common people. In a volume of official papers, issued by the British Government in 1856, when tho subject of introducing examinations was first under consideration, it is declared thit "the encouragement given to education would no doubt be great, but it will all be in favor of the lower classes of society, and not of the higher. * » * Appoint- ments now conferred on young men of aristocratic connection will fall into the hands of a much lower grade in society. * * * Such a measure will exercise the hap piest influence on the education of the lower classes throughout England, acting by the surest of all motives — the desire a man has for bettering himself in life," Tho KEPORT OP THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. 49 But there are yet many persons who hold that servile work for a party and bigoted intolerance of political opponents are better quali- fications for a clerkship than the highest excellence in the knowledge the teaching of which costs the people many millions of dollars every year. Such persons rejoice in the promise of their own children, if in the schools they excel according to the school-master's test ; but the moment as men or women they seek an office where such knowledge is essential, the school-master's test is counted as ridiculous, and the test of the politician and patronage-monger is that alone under which a republic can prosper. BUREAUCRACY AND MONOPOLY. The Commission, under this head, repeats its language of last year : " The means by which, as we have seen, competitive examinations are surely breaking up the class monopoly of patronage, are equally certain to prevent the growth of class monopoly or bureaucracy in the future. Under free competition no officer can award places to his favor- ites ; no party can either make its platform a test for office-holding or exclude from the service the adherents of the other party. " The political opinions, the social standing, the occupations, the sym- pathies and theories of those who enter the classified service will be as varied as tbe character, the pursuits, and the feelings of that vast citi- zenship from which applicants now spontaneously seek the examina- tions and win their way to the offices. Once in office, they will be free, by reason of the manner in which it was secured, to discharge those political duties and co-operate in manly and honest ways within their party, as becomes every citizen of a republic." It is a curious fact that those who suffer most from fears that com- petitive examinations will create a bureaucracy or a monopoly of office- holding on the part of a particular class appear to be the very persons volume shows that the examinations were opposed by the privileged classes because they foresaw that such would be the effects. No opinion can be more unfounded or repngnant to the truth of history, than that which regards examinations, and especially competitive examinations, in an aristo- cratic country or any other, as favorable to aristocratic interests. For these exami- nations and the movement for popular education based on general taxation in Great Britain, went on together; and by the exertion of common friends both gained their greatest victory at the same session of Parliament, in 1870. No triumph of demo- cratic or republican principles in that country has been greater than that achieved by the establishment of these examinations, which have largely contributed to that growing liberal policy which has been so prominent in her history during the last decade. Now the son of a bishop or of a duke, if he would gain a place in her exec- utive service, must compete side by side with the sons, perhaps, of chimney-sweeps, educated at the public expense, who are just as free to seek an examination for the same branch of the service. These examinations are, therefore, thoroughly demo- cratic and republican in spirit, and nothing so forcibly illustrates the prejudice and lack of information concerning them in this country as the fact that the opposite view should have been accepted by candid or intelligent persons. 12271 CS i ■ 50 REPORT OP THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. who would, in selecting for appointment, exclude (1) all but members of their own party ; (2) all of their own party who do not belong to their own faction ; (3) all of their own faction who will not vote for their own candidate or for themselves, and (4) all who will not pay political assessments and work servilely to keep the party in power and its fav- orites in place. It is worthy of consideration whether that is not the only way possible of creating a bureaucratic monopoly of office-holders in a republic. THE PUBLIC ESTIMATION OP OFFICIAL LIFE. There are not wanting indications that the merit system will raise the public service in the estimation of the people. Every person seeking to enter it must, in the application paper, state under oath, and sepa- rately for each year, his or her occupation, position, and residence during the past five years, a statement not likely to be made by persons, whose course of life will not bear the light. There is reason to believe that a considerable number of place-hunters do not go further than the blank for this statement in the application. The mere fact that a person has entered the classified service under the rules is in itself evidence of a character which is well supported, of a self-reliance which has won its way unaided, and of attainments and capacity which have gained a High grading against all competitors. It seems certain that public servants who have stood such tests and won their places by such means must be highly esteemed by the people. SOLICITATION FOE OFFICE. The statements cited from the reports of nearly every customs officer and postmaster at the offices where the examinations have been held, to the effect that they have experienced a great relief from solicitation for places — the postmaster at Cincinnati, for example, saying that he used, sometimes, to have as many as twenty applications per day, but now has not more than five in a month, might be supplemented by statements hardly less strong on the part of heads of Departments. It is believed that the relief of the same kind experienced by members of both houses of Congress has also been very great. The late President Garfield declared that nearly one-third of his time, when a member of Congress, was taken up by those seeking places, and a gentleman, recently Secretary of the Treasury, has declared that more than one- third of his office hours was given to the same class of persons. The annoyance and loss of time on the pa$ of officials, however severely felt by themselves, is the smallest part of the evils caused by these ceaseless solicitations. Tens of thousands of private citizens have had some participation in them. These solicitations were generally connected with demoralizing intrigues and vicious bargains and combi- nations of influence to persuade and coerce the appointing power., REPORT OP THE CIVIL, SERVICE COMMISSION. 51 Affectiug in ways innumerable all the relations between private and public life, they go far toward explaining why the moral tone of politics and official life have not been worthy of the people and the Government. CIVIL SERVICE REFORM ELSEWHERE. It is worthy of notice that the United States is not the only country where, within a few years, the need of reforming the methods of enter- ing the executive service has met with an earnest and effective response from the people. Measures closely analogous to our civil service law and rules have within a short time been adopted in all the leading com- munities where the English language is spoken. That the administra- tions of Great Britain and British India have been redeemed from the spoils system and placed on the basis of character and capacity is gen- erally known. A civil service act similar in scope and purpose to that of the United States was adopted in Canada in 1882, and the Second Annual Beport of the Canadian Board of Civil Service Examiners has been published. During the year ending December 31, 1883, that Board examined 1,036 applicants for the public service of Canada. The new system is declared to' have had a beneficial effect, and it promises, the report says, to influence advantageously " the youth and manhood of this growing country." A civil service reform bill was introduced into the legislative assembly of Victoria (Australia) in August, 1883, which is believed to have now become a law. Another bill introduced there about the same date pro- vides for examinations in the railway service. It is said that similar movements are on foot in other Australian colonies. But a more sig- nificant establishment of the merit system has taken place in the State of New York. It was in New York that the spoils system was first developed in this country, and there it has inflicted its most intolerable evils. There, naturally, was the first organized movement for its over- throw. The legislature of New York, in session when the United States civil service act was passed, did not adjourn until it had passed a similar act applicable to the civil service of both the State and its cities. Governor Cleveland promptly appointed a commission and ap- proved civil service rules for the enforcement of the act. Beginning prudently, they required examinations for about two thousand places, but extending even at first to attendants in State hospitals and asy- lums. The enforcement of the act in cities was optional on the part of mayors. The city of Brooklyn, under Mayor Low, gave the new system a vigorous enforcement. The first annual report of the civil service commission of Brooklyn shows the successful enforcement of reform methods in a municipality. Mayor Low's message for the present year says they have saved in a single bureau double the cost of the new system for a year. Nine men selected under that system do the work of sixteen selected under the old. Its success in the State and municipal service was so marked the first year, and the growth of a reform senti- 52 REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. ment waa so rapid, that in 1884, the merit system was greatly extended, and was made compulsory in all the cities of the State. The twenty-five cities of New York brought under the act have a popi lation of more than 2,500,000, being fully one-half. of the entire population of the State. The examinations provided for under the New York law and rules [and nearly all must be competitive] besides covering the execu- tive service of the State — including State prisons, State asylums, State health offices, the State board of public works, &c. — extends to all analogous places in the cities, as well as to the police and fire depart- ments. There are more than fourteen hundred such places in Brook- lyn,. and more than five thousand five hundred in the city of New York. The prohibition of political assessments, under the New York acts, is more stringent than under the laws of Congress. It will be seen that these changes, set forth in the more than 300 pages of the first report of the New York State Civil Service Commis- sion, constitute a revolution in the administrative policy of that State. - How great and patriotic has been the surrender of a partisan State and municipal patronage need not be pointed out. The new mayor of New York City, elected over the candidates of both the political parties, is in full sympathy with the reform policy. Massachusetts has followed closely in the wake of New York, having last winter enacted a law covering much the same parts of the service as the laws of New York. It extends to all the cities of the State. Under it Governor Eobinson has appointed a State civil service commission, and, during the present month, has approved rules for carrying the act into effect, which are now in force. They extend not only to general State and municipal offices, but to officials in asylums, hospitals, State reform schools, public markets, poor-law boards, and to police, fire, and public works departments. In Maryland. Illinois, Indiana, and Missouri movements are under- stood to be well advanced for similar legislation. SUGGESTIONS. • The civil service act provides for such suggestions in the reports of the Commission as it may approve " for the more effectual < accomplish- ment of the purposes of this act." It repeats from its report of last year: 1. " It would seem plain that since the subordinates at the post-offices and customs offices, to which the rules extend, are no longer appointed on the basis of a party test, consistency not less than the efficiency of the service forbids the application of that test for the selection of col- lectors or postmasters at such offices." Under the new system there will be in a few years in the classified servicefewwhom any powerful influence has placed there, and who con- sequently cannot be removed for inefficiency, neglect of duty, or other good cause, without overcoming such f n influence sure to be exerted REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. 53 for keeping them in their places. But while that system thus makes justifiable removals easier, it is on the other hand quite repugnant to that four years' term for subordinate officials which suggests that they should be treated as political lieutenants of a party, rather than busi- ness agents of the Government. The Commission quotes from its former report the following : "2. The new system would be much strengthened by such an amend- ment of our bribery laws as would bring within them other corrupt con- siderations for official wrong doing than those which are merely pecu- niary. Every corrupt exercise of the power of nomination, promotion, transfer, or confirmatian, even though the corrupt consideration may not be ' a thing of value,' should surely be an offense under our bribery laws. Laws with this scope have long been enforced in England, and our courts have sometimes appealed to them in aid of punishing official corruption which the bribery laws of this country fail to reach." Tue civil service law enacted in the State of New York in 1883, as well as a similar law in Massachusetts, supplies the deficiency, and the fourteenth section of the New York act is hereto attached, Appendix No. 9. 3. The provisions in the Federal civil service act, forbidding Federal officials taking part in collecting political assessments from each other had for its object the securing of a real liberty on the part of the public servant to pay or not to pay. A request of a superior officer had been found in practice to be equiva- lent to a command to pay on the pain of removal or other serious prej- udice. The principle on which the act is based is this : That it is the duty of the Government to protect those in its service against extortion. The experience of the last year has shown that even in Washingtona real coercion of payment may be caused by requests made through a for- midable partizan committee, although no official participates in making them. A real liberty, therefore, cannotbe secured without a prohibition of all demands of assessments from public officers, whether made by their fellow officers or by others. The New York civil service act of May 24, 1884, recognizes and meets this necessity by comprehensive provisions, which appear in the eleventh section, to be found in Appen- dix No. 8. 4. If we are to have an increased foreign trade, involving as it will more complicated consular relations, it would seem indispensable that our consuls, and their subordinates, as well as the clerical force serving under our ministers at foreign courts, should be as competent for their duties as the officials of the same grade in the service of the leading commercial countries. In such countries these officials are subjected to adequate examinations, especially in consular and diplomatic law and usages, and in the language of the country whjere they are to serve, 5. There would seem to be no good reason why free, open, competi- tive examinations, under the charge of the academic boards of tbe 54 REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. institutions, should not be made the basis of selections for filling the eadetships at the Military School at West Point, and at the Naval 3chool at Annapolis. The filling of these places under the present method, while causing a monopoly of patronage and much demoraliz- ing solicitation, has severely taxed the time of members of Congress which is needed for duties of legislation. 6. The need of extending and maturing the new system by suitable rules, founded on the theory that public office is a public trust and not a perquisite, which shall cover the important subjects of promotion and removal, has already been alluded to. 7. Without making other definite suggestions, but regarding the new system as having demonstrated its utility, and hence as being no longer a mere experiment, it is not improper to glance at what, per- haps, may be accepted as the natural lines of its development. (1.) There are additional places in various Departments at Washing- ton within its principle, which should be brought under the operation of the rules for examinations. (2.) There would seem to be no reason why the same methods which govern the selection of officials for the Federal Departments should not apply to those seeking to enter the Federal service under the govern- ment of the District of Columbia, regulating the details in the light of the experience which has been so beneficial for nearly two years in the city of Brooklyn, and which the city of New York is now following. (3.) The results in the large post-offices and customs offices would seem to justify the extension of the examinations to others having a less number of officials as well as to the railway mail service, the internal- revenue offices, the mints, and perhaps various other offices, as experi- ence may warrant. It should be stated, however, that no . extension of the work of the Commission can be made without a corresponding increase, both of its working force and of office room for doing its work. The evidence contained in this report, in regard to time lost in attending to office- seekers under the old system and saved under the new, would seem to show that even with such an increase of the cost of the work of the Commission it would be far less expensive than the old system. The office room of the Commission is now inadequate, and in order to keep up its work its office hours have been made one hour longer daily than those of any other Government department, and even beyond these hours much additional work is required. 8. The subordinates of the Commission, without exception, have la- bored faithfully and diligently, with a zeal born of a deep interest in their work. One additional clerk and a laborer the Commission regards as essential for the fit performance of its present duties, and it asks to have the salary of its stenographer, who performs important duties not suggested by Wg P#icial designation, increased m m wt> Pf simple jqstr ice REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. 55 The work thus far has occupied the entire time of the commissioners,, and.has taxed their energies to the utmost. To the grave difficulties which, at the outset, attended the organization of a system so new and extensive, have succeeded perplexing questions inseparable from this stage of its enforcement. The maturing of amendments to the rules and regulations in the light of a large experience, the devising and revision of many blank forms, the preparation of appropriate series of questions for all kinds of examinations, the correspondence with the heads of the Departments, and so many offices as are affected by the rules and with the numerous and widely scattered boards of examiners, answering in- quiries, interpreting law and rules, considering questions as to classifi- cation, and giving instruction for procedures, the revisions of examina- tions on appeal, and a multitude of daily recurring duties incident to a new system — all these have taxed the Commission heavily. It entered upon no highway, but has had to make its road as it has advanced. If, under such circumstances, the Commission has failed in fully meeting the public expectation and demand, it will not occasion surprise. We cannot doubt that the most difficult stage is passed. But it will require some years of careful study and prudent adjustment to carry into full effect the practical methods authorized by the civil service act. 9. The more important functions of the Commission are in their na- ture both judicial and legislative, requiring a careful regard to the practical effects of its action, firm resistance of solicitation, and an unflinching adherence to principle. These functions cannot be successfully discharged without the con- stant, firm, and friendly support of the President. That support has never failed. The Commission has never asked advice or an exercise of authority on the part of the President which has been refused. In the original rules the carrying on of the examinations was, in ex- press language, made a part of the public business at each office to which they extend, and the heads of these offices are required to give to the Commission the information and facilities which it may need. The Commission believes that no officer within the classified service has been allowed for one moment to doubt that it was the fixed purpose of the President to have the civil service law and rules enforced in their true spirit. With very few exceptions the officers referred to have at all times acted in the true spirit of the new system. „ 9. As to its own action, the Commission can declare positively, and as to that of the President, it can express its unhesitating belief, that neither discrimination on the ground of political or religious opinions, nor favoritism of any sort has been allowed to defeat, delay, or in any- wise impair or improve the chances or opportunities of any person un- der the civil service act. The law and the rules are of such a nature, their practical methods W4 effect W ty mmj SO greatly misconceived a;4 djstirujfefy a^d 66 EEPOBT OP THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. their execution confronts and defeats so many partisan, personal, and selfish interests, that their enforcement is possible only when it is abso- lute. To yield to sympathy in this case and pressure in that would be to make the execution of the law impossible and the position of a com- missioner intolerable. The surrendering to patronage of a single place in the classified service would not only invite a contest over every other, but would bring distrust upon the Commission and the good faith of an Administration. The only alternatives, therefore, are to enforce the new system absolutely or to abandon it altogether. APPENDIX No. 1. [Chapter 27, Statutes at Large, vol. 22, p. 403.] A.N ACT to regulate nnd improve the civil service of the United States. Be it enacted by the Senate and Bouse of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the President is authorized to appoint, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, three persons, not more than two of whom shall be adherents of the same party, as Civil Service Commissioners, and said three commissioners shall constitute the United States Civil Service Commission. Said com- missioners shall hold no other official place undei the United States. The President may remove any commissioner ; and any vacancy in the position of commissioner shall be so tilled by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, as to conform to said condi- tions for the first selection of commissioners. The commissioners shall each receive a salary of three thousand five hundred dollars a year. And each of said commissioners shall be paid his necessary traveling expenses incurred in the discharge of his duty as a commissioner. Sea. 2. That it shall be the duty of said commissioners : FIRST. To aid the President, as he may request, in preparing suita- ble rules for carrying this act into effect, and when said rules shall have been promulgated it shall be the duty of all officers of the United States in the departments and offices to which any such rules may relate to aid, in all proper ways, in carrying said rules, and any modifications thereof, into effect. SECOND. And, among other things, said rules shall provide and de- clare, as nearly as the conditions of good administration will warrant, as follows : First, for open, competitive examinations for testing the fitness of applicants for the public service now classified or to be classified here- under. Such examinations shall be practical in their character, and so far as may be shall relate to those matters which will fairly test the relative capacity and fitness of the persons examined to discharge the duties of the service into which they seek to be appointed. Second, that all the offices, places, and employments so arranged or to be arranged in classes shall be filled by selections according to grade from among those graded highest as the results of such competitive examinations. Third, appointments to the public service aforesaid in the depart- ments at Washington shall be apportioned among the several States and Territories and the District of Columbia upon the basis of popula- tion as ascertained at the last preceding census. Every application for an examination shall contain, among other things, a statement, under 03^, setting forth his or her actual bopa fide residence at the time of i>7 58 REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. making the application, as well as how long he or she has been a resident of Such place. Fourth, that there shall be a period of probation before any absolute appointment or employment aforesaid. Fifth, that no person in the public service is for that reason under any obligations to contribute to any political fund, or to render any political service, and that he will not be removed or otherwise preju- diced for refusing to do so. Sixth, that no person in said service has any right to use his official authority or influence to coerce the political action of any person or body. Seventh, there shall be non- competitive examinations in all proper cases before the commission, when competent persons do not compete, after notice has been given of the existence of the vacancy, under such rules as may be prescribed by the commissioners as to the manner of giving notice. Eighth, that notice shall be given in writing by the appointing power to said commission of the persons selected for appointment or employ- ment from among those who have been examined, of the place of resi- dence of such persons, of the rejection of any such persons after proba- tion, of transfers, resignations, and removals, and of the date thereof, and a record of the same shall be kept by said commission. And any necessary exceptions from said eight fundamental provisions of the rules shall be set forth in connection with such rules, and the reasons therefor shall be stated in the annual reports of the commission. THIED. Said commission shall, subject to the rules that may be made by the President, make regulations for, and have control of, such examinations, and, through, its members or the examiners, it shall super- vise and preserve the records of the same; and said commission shall keep minutes of its own proceedings. FOUETH. Said commission may make investigations concerning the facts, and may report upon all matters touching the enforcement and effects of said rules and regulations, and concerning the action of any examiner or board of examiners hereinafter provided for, and its own subordinates, and those in the public service, in respect to the execu- tion of this act. FIFTH. Said commission shall make an annual report to the Presi- dent for transmission to Congress, showing its own action, the rules and regulations and the- exceptions thereto in force, the practical effects thereof, and any suggestions it may approve for the more effectual ac- complishment of the purposes of this act. Sec. 3. That said commission is authorized to employ a chief exam- iner, a part of whose duty it shall be, under its direction, to act with the examining boards, so far as practicable, whether at Washington or elsewhere, and to secure accuracy, uniformity, and justice in all their proceedings, which shall be at all times open to him. The chief exam- _ iner shall be entitled to receive, a salary at the rate of three thousand' dollars a year, and he shall be paid his necessary traveling expenses incurred in the discharge of his duty. The commission shall have a secretary, to be appointed by the President, who shall receive a salary of one thousand six hundred dollars per annum. It may, when neces- sary, employ a stenographer, and a messenger, who shall be paid, when employed, the former at the rate of one thousand six hundred dollars a year, and the latter at the rate of six hundred dollars a year. The commission shall, at Washington, and in one or more places in each State and Territory wftere examinations are to take place, designate BEPOET OP THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. 59 and select a suitable number of persons, not less than three, in the official service of the United States, residing in said State or Territory, after consulting the head of the department or office in which such persons serve, to be members of boards of examiners, and may at any time substitute any other person in said service living in such State or Territory in the place of any one so selected. Such boards of exam- iners shall be so located as to make it reasonably convenient and inex- pensive for applicants to attend before them ; and where there are per- sons to be examined in any State or Territory, examinations shall be held therein at least twice in each year. It shall be the duty of the collector, postmaster, and other officers of the United States, at any place outside of the District' of Columbia where examinations are di- rected by the President or by said board to be held, to allow the rea- sonable use of the public buildings for holding such examinations, and in all proper ways to facilitate the same. Sec. 4. That it shall be the duty of the Secretary of the Interior to cause suitable and convenient rooms and accommodations to be assigned or provided, and to be furnished, heated, and lighted, at the city of Washington, for carrying on the work of said commission and said ex- aminations, and to cause the necessary stationery and other articles to be supplied, and the necessary printing to be done for said commission. Sec 5. That any said commissioner, examiner, copyist, or messenger, or any person in the public service who shall willfully and corruptly, by himself or in co-operation with one or more other persons, defeat, deceive, or obstruct any person in respect of his or her right of examin- ation according to any such rules or regulations, or who shall willfully, corruptly, and falsely mark, grade, estimate, or report upon the exam- ination or proper standing of any person examined hereunder, or aid in so doing, or who shall willfully and corruptly make any false repre- sentations concerning the same or concerning the person examined, or who shall willfully and corruptly furnish to any person any special or secret information for the purpose of either improving or injuring the prospects or chances of any person so examined, or to be examined, be- ing appointed, employed, or promoted, shall for each such offense be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction thereof, shall be punished by a fine of not less than one hundred dollars, nor more than one thousand dollars, or by imprisonment not less than ten days, nor more than one year, or by both such fine and imprisonment. SEC. 6. That within sixty day's after the passage of this act it shall be the duty of the Secretary of the Treasury, in as near conformity as may be to the classification of certain clerks now existing under the one hundred and sixty -third section of the Eevised Statutes, to arrange in classes the several clerks and persons employed by the collector, naval officer, surveyor, and appraisers, or either of them, or being in the public service, at their respective offices in each customs district where the whole number of said clerks and persons shall be all together as many as fifty. And thereafter, from time to time, on the direction of the President, said Secretary shall make the like classification or ar- rangement of clerks and persons so employed, in connection with any said office or offices, in any other customs district. And, upon like re- quest, and for the purposes of this act, said Secretary shall arrange in one or more of said classes, or of existing classes, any other clerks, agents, or persons employed under his Department in any said district not now classified; and every such arrangement and elassificai ion upon being made shall be reported to the President. geconc}, Within, said sixty days it shall be the duty of the Postmaster- 60 EEPOET OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. General, in general conformity to said one hundred and sixty- third sec- tion, to separately arrange in classes the several clerks and persons em- ployed, or in the pul>lic service, at each post-office, or under any post- master of the United States, where the whole number of said clerks and persons shall together amount to as many as fifty. And thereafter, from time to time, on the direction of the President, it shall be the duty of the Postmaster General to arrange in like classes the clerks and persons so employed in the postal service in connection with any other post-office; and every such arrangement and classification upon being made shall be reported to the President. Third. That from time to time said Secretary, the Postmaster-General, and each of the heads of departments mentioned in the one hundred and fifty-eighth section of the Eevised Statutes, and each head of an office, shall, on the direction of the President, and for facilitating the execution of this act, respectively revise any then existing classification or arrangement of those in their respective departments and offices, and shall, for the purposes of the examination herein provided for, include in one or more of such classes, so far as practicable, subordinate places, clerks, and officers in the public service pertaining to their respective departments not before classified for 'examination. Sec. 7. That after the expiration of six months from the passage of this act no officer or clerk shall be appointed, and no person shall be employed to enter or be promoted in either of the said classes now ex- isting, or that may be arranged hereunder pursuant to said rules, until he has passed an examination, or is shown to be specially exempted from such examination in conformity herewith. But nothing herein con- tained shall be construed to take from those honorably discharged from the military or naval service any preference conferred by the seventeen hundred and fifty-fourth section of the Eevised Statutes, nor to take from the President any authority not inconsistent with this act conferred by the seventeen hundred and fifty-third section of said statutes; nor shall any officer not in the executive branch of the government, or any person merely employed as a laborer or workman, be required to be classified hereunder; nor, unless by. direction of thei Senate, shall any person who has been nominated for confirmation by the Senate be re- quired to be classified or to pass an examination. Seo. 8. That no person habitually using intoxicating beverages to excess shall be appointed to, or retained in, any office, appointment, or employment to which the provisions of this act are applicable. Sec. 9. That whenever there are already two or more members of a family in the public service in the grades covered by this act, no other member of such family shall be eligible to appointment to any of said grades. Sec. 10. That no recommendation of any person who shall apply for office or place under the provisions of this act which may be given by any Senator or member of the House of Eepresentatives, except as to the character or residence of the applicant, shall be received or consid- ered by any person concerned in makiDg any examination or appoint- ment under this act. Sue. 11. That no Senator, or Eepresentative, or Territorial Delegate of the Congress, or Senator, Eepresentative, or Delegate elect, or any officer or employee of either of said houses, and no executive, judicial, military, or naval officer of the United States, and no clerk or employee of any department, branch, or bureau of the executive', judicial, or mili- tary or naval service of the Uuited States, shall, directly or indirectly, solicit or receive, or be in any mauuer concerned in soliciting or receiV- REPORT OP THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. 61 ng, any assessment, subscription, or contribution for any political' pur- pose whatever, from any officer, clerk, or employee of the United States, or any department, branch, or bureau thereof, or from any person re- ceiving any salary or compensation from moneys derivedfrom the Treas- ury of the United States. Sec. 12. That no person shall, in any room or building occupied in the discharge' of official duties by any officer or employee of the United States mentioned in this act, or in any navy -yard, fort, or arsenal, solicit in any manner whatever, or receive any contribution of money or any other thing of value for any political purpose whatever. Sec. 13. No officer or employee of the United States mentioned in this act shall discharge, or promote, or degrade, or in manner change the official rank or compensation of any other officer or employee, or promise or threaten so to do, for giving or withholding or negl«cting to make any contribution of money or other valuable thing for any political purpose. ' Sec. 14. That no officer, clerk, or other person in the service of the United States shall, directly or indirectly, give or hand over to any other officer, clerk, or person in the service of the United States, or to any Senator or Member of the House of Eepresentatives, or Territorial Delegate, any money or other valuable thing on account of or to be applied to the promotion of any political object whatever. Sec. 15. That any person who shall be guilty of violating any pro- vision of the four foregoing sections shall be deemed guilty of a misde- meanor, and shall, on conviction thereof, be punished by a line not ex- ceeding five thousand dollars, or by imprisonment for a term not exceed- ing three years, or by such fine and imprisonment both, in the discretion of the court. Approved, January sixteenth, 1883. APPENDIX No. 2. AMENDED CIVIL SERVICE RULES. In the exercise of the power vested in the President by the Constitu- tion, and by virtue of the 1753d section of the Eevised Statutes, and of the civil service act approved January 16, 1883, the following rules for the regulation and improvement of the executive civil service are hereby amended and promulgated : Eule I. No person in said service shall use his official authority or influence either to coerce the political action of any person or body or to interfere with any election. Eule II. No person in the public service shall for that reason be under any obligation to contribute to any political fund, or to render any political service, and he will not be removed or otherwise prejudiced for refusing to do so. Eule III. It shall be the duty of collectors, postmasters, assistant treasurers naval officers, surveyors, appraisers, and custodians of public buildings at places where examinations are to be held, to allow and arrange tor the reasonable use of suitable rooms in the public buildings in their charge, and for heating, lighting, and furnishing the same, for the pur- poses of such examinations ; and all other executive officers shall in all legal and proper ways facilitate such examinations and the execu- tion of these rules. Eule IV. 1. All officials connected with any office where, or for which, any ex- amination is to take place, will give the Civil Service Commission, and the chief examiner, such information as may be reasonably required to enable the Commission to select competent and trustworthy examiners ; and the examinations by those selected as examiners, and the work in- cident thereto, will be regarded as a part of the public business to be performed at such office. 2. It shall be the duty of every executive officer promptly to inform the Commission, in writing, of the removal or discharge from the public service of any examiner in his office, or of the inability or refusal of any such examiner to act in that capacity. 62 Report oe the civil service commission. 03 Rule V. There shall be three branches of the service, classified under the uivil service act (not including laborers or workmen, or officers required to be confirmed by the Senate), as follows : 1. Those classified in the Departments at Washington shall be desig- nated " The Classified Departmental Service." 2. Those classified under any collector, naval officer, surveyor, or ap- praiser in any customs district, shall be designated " The Classified Cus- toms Service." 3. Those classified under any postmaster at any post-office, including that at Washington, shall be designated " The Classified Postal Service." 4. The Classified Customs Service shall embrace the several customs districts where the officials are as many as fifty, now the following : New York City, N. Y. ; Boston, Mass. ; Philadelphia, Pa. ; San Fran- cisco, Cal. ; Baltimore, Md. ; New Orleans, La. ; Chicago, 111. ; Burling- ton, Vt.; Portland, Me.; Detroit, Mich.; Port Huron, Mich. 5. The Classified Postal Service shall embrace the several post-offices where the officials are as many as fifty, now the following : Albany, N. Y. ; Baltimore, Md. ; Boston, Mass.; Brooklyn, N. Y. ; Buffalo, X. Y.; Chicago, 111. ; Cincinnati, Ohio ; Cleveland, Ohio ; Detroit, Mich. ; In- dianapolis, Ind. ; Jersey City, N. J.; Kansas City, Mo. ; Louisville, Ky. ; Milwaukee, Wis. ; Minneapolis, Minn. ; Newark, N. J. ; New Haven, Conn.; New Orleans, La. ; New York City. N. Y. ; Philadelphia, Pa.; Pittsburgh, Pa. ; Providence, B. I. ; Rochester, N. Y. ; Saint Louis, Mo, ; Saint Paul, Minn. ; San Francisco, Cal. ; Washington, D. C. 6. Whenever within the meaning of said act the clerks and persons em- ployed by the collector, naval officer, surveyor, and appraisers, or either of them in any customs district, shall be as many as fifty, any existing classification for the Customs Service shall apply thereto, and when the number of clerks and persons employed at any post-office shall be as many as fifty, any existing classification of those in the Postal Service shall apply thereto; and thereafter the Commission will provide for examinations for filling the vacancies at said offices, and the Rules will be applicable thereto. Rule VI. 1. There shall be open, competitive examinations for testing the fit- ness of applicants for admission to the service. Such examinations shall be practical in their character, and, so far as may be, shall relate to those matters which will fairly test the relative capacity and fitness of the per- sons examined to discharge the duties of the branch of the service which they seek to enter. 2. There shall, so far as they may be deemed useful, be competitive examinations of a suitable character to test the fitness of persons for promotion in the service. Rule VII. 1. The general examinations under the first clause of Rule VI for admission to the service shall be limited to the following subjects : 1st. Orthography, penmanship, and copying. 2d. Arithmetic — fundamental rules, fractions, and percentage. 3d. Interest, discount, and elements of book-keeping and of accounts. 4th. Elements of the English language, letter- writing, and the.proper construction of sentences. 5th. Elements Of the geography, history, and government of the United States. 64 REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. 2. Proficiency in any subject upon which an examination shall be held shall be credited in grading the standing of the persons examined in proportion to the value of a knowledge of such subject in the branch or part of the service which the applicant seeks to enter. 3. No one shall be entitled to be certified for appointment whose standing upon a just grading in the general examination shall be less than sixty- live per centum of complete proficiency in the first three sub- jects mentioned in this rule, and that measure of proficiency shall be deemed adequate. 4. For places in which a lower degree of education will suffice, the Commission may limit the examinations to less than the five subjects above mentioned; but no person shall be certified for appointment, under this clause, whose grading shall be less than an average of sixty-five per centum on such of the first three subjects or parts thereof as the ex- amination may. embrace. 5. The Commission may also order examinations upon other subjects of a technical or special character, to test the capacity which may be needed in any part of the Classified Service which requires peculiar in- formation or skill. Examinations hereunder may be competitive or non-competitive, and the maximum limitations of age contained in the twelfth Iiule shall not apply to applicants for the same. The applica- tion for, and notice of, these special examinations, the records thereof and the certification of those found competent shall be such as the Commission may provide for. After consulting the head of any De- partment or office, the Commission may from time to time designate, subject to the approval of the President, the positious therein for which applicants may be required to pass this special examination. Etjle VIII. No question in any examination, or proceeding by, or under, the Commission or examiners, shall call for the expression or disclosure of any political or religious opinion or affiliation, and if such opinion or affiliation be known, no discrimination shall be made by reason thereof by the examiners, the Commission or the appointing power. The Com- mission and its examiners shall discountenance all disclosure, before either of them, of such opinion by or concerning any applicant for ex- amination or by or concerning any one whose name is on any register awaiting appointment. Etjle IX. All regular applications for the competitive examinations for admis- sion to the classified service must be made on blanks in a form approved by the Commission. All requests for such blanks, and all applications for examination, must be addressed as follows : 1. If for the Classified Departmental Service, to the U. S. Civil Service Commission, Wash- ington, D. C. 2. If for the Classified Postal Service, to the postmaster under whom service is sought. 3. If for the Classified Customs Service, to the head of either customs office in which service is sought. All officers receiving such applications will indorse thereon the date of the reception thereof and transmit the same to the proper examining board of the district or office where service is sought, or, if in Washington, to the Civil Service Commission. Ktjle X. Every examining board shall keep such records, and such papers on file, and make such reports as the Commission shall require ; and any REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. 65 such paper or record in the charge of any examining board or any officer .shall at all times be open to examination as the Commission shall direct, and upon its request shall be forwarded to the Commission for inspection and revision. Eule XI. 1. Every application, in order to entitle the applicant to appear for examination or to be examined, must state, under oath, the facts on the following subjects: 1. Full name, residence, and post-office address. 2. Citizenship. 3. Age. 4. Place of birth. 5. Health and physical capacity for the public service. 6. Eight of preference by reason of military or naval service. 7. Previous employment in the public serv- ice. 8. Business or employment and residence for the previous five years. 9. Education. Such other information shall be furnished as the Commission may reasonably require touching the applicant's fitness for the public service. The applicant must also state the number of members of his family in the public service, and where employed, and must also assert that he is not disqualified under section 8 of the civil service act, which is as follows : " That no person habitually using in- toxicating beverages to excess shall be appointed to or retained in any office, appointment, or employment to which the provisions of this act are applicable." No person dismissed from the public service for mis- conduct shall be admitted to examination within two years thereafter. 2. No person under enlistment in the Army or Navy of the United States shall be examined under these Eules, except for some place in the Department under which he is enlisted requiring special qualifications, and with the consent in writing of the head of such Department. 3. The Commission may by regulations, subject to change at any time by the President, declare the kind and measure of ill-health, physi- cal incapacity, misrepresentation and bad faith, which may properly exclude any person from the right of examination, grading, or certifica- tion under these rules. It may also provide for medical certificates of physical capacity in the proper cases ; and for the appropriate certifi- cation of persons so defective in sight, speech, hearing or otherwise, as to be, apparently, disqualified for some of the duties of the part of the service which they seek to enter. Eule XII. 1. Every regular application must be supported by proper certificates of good moral character, health, and physical and mental capacity for doing the public work, the certificates to be in such form and number as the regulations of the Commission shall provide ; but no certificate will be received which is inconsistent with the tenth section of the civil service act. 2. No one shall be entitled to be examined for admission to the Clas- sified Postal Service if under sixteen or over thirty-five years of age, excepting messengers, stampers, and other junior assistants who must not be under fourteen years of age ; or to the Classified Customs Service, or to the Classified Departmental Service, if under eighteen or over forty -five years of age ; but no one shall be examined for appointment to any place in the Classified Customs Service except that of clerk or messenger who is under twenty-one years of age ; but these limitations of age shall not apply to' persons honorably discharged from the mili- tary or naval service of the country, who are otherwise duly qualified. 12271 c s 5 66' EEPOET OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. Rule XIII. 1. The date of the reception of all regular applications forthe Class^ fied Departmental Service shall be entered of record by the Commis- sion, and of all other regular applications by the proper examining boards of the district or office for which they are made ; and applicants when in excess of the number that can be examined at a single exami- nation shall, subject to the needs of apportionment, be notified to appear, in their order on the respective records. But any applicants in the several States and Territories for appointment in the Classified De- partmental Service may be notified to appear for examination at any place at which an examination is to be held, whether in any State or Territory, or in Washington, which shall be deemed most convenient for them. 2. The Commission is authorized, in aid of the apportionment among the States and Territories, to hold examinations at places convenient for applicants from different States and Territories, or for those exam- ination districts which it may designate and which the President shall approve. 3. The Commission may, by regulation, provide for dropping from any record the applicants whose names have remained thereon for six months or more without having been reached in due course for notifi- cation to be examined. Rule XIV. Those examined shall be graded, and shall have their grade marked upon a register after those previously thereon, in the order of their excellence as shown by their examination papers, except that those 'xom the same State or Territory may be entered upon the register to- gether, in the order of relative excellence, to facilitate apportionment. Separate registers may be kept of those seeking to enter any part of the service in which special qualifications are required. Rule XV. The Commission may give a certificate to any person examined, stat- ing the grade which such person attained, and the proficiency in the several subjects, shown by the markings. Rule XVI. 1. Whenever any officer having the power of appointment or employ- ment shall so request, there shal 1 be certified to him, by the Commission or the proper examining board, four names for the vacancy specified, to be taken from those graded highest on the proper register of those in his branch of the service and remaining eligible, regard being had to any right of preference and to the apportionment of appointments to States and Territories ; and from the said four a selection shall be made for the vacancy. But if a person is on both a general and a special reg- ister he need be certified from the former only, at the discretion of the Commission, until he has remained two months upon the latter. 2. These certifications for the service at Washington shall be made in such order as to apportion, as nearly as may be practicable, the original appointments thereto among the States and Territories and the District of Columbia, upon the basis of population as ascertained at the last pre- ceding census. REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. 67 3. In case the request for any such certification or any law or regula- tion shall call for those of either sex, persons of that sex shall be cer- tified, otherwise sex shall be disregarded in such certification. 4. No person upon any register shall be certified more than four times to the same officer in the customs or postal service, or more than three times to any Department at Washington, unless upon request of the appointing officer ; nor shall any one remain eligible more than one year upon any register except as may be provided by regulation ; but these restrictions shall not extend to examinations under clause 5 of Eule 7. No person while remaining eligible on any register shall be admitted to a new examination, and no person having failed upon any examination shall within six months thereafter be admitted to another examination, without the consent of the Commission. 5. Any person appointed to or employed in any part of the classified service, who shall be dismissed or separated therefrom without fault or delinquency on his part, may be reappointed or re employed in the same part or grade of such service in the same Department or office, within one year next following such dismissal or separation, without further examination, on such certification as the Commission may provide. Etjle XVII. 1. Every original appointment or employment in said classified serv- ice shall be for the probationary period of six months, at the end of which time, if the conduct and capacity of the person appointed have been found satisfactory, the probationer shall be absolutely appointed or employed, but otherwise be deemed out of the service. 2. Every officer under whom any probationer shall serve during any part of the probation provided for by these rules shall carefully observe the quality and value of the service rendered by such probationer, and shall report to the proper appointing officer, in writing, the facts ob- served by him, showing the character and qualifications of such proba- tioner, and of the service performed by him ; and such reports shall be preserved on file. 3. Every false statement knowingly made by any person in his. appli- cation for examination, and every connivance by him at any false state- ment made in any certificate which may accompany his application, and every deception or fraud practiced by him or by any person in his behalf and with his knowledge to influence his examination, certifica- tion, or appointment shall be regarded as good cause for the removal or discharge of such person during his probation or thereafter. Etjle XVIII. Every head of a department or office shall notify the Commission of the name of every person appointed to, or emplojed in, the classified service under him (giving the date of the appointment and the designa- tion of the office or place) from those examined under the Commission ; and shall also inform the Commission of the date of any rejection or final appointment or employment of any probationer, and of the pro- motion, removal, discharge, resignation, transfer, or death of any such person after probation. Every head of any office in the postal or cus- toms service shall give such information on these subjects to the Board of Examiners for his office as the regulations of the Commission may provide for. 68 REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. RULE XIX. There are excepted from examination the following : 1. The confiden- tial clerk or secretary of any head of a department or office. 2. Cash- iers of collectors. 3. Cashiers of postmasters. 4. Superintendents of money-order divisions in post-offices. 5. The direct custodians of money for whose fidelity another officer is under official bond and disbursing officers having the custody of money who give bonds; but these excep- tions shall not extend to any official below the grade of assistant cashier or teller. 6. Persons employed exclusively in the secret service of the Government, or as translators, or interpreters, or stenographers. 7. Persons whose employment is exclusively professional. 8. Chief clerks, deputy collectors and superintendents, or chiefs of divisions or bureaus. But no person so excepted shall be either transferred, appointed, or promoted, unless to some excepted place, without an examination under the Commission. Promotions may be made without examination in offices where examinations for promotion are not now held, until rules on the subject shall be promulgated. Rule XX. If the failure of competent persons to attend and be examined, or the prevalence of contagious disease or other sufficient cause, shall make it impracticable to supply in due season for any appointment the names of persons who have passed a competitive examination, the appoint- ment may be made of a person who has passed a non-competitive exam- ination, which examination the Commission may provide for; but its next report shall give the reason for such resort to non-competitive ex- amination. Rule XXI. 1. No person, unless excepted under Rule 19, shall be admitted into the classified civil service, from any place not within said service, with- out an examination and certification under the rules ; nor shall any per- son who has passed only a limited examination under clause 4 of Rule 7, for the lower classes or grades in the departmental or customs serv- ice, be appointed, or be promoted within two years after appointment, to any position giving a salary of $1,000, or upwards, without first pass- ing an examination under clause 1 of said rule, and such examination shall not be allowed within the first year after appointment. 2. But a person who has passed the examination under said clause 1, and has accepted a position giving a salary of $900 or less, shall have the same right of promotion as if originally appointed to a position giv- ing a salary of $1,000 or more. 3. The Commission may at any time certify for a $900 or any lower place in the classified service any person upon the register who has passed the examination under clause 1 of Rule 7, if such person does not object before such certification is made. Rule XXII. Any person who has been in the classified departmental service for one year or more immediately previous, may, when the needs of the service require it, be transferred or appointed to any other place therein upon producing a certificate from the Civil Service Commission that such person has passed at the required grade' one or more examinations, which are together equal to that necessary for original entrance to the REPORT OP THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. 69 place which would be secured by the transfer or appointment; and any person who has for three years last preceding served as a clerk in the office of the President of the United States may be transferred or ap- pointed to any place in the classified service without examination. EULE XXIII. The Civil Service Commission will make appropriate regulations for carrying these rules into effect. Rule XXIV. Every violation, by any officer in the executive civil service, of these rules, or of the 11th, 12th, 13th, or 14th section of the civil service act, relating to political assessments, shall be good cause for removal. [Eules 5, 7, 11, 16, 17, and 21 were amended and promulgated, and a new Eule, No. 22, was promulgated December 5, 1884; former Rule 22 is now 23, and 23 is Eule 24. . Jersey City, N. J., was added to the list of classified post-offices, Eule 5, clause 5, October 6, 1884; and New Haven, Cqnn., December 11, 1884. Eules 5, 13, and 16 were amended and promulgated January 24, 1885.] Special Eule No. 1. Any person who was employed on or before the 16th day of January, 1883, in any Executive Department at Washington in a position not included in the classified service in said department, but who was at that date exclusively engaged in the duties of a clerk or copyist, an,d who has since been continuously so engaged, may, in the discretion of the head of the department, be treated as within the classified service in the department, in a grade corresponding to such duties ; provided such person has either already passed an examination under the Civil Service Eules, or shall pass an appropriate competitive or non-compet- itive examination thereunder, at a grade of sixty-five per cent, or up- wards. Approved June 12th, 1884. Special Eule No. 2. The names of all persons who shall have successfully passed their ex- amination under the Civil Service Eules previous to July 16, 1884, may remain on the Eegister of persons eligible for appointment two years from the date of their respective registrations, unless sooner appointed. Approved July 18th, 1884. Special Eule No. 3. Appointments to the 150 places in the Pension Office provided to be filled by the act of July 7th, 1884, except so far as they may be filled by promotions, must be separately apportioned by the appointing power in as near conformity to the second section of the act of January 16th, 1883, as the need of filling them promptly and the residence and quali- fications of the applicants will permit. Approved July 22d, 1884. APPENDIX No. 3. REGULATIONS. The United States Civil Service Commission, acting under the author- ity of the Civil Service Act of January 16, 1883, and the rules promul- gated by the President, makes the following regulations : CHIEF EXAMINEE. 1. The Chief Examiner shall, as far as practicable, except when other- wise directed by the Commission, attend the examinations held by the several boards of examiners. He shall take care to secure accuracy, uniformity, and justice in all their proceedings, which shall at all times be open to him ; but leaving the duty of the examiners, in marking and grading those examined, unimpaired. The Commission will, in its discretion, designate one of its own members, or request the detail of a suitable person, to supervise examinations whenever deemed needful. 2. He shall prepare and submit to the - approval of the Commission proper forms and questions. He shall take care that the rules and reg- ulations are complied with, and bring every case of injustice and irreg- ularity observed by him to the attention of the Commission. He shall take such part as the Commission shall assign him in the work at Wash- ington. It shall be his duty to confer, from time to time, with the heads of the postal and customs offices which he officially visits concerning the regularity, sufficiency, and convenience of the examinations for the service under them. SECRETARY. 3. The Secretary shall keep the minutes of the proceedings of the Commission and have charge of and be responsible for the safe- keeping of the books, records, papers, and other property in its office. He shall make the. proper certification of those eligible for the Departmental service. He shall generally conduct the correpondence of the Com- mission and perform such other appropriate duties as it may assign to him. BOARDS OF EXAMINEES. 4. The general Board of Examiners for the Departmental service shall consist of three persons from the Treasury Department, two from the War Department, one from the Navy Department, two from the Post-Office Department, two from the Interior Department, one from the Department of Justice, one from -the Department of Agriculture, and such other members as the Commission may designate. But any three members may be designated by the Commission to constitute the acting Examin- ing Board for any examination. 70 REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. 71 The secretary of the Board of Examiners* for the Departmental serv- ice shall keep a record of its proceedings and have charge of its papers. 5. In case of examinations to lie held at otber places than those hav- ing the classified service, the Commission will designate an Examining Board for that purpose. 6. For each post- office, the Board of Examiners shall consist of three persons. 7. The general Board of Examiners for each customs district shall consist of two or more persons selected from the office of the collector, and one from each of the other customs offices which are subject to the rules ; but if there be no office subject thereto except that of the collec- tor, the three shall be selected from his office. 8. Three Examiners may serve as a Board for conducting any exam- ination ; and the Examiners for any customs district will determine which three shall hold any examination, taking care that, if an exami- nation is wholly or mainly for any office, one or more of the examiners from that office shall be on the acting Board. In case of a failure or disagreement as to which three shall be the Board for any examination, the Commission or Chief Examiner shall designate the local examiners who shall serve. In case of the disability or necessary absence of one of the three examiners selected, the other two may conduct the exami- nation. DUTIES OF EXAMINING BOARDS. 9. Each Examining Board in the postal and customs service shall se- lect one of its members to serve as secretary, and it shall be his duty to keep a complete record of the proceedings of the Board and of all examinations held. He shall also keep the Record of Applicants and Examinations, and the Register of persons eligible for appointment, and all other records required. He shall have charge of all books and papers belonging to the Board and shall be responsible for their safe- keeping. On application of the proper appointing officer, he shall cer- tify to such officer, in conformity to the rules, the names of the four persons of highest grade remaining on the register. He shall also answer all proper iequestsfor application blanks, and send due notifications to ap- plicants to be examined, and shall give all other notices required to be given by the Board. 10. Neither theCommissionersnor any Examinerorotherpersons serv- ing under them shall attempt to control or influence, in any manner, appointments, removals, or promotions ; nor can they receive, retain, or transmit to appointing officers any letters of request, certificates, or rec- ommendations other than those provided in the application paper; and all such unauthorized letters, certificates, and recommendations must be returned at once to the person offering or sending them. 11. Care must be taken by the examiners not to allow such visitors as they may admit, nor any conversation or other cause, to obstruct or distract those being examined. 12. Examiners must not disclose for public information, unless by consent, the names of those examined, or the grade they obtain. The relative standing of persons on the Registers of Eligibles must not be disclosed to anj person without the consent of the Commission, as such disclosure may work a defeat of the purpose of the law in excluding influence, and in securing the appoiutmeut of the most worthy. 33. The Board of Examiners for each office or district must promptly notify the Commission of the need of holding an examination in and for such office or district, and may appoint the time for the same, but 72 REPORT OP THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. subject to any change the Commission may find it necessary to make for the more convenient and effective discharge of its duty to see that the examinations are accurate, uniform, and just. The notice must state under which clause or clauses of Rule 7 the applicants are to be exam- ined, and must, when practicable, be given at least twenty days before the time appointed therein for the examinations. DUTIES OP HEADS OP OFFICES. 14. The head of each post-office and of each customs office, to which the rules are applicable, should inform the local Board of Examiners of probable vacancies, that examinations for filling them may be held in due season, and (as contemplated by Eule 18) should promptly inform the Board of Examiners for his office of the name of every person re- fusing an appointment or employment, or who shall be appointed to or employed in the classified service under him (giving the date of the appointment and the designation of the office or place), and of the name of every person rejected or finally appointed or employed after proba- tion, including the date thereof, and of the promotion, removal, dis- charge, resignation, transfer, or death of every such person. 15. Whenever any officer in the Customs or Postal Service to whom a certification has been made shall object in writing to any person in such certification because of ill-health or physical incapacity, specifying the same, the person so objected to shall furnish such officer, within a rea- sonable time, not exceeding three days from time of notice of such ob- jection, a certificate of the nearest medical officer of the Ee venue Marine or Marine Hospital Service, or other physician approved by the secre- tary of ihe Board of Examiners, declaring him' physically competent for the position sought ; in the case of failure to furnish such certificate another name shall be substituted in the certification. Such certifica- tion shall count as one of the four due such person. All such cases shall be reported promptly to the Commission. 16. The Secretary of the Board of Examiners must sign and deliver to the applicant objected to the appropriate blank form, addressed to the proper medical officer or selected physician, for such applicant to take to that officer for the purpose of procuring the required certificate. EXAMINATIONS. 17. Notices in writing should be mailed to applicants for examination in the postal and customs service at least eight days before the exam- ination, and they shall clearly specify the place and the time, including the hour, of holding the same. 18. All competitive examinations for admission to the civil service shall be in writing, except that tests of physical qualities or expertness may be added as the Commission shall approve. 19. The examination sheets will commonly be given out in the order of their numbers ; each, after the first, being given only when the ap- plicant shall return to the examiners the last sheet taken by him. In case of the accidental spoiling of a sheet a duplicate may be given in its place. 20. Not more than ten questions shall be given in any-subject, except in special examinations. Care shall be taken that the time allotted for the examination shall be reasonably sufficient for answering the ques- tions. REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. 73 In general no competitive examination should occupy more than five hours, except in the case of special examinations. 21. The examination papers of each applicant shall be marked only with a number, and his name with his number shall be placed in a sealed envelope, which shall not be opened until after his papers are marked. POSTAL EXAMINATIONS. 22. The examinations for clerks in the Postal Service shall embrace suitable questions in the first, second, fourth, and fifth subjects men- tioned in clause 1, Rule 7. The examinations for carriers shall embrace suitable questions in the first and second subjects, and in the geography of the fifth. Examinations for porters, pilers, stamp boys, or junior clerks, and mes- sengers, or other employ Ss whose work is chiefly manual, may be limited to the first and second subjects, including only the four elementary rules of arithmetic. CUSTOMS EXAMINATIONS. 23. The examinations for clerks, including storekeepers, in the Cus- toms Service shall embrace the five subjects mentioned in clause I, Rule 7. Examinations for inspectors shall embrace suitable questions in the first, second, fourth, and geography of the fifth subjects. Examinations for night inspectors and messengers may be limited to the first and second subjects. Examinations for weighers and gaugers shall embrace the first and second subjects, and such additional practical and theoretical questions and tests as the Commission may direct. Examinations for examiners may embrace the first, second, and fourth subjects, and such supplementary technical subjects as may be needed in each case. Special supplementary boards of examiners will be designated by the Commission when needed, and the general regulations for supplement- ary departmental examinations shall apply. FRAUDS AND MISCONDUCT. 24. Every Examiner will exercise all due diligence to secure fairness, and to prevent all collusion or fraud in the examinations. In case the Board of Examiners shall find that any applicant has made material misrepresentations of facts for the purpose of securing an ex- amination or preference, or has been guilty of bad faith or fraud, either during an examination or in order to cause advantage or prejudice to any applicant, and also in case prima facie evidence shall be presented to the Board of Examiners, that any person on a record is, by reason of criminal or infamous conduct, not a fit person to be examined or marked, or, if on a register, to be certified, it will be the duty of the Board to report upon the matter fully and promptly to the Commission, and the marking, grading, or certification of such person may be suspended pending the action of the Commission upon the subject. 25. Upon such report to the Commission, or such evidence otherwise appearing before it, the Commission will make the proper investigation and give appropriate direction to the Board of Examiners. 26. In case a person upon any register shall, by reason of ill health or physical incapacity become manifestly disqualified for the service for which he or she is registered, the Commission may direct that such per- son be not certified ; and the Commission must be promptly informed 74 REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. by the proper Examining Boards of each case of snch disqualification. 27. The Commission will promptly hear any explanation or objection which the applicant affected by such suspension or refusal of an exami- nation, marking, or certification may wish to present, and will facilitate any appropriate appeal he or she may make. CERTIFICATION OP PERSONS DEFECTIVE IN SIGHT, SPEECH, ETC. 28. A person so defective in sight, speech, hearing, or otherwise as to be apparently disqualified for some of the duties of the part of the service which he or she seeks to enter, may, after Weir names have been reached on the register, be placed on certification from time to time in addition to the proper number of names thereon in the usual course ; the nature of the defects to be plainly noted on the certification. MARKING AND GRADING. 29. The examination papers shall, so far as practicable, be reviewed separately by each examiner who takes part in the marking, and in any case of disagreement the average of the markings, to be made on the papers by all, shall be the final marking on each question, subject to the regulation as to revision. 30. To determine the Standing of the applicant in any subject, credit each answer in proportion to its completeness and accuracy according to regulations prescribed for each subject; the perfect answer being credited 100. Divide the sum of the credits by the number of questions upon the subject ; the quotient will be the applicant's Standing in that subject. 31. To determine whether any applicant has reached an Average Standing of 65 per centum in the first two or the first three subjects, add the figures marking the applicant's Standing in each ; divide their sum by the number of the subjects, and the quotient will be the Average Standing therein. 32. No applicant is entitled to go upon the Register of those eligible for appointment, whose Average Standing upon the first three subjects, or such parts thereof as are covered by the examination, is below 65 per centum ; therefore, when the marking has been carried so far as to show such Average Standing to be below 65 per centum, it need not be car- ried farther. If the examination includes no part of the fourth or fifth subject, such Average Standing will be the General Average to be en- tered on the Register. The following example illustrates these directions : subject. © . rt a S'S ."ts © •S - © & O Second subject. si © c O ■3 . n © C u O Fourth subject. J3 o . 9 a is © & u O Fifth subject. ■a i o Question 1. Questiou 2 Question 3- 80 45 71 50 05 Question 1-. Question 2.. Question 3.. Question 4.. 40 90 74 56 Qnestion 1.. Question 2.. Queslion 3.. Question 4.. Question 5.. 70 45 90 85 100 Question 1.. Question" 2.. Question 3.^ Question 4.. Question 5.- 60 50 35 90 100 Question 1-. Question 2.. Question 3.. 60 90 80 Quuatiun 5. ' Divide *) 311 260 390 335 230 by uuin- > ber ques- tions. J 5 4 5 5 3 62.2 65 78 67 76.68 REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. 75 The grade at which the applicant in this case will go upon the Eeg- ister is, therefore— 62.2+65+78+67+76.66=348.86. —'— =69.77, General Average. 33. To whatever number of subjects the examination may extend, the General Average will be ascertained by dividing the sum of the Stand- ings in each of the subjects by the number of subjects. 34. Every example, though it be a case of dictation or copying, is regarded as a question under these regulations, and, although only a portion of the topics included in a subject under Eule 7 is embraced in the examination, it will, for the purpose of the marking, be treated as a subject. COMPLAINTS AND APPEALS. 35. Complaints which show injustice or unfairness on the part of any Examining Board, or any one acting under the Commission, will be con- sidered by the Commission, and if necessary it will revise the marking and grading on the papers, or order a new examination, or otherwise do justice in the premises. In case any action of the Commission is desired, the complaint or ap- peal must specify particularly the matter complained of. NON-COMPETITIVE EXAMINATIONS UNDER ETJLE 20. 36. In case the necessity shall exist at any office or Department for holding a non-competitive examination under Kule 20, the following conditions shall be observed : The Commission shall be immediately notified of such necessity and of the grounds thereof, showing that it is impracticable to supply in due season for any appointment the names of persons who have passed a competitive examination, by reason of the failure of competent persons to attend and be examined, or the prevalence of contagious disease, or other sufficient cause. 37. If the Commission shall not disapprove the holding of a non-com- petitive examination, the Secretary of the Commission at Washington, or of the Examining Board for any post-officeor customs district, shall notify for such examinations any persons whose names may be on the record, as applicants for places analogous to those to be filled, and whom the exigency of time may allow to be notified, not less in number than the vacancies and places to be provided for. 38. If the number of applicants on the record be insufficient to furnish such supply, then the Examining Board, or in its absence the Secretary, may notify other suitable persons, nominated by said Board or Secre- tary, upon consultation with the head of the office, who, taken together with said regular applicants notified, shall, if practicable, be not less in number than four to each place to be filled. The persons selected for appointment or employment shall be required to make oath to the proper application paper, before entering upon their official duties. 39. The non- competitive examination shall conform as nearly as prac- ticable, in subjects, questions, and marking, to the competitive exam- inations of the same grade ; but no person shall be appoiuted under such non-competitive examination whose average standing upon the first three subjects, clause 1, Rule 7, or such parts thereof as may be used, is less than 65 per centum : Provided, There are those who pass at or above that grade from whom the places can be filled. 76 REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. 40. The names of all the persons passing the examination shall be certified to the proper officer, and the existing vacancies shall be filled therefrom ; but no person by reason of such non-competitive examina- tion shall be appointed at any other time than during such exigency or to any other vacancy or place. 41. A record shall be kept by the local Examining Board, and by the Secretary of the Commission at Washington, of the persons thus notified, examined, and appointed, or employed, and copies of notices and the examination papers shall be preserved ; and said Board shall, after each such examination and appointment, make full report to the Civil Service Commission of all the facts. In case a majority of the Commission may not be present when an examination hereunder may need to be held at Washington, the same may be conducted under the charge of the chief examiner and any two members of the Board of Examiners. SPECIAL EXAMINATIONS. 42. Special Boards of Examiners for special examinations under clause 5, Bule 7, for the departmental service, shall be constituted as follows : a Board of five members for the Patent Office, and Boards of three members each for the State Department, the Pension Office, the Signal Office, and the Geological Survey. Each Special Board shall mark all the papers of applicants examined for its part of the service, and shall be subject to the regulations prescribed by the Commission for the general Examining Boards as far as they are applicable. 43. Applications for any special examination must be made in the form prescribed by the Commission, and must be accompanied by certificates' as required in the case of ordinary applications. The min- imum limitations of age shall be the same as those prescribed by Bule 12 for the several branches of the service, but no maximum limitations shall be required except such as the Commission may from time to time prescribe. 44. Whenever a special examination is to be held, notice in writing, specifying the time and place of the examination, shall be sent to a suitable number of the applicants, in the order of their application for the same, in time to allow their attendance. 45. Each special examination shall include the subjects both obliga- tory and optional, approved by the Commission therefor, and no appli- cant shall be entered upon any Special Register of Eligibles whose gen- eral average upon the obligatory subjects shall be less than 65 per centum. Each optional subject shall be marked by itself, and entered separately upon the register. 46. A Special Record of Applicants and a Special Register of Eligi- bles shall be kept for each part of the service or office requiring special examinations; and when the Commission or the proper examining board shall be notified by the appointing officer of a vacancy in such office, certification shall be made to him of the names of the four persons graded highest on the Special Register of Eligibles for the same, or of a different number when good reasons, approved by the Commission, may require ; and a person may be certified more than twice to the same department or office from a special register, when the Commission shall so direct. In case the notice of vacancy shall contain a request for persons having a knowledge of one or more of the optional subjects, the certification may be made of those graded highest in the subject or subjects required. REPORT OP THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. 77 47. In case any person whose name stands on both a general and a special register shall be appointed from the former, the Commission may, in its discretion, retain him on, and certify him for appointment from the latter. 48. Applicants on the general Eecord, and persons on tbe general Eegister of Eligibles whose application papers claim the special knowl- edge required, may be notified, and if they appear shall be examined, as if special applicants; bub no person so examined shall forfeit his right to the general examinations, or lose his place on any Eegister of Eligibles by reason of his special examination. 49. In case that competent special applicants do not apply, or do not appear for a competitive examination after suitable notice, a non-com- petitive examination may be held, in as near conformity as may be to the regulations provided for other noncompetitive examinations for admission to the service. SUPPLEMENTARY EXAMINATIONS. 50. Special supplementary examinations in subjects not enumerated in clause I, Eule 7, of which a knowledge is required in the public serv- ice, will be held in addition to the general and limited examinations for the departmental service, and when an application claims such knowl- edge the applicant may, without further application, be admitted to any such examination. 51. Each applicant who has passed the examination in any supple- mentary subject shall be placed upon the proper special supplementary register, provided such applicant has obtained the required grade in the general or limited examination, and may also be placed upon the gen- eral register according to standing in the general subjects respectively, if otherwise eligible. 52. "Whenever any request for a certification shall require persons ac- quainted with either of these special subjects, four persons standing highest on the special supplementary register in the subjects named, or a different number, as may be ordered, shall be certified. 53. Special Boards of Examiners for supplementary examinations for the departmental service shall be constituted as follows: A board of seven persons for the French, German, Spanish, Italian, and Scandi- navian languages; a board of three. persons for each of the following subjects: Law, medical science, draughting, stenography (including type-writing), telegraphy, and book-keeping. Adopted, January 16, 1885. TRANSFERS. 54. No person shall be certified for a transfer under Eule 22, except on request of the head of the Department to which the transfer is to be made, specifying the vacancy to be filled by such transfer. The person to be transferred must furnish to the Commission the proof of his having been in the Classified Departmental Service oue year or more, immediately previous; and, if he has not already passed the required examination, must pass at the general average of 65 or over, a non-competitive examination equivalent to that required for ad- mission to the place, or such parts of said examination as he has not previously taken. Adopted, March 2, 1885. ^JPIPEISTDIX No. 4. COMMISSIONERS, OFFICERS AND EXAMINEES. Commissioners. DORMAN B. EATON. JOHN M. GREGORY. LEROY D. THOMAN. Chief Examiner. CHARLES LYMAN. Secretary. ROBERT D. GRAHAM. Stenographer. JOHN T. DOYLE. Cleric. CHARLES FRED. ADAMS. Messenger. MATTHEW F. HALLORAN. Departmental Examiners, Washington, D. C. William H. Webster, of Interior Department, Chairman. A. M. Judson, of Treasury Department, Secretary. Thbo. L. DeLand, of Treasury Department. Charles C. Snow, of Treasury Department. Oliver W. Longan, of War Department. John Wilson, of War Department. F. E. Storm, of Navy Department. F. A. Springer, of Post-Office Department. , of Post-Office Department. Weston Flint, of Interior Department. . , of Department of Justice. David Bremner, of Agricultural Department. Chas. Fred. Adams, of United States Civil Service Commission. Special Examiners, State Department. Sevellon A. Brown. Theo. F. Dwight. Francis J. Kieckhoefer. 78 REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. 79 Special Examiners, Patent Office. Robert G. Dyrenporth. Benjamin R. Catlin. Franklin A. Seely. Perry B. Pierce. Charles J. Kintner, Special Examiners, Pension Office. William H. Webster. Benjamin A. Harlan. Francis E. Camp. Special Examiners, Army Signal Office. Cleveland Abbe. Henry H. C. Dunwoody. Robert Craig. Special Examiners, United States Geological Survey. Henry Gannett. Gilbert Thompson. A. H. Thompson. Special Examiners, Law Cleric*. F. L. Campbell. H. G. Haywood. Special Examiners, Modern Language*. Herman Jacobsen. Ernest Szemelenyi. Mary E. Wilcox. W. E. Bendz. A. Hedberg. Robert L. Packard. Sara C Upton. Special Examiners, Medical Science. J. B. G. Baxter. P. A. Lovering. Frank Baker. Special Examiners, Topographer*. Harry King. William Naylor. Philo B. Wright. Special Examiners, Type-writing and Stenography O. D. LaDow. Charles B. Parkman. Julius E. Rockwell. Sinclair B. Sheibley. Special Examiners, Telegraphy. ~0. D. LaDow. AT CUSTOM-HOUSES. BALTIMORE, MD. Henry E. Torbert. Thomas S. Plummer. John P. Carter. John E. Fellman. Charles L. Wilson. boston, mass. John M. Fiske. Frederick Grant. Geo. O. Davis. George C. Joslin. John T. Hadawat. BURLINGTON, VT. John A. Arthur. Jerry E. Dickerman. John F. Eichardson. CHICAGO, ILL. Augustus S. Campbell. Frank C Greene. Charles D. Stone. DETROIT, MICH H. C. Christiancy. Albert M. Edward. F. A. Blades. NEW ORLEANS, LA. George L. Bloomfield. J. M. Holland. F. W. Gibson. T. G. Tracey. John Weber. 80 NEW YORK, N. T. John M. Comstock. Nelson G. Williams. Cyrus A. Stevens. Henry D. Stanwood. Charles W. Musgravb. Jasper T. Kane. PHILADELPHIA, PA. William D. Smith. George W. Silvis. H. B. Geissinger. William Gaw, Jr. Thomas E. Evans. port huron, mich. Frank Whipple. Edgar G. Spalding. George G. Van Alstinx. portland, mx. David Moulton. Charles W. Eoberts. Horatio Hight. Franklin Sawyer. san francisco, cal. J. Frank Miller. Charles C. IiEavitt. John Pattison. Nathan B. Hoyt. H. F. Cooper. REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. 81 AT POST-OFFICES. ALBANY, N. T. Joseph D. Craig. A. D. Sandford. C. H. Zeilman. JERSEY CITY, N. J. Henry A. Helleman. William Grece. Ella C. Brehart. baltimore, md. Milo.V. Bailey. William H. H. Sultzer. Sydney Adams. KANSAS CITT, MO. Robert C. Van Horn. R.' W. Camp. W. H. R. Lykins. BOSTON, MASS. Henry S. Adams. E. S. Barker. Albert T. Stahl. LOUISVILLE, KY. E. S. Tuley. Henry A. Chittenden. John Henseler. brooklyn, n. y. Samuel Smith. William B. Hopkins. Louis Bauer. buffalo, n. y. A. G. Miller. Charles H. Dobbins. William Graser. milwaukee, wis. Hamilton Shidy. John L. Kaine. Jerome B. Johnson. MINNEAPOLIS, MINN. Twiford E. Hughes. Clarence J. Brogden. Marc Wanvig. CHICAGO, ILL. M. J. McGuath. E. P. Upham. W. D. Rawlins. cincinnati, ohio. Lyman Harding. Joseph W. Kahler. Wilbur Du Bois. cleveland, ohio. Robert Harding, A. J. Williams. Thomas B. Livingston. DETROIT, MICH. George R. Woolfenden. Stephen A. Griggs. Charles F. Swan. INDIANAPOLIS, IND. P. C. Trusler. R. C. Craft. David M. Elliott. 12271 C S r6 NEWARK, N. J. Theodore F. Mercer. Edward T. Cone. Charles Huebner. new haven, conn. Richard F. Lyon. Edward E. Boyd. George F. Tucker. NEW ORLEANS, LA. John H. H. Taylor. C. A. Tessier. Henry J. Carter. NEW YORK, N. T. E. Perry Jones. !Edwin B. Grove. Edward S. Post. PHILADELPHIA, PA. Edwin A. Barber. Dudley W. Buuchard. Francis A. Davies. 82 REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. PITTSBURGH, PA. Robert Ostermaier. Stephen Collins. T. A. Blackmore. saint paul, minn. Patrick O'Brien. George W. Hardacre. Ebward S. Bean. providence, r. i. William D. Brayton. Charles H. Williams. George M. Kendall. SAN FRANCISCO, CAL William C. Dougherty. Barlow Dyer. Daniel S. Richardson. ROCHESTER, N. Y. W. Seward Whittlesey. Willis G. Mitchell. George F. Loder. WASHINGTON CITY. Seymour W. Tullock. James E. Bell. H. P. Springer. SALNT LOUIS, MO. J. B. Harlow. Warebn P. Edgarton. John H. Cookson. APPENDIX No. 5. INSTRUCTIONS TO APPLICANTS "WHO "WISH TO ENTER THE UNITED STATES CIVIL SEEVICE. i That part of the executive civil service for which examinations are held is designated the Classified Civil Service. It is in three branches, the Departmental, the Customs, and the Postal Service. (See Eule 5.) The examinations in each of these three branches of the service are so different that no examination for one of them makes a person eligi- ble for appointment in either of the others. No person who has been examined can, while eligible for appointment, have another examina- tion either lor the same office or for any other office or branch of the service without the consent of the Commission. (Eule 16, cl. 4.) Who may be examined. — (1.) Only citizens of the United States of the proper age can be admitted to the examinations, and no persons habitually using intoxicating beverages can be appointed. (See Civil Service act, section 8.) (2.) Every one seeking to be examined must first file an application upon an official blank. (3.) No discrimination is made on the ground of political or religious opinions. (See Eule 8.) (4.) For limitations of age see Eule 12. These limitations of age referred to do not apply to applicants hon- orably discharged from the military or naval service of the country. Where and how to apply for examination. — (1.) The blank ap- plication paper for the departmental service should be requested directly of the United States Civil Service Commission, Washington, D. C., and , when filled and sworn to should be returned to the Commission. (2.) The application paper for the custom service must be requested of the head of the custom office which the applicant seeks to enter, and returned to that officer. (3.) The application paper for the postal service must be requested of the postmaster at the post-office which the applicant seeks to enter, and returned to that postmaster. (4.) There is no need of seeking the aid of any member of Congress or other influential person to secure an application paper or an examina- tion. (5.) If on application to the proper officer a blank is not received within a reasonable time the fact should be brought to the attention of the Commission. Examinations and salaries in the departmental service. — (1.) Ordinary departmental examinations are divided into two grades, the General examination and the Limited examination. (2.) The General examination is for admission to places having sal- aries from $1,000 to $1,800, or over. The original admissions are usually at a salary of $1,000, though some of , them are at a salary of 83 84 REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. $1,200. The General examination includes the subjects named in clause 1, Rule 7. (3.) The Limited examination is for admission to places with a salary ranging from $720 to $900 inclusive, original admission being com- monly at a salary of $900. The Limited examination is much easier than the General examination, being mainly confined to the subjectsnumbered 1 and 2. It may embrace also elementary questions in geography and the writing of a letter. As the work in the places reached by this ex- amination is chiefly copying, a good handwriting is important to suc- cess. (4.) A person who has taken only the Limited examination cannot be appointed to anyplace requiring the General examination. (See Rule 21, clause 1.) (5.) Those who pass the General examination, may, if they do not ob- ject, be certified for and appointed to the lower places ; but they may afterwards be advanced to the higher without further examination. (Rule 21, clause 2.) (6.) Applicants who have passed the General examination take their chance to get at first a $1,200 or only a $1,000 place, as must those who have passed the Limited examination take the chance of getting a $900 place, or only one of the $720 places. (7.) The departmental examinations, whether general or limited, are for all places, above defined, in either of the Departments at Wash- ington except the State Department, and there are no separate ex- aminations for any other Department, except the special examinations. The applicant must remember that the examination, if it shows the req- uisite capacity, will only entitle him to be placed on the register of persons eligible to appointment, and to be certified, in his turn, to the appointing officer when a vacancy shall occur, and when his State is reached in the order of (apportionment. Special examinations. — (1.) For the places in the departmental service where technical, additional qualifications are needed, special ex- aminations are held. They embrace but a very small part of the whole service. Applicants for these places should file a special applica- tion paper, and these examinations may be taken in addition to the general or limited examination. (See clause 5, Rule 7.) (2.) Special examinations are at present held for the State Depart- ment, the Patent Office, the Pension Office, the Signal Office, and the Geological Survey. (3 ) Circulars giving information in regard to the subjects in any one of these special examinations will be sent on request to those who ex- press a wish to take the same. Supplementary examinations. — (1.) Besides the special exami- nations above mentioned examinations supplementary to the general and limited examinations are open to those who have taken the latter and may be taken on the same day. (2.) These examinations are in the French, German, Spanish, Italian, and Scandin avian Ian guages, and in law, medical science, drafting, stenog- raphy, type- writing, telegraphy, and book-keeping. A person passing in any one of these subjects is placed upon a special register, provided he shall have passed the general or limited examinations,' and may be ap- pointed therefrom. (See Regulations 50, 53.) Examinations and salaries in the customs service. — (1.) There are three grades of examinations in the customs service : 1, for clerks and storekeepers, for whom the questions are about the same in grade as in the general examinations for the Departments ; 2, for inspectors, em- EEPOET OF THE CIVIL, SERVICE COMMISSION. 85 bracing fewer subjects ; 3, for night inspectors and messengers, for whom there is a yet lower grade of questions. In some of the offices there are special customs examinations, in additional subjects, for gaugers, weigh- ers, and examiners. (See Eegulation 23.) (2.) The places in the classified customs service give a compensation of $900 and upwards, but do not include any place the appointment to which is made subject to confirmation by the Senate, nor the places ex- cepted under Eule 19. Examinations and salaries in the postal service. — (1.) There are in the post-offices three grades of examinations: 1, for clerks; 2, for carriers, and 3, for porters, the last including various subordinate posi- tions. The first is the most difficult and the last is the easiest. (See Eegulation 22.) (2.) The classified postal service includes all kinds of service at post- offices above the grade of laborers, and the compensation is too various at the different offices for definite statement here. The railway mail service is not at present embraced under the rules, and applicants for that service cannot therefore be examined for it under the Commission. Legal residence. — If the applicant has any doubt as to the place of his legal residence he should consult some competent person on the sub- ject. The law requires the oath of the applicant to actual bona fide res- idence. It would not be proper for a commissioner, or any one serving under the Commission, to become the adviser of any applicant on this question, and no such advice will be given. Occupation and business. — It is not enough in the application paper to use the word agent, clerk, or broker, which gives no idea of the kind of business ; nor is it satisfactory to state " no business," merely because the applicant has had only household duties. There should be a descriptive statement of the business or occupation. The statements must be true. — Every false- statement know- ingly made in the application, or connived at in any certificate which may accompany it, is good cause, not only for exclusion from examina- tion, but for discharge during probation or thereafter. (See Eule 17.) No additional certificates.— No recommendations or certifi- cates, besides those provided for in the application itself, will be re- ceived or can be of any use in securing an examination or a certification for appointment. (See Eegulation 10.) Place of examination. — (1.) The examinations for any customs district or for any post-office are held only in that district or office, and by the examining board thereof, which also marks and grades the pa- pers. (2.) Applicants for the departmental service may be examined either at Washington or at any place in the several States more convenient for the applicant where examinations are ordered by the Commission. Examinations for the departmental service are occasionally held at the same time with examinations for the postal and customs service at the cities named in Eule 5. The examination papers are sent to Washing- ton to be marked by the departmental examiners. All questions are prepared at Washington. Time of holding examinations. — The times of holding customs ' and postal examinations depend upon the needs of the offices in the several branches of the service, and cannot, therefore, be precisely stated long beforehand. But these and other local examinations are 86 REPORT OP THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. held often enough to supply eligible persons for departmental appoint- ments from the several States and Territories. Notice of examinations. — (1.) Notice of each examination is sea- sonably given to all applicants for the departmental service who can properly and conveniently attend it, by the secretary of the Commis- sion ; and by the secretary of the proper board of local examiners to 1 ihose seeking to enter the postal or customs service. (2.) In case of the inability of the applicant to attend, he will, upon a satisfactory explanation of the facts in writing, receive a notice to at- tend another examination. (3.) It is important that the applicantat all timeskeep the Commission informed of his or her post-office address. Notice of standing-. — (1.) Notice of the standing gained,whether the applicant passes or not, will be given by the same secretary as the no- tice of examination, and as soon as practicable after the papers are marked, without any request being made ; but, owing to the many papers some- times to be marked, several weeks may occasionally elapse before the notice can be sent. (2.) As under Eule 7 and the regulations r the first three subjects named in clause 1 of that rule (or the parts thereof to which the examination extends) are separately marked, the standing therein may be either higher or lower than the general average given for all the subjects. If the average on these three subjects is above 65. the name will go on the register of eligibles, even though the general average on all the subjects falls below 65. (See Regulations 27-35.) (3.) No person who has failed on any examination can, within six months thereafter, be admitted to any other examination without the consent of the Commission, in writing. Consent to a re-examination is given only where sickness or other disabling cause occasioned the fail- ure. No person dismissed from the service for misconduct can be ex- amined within two years thereafter. (See Rules 11 and 16.) Apportionment and certification.— (1.) The law requires ap- pointments to the departmental service to be apportioned to the States, Territories, and the District of Columbia on the basis of population, and the Commission must make the certifications in such order as to bring about such apportionment. The names for any certification, are, there- fore, taken from the State or States, &c, which have competent appli- cants of the sex and grade required, and which are entitled in the order of apportionment. In selecting persons from a State or Territory, &c, for a certification, the Commission send the names of those standing highest in grade on the proper register for that State or Territory. (2.) In view of such facts, it ought to be seen that time spent in at- tempts to change the order of these certifications will be lost. Neither the presence of the applicant in Washington nor writing to the Com- mision will in the least hasten his certification. . (3.) No requests or lecommendations for certification will be consid- ered or regarded, and they will be returned to the sender. (See Rule 16 and Regulation 10.) Removals and appointments. — (1.) The Commission has no part in removals. In appointments it has no participation except as herein- before explained. It can help no one to get an appointment. It knows nothing of any vacancy until it receives from the head of the Depart- ment the formal request for a certification to fill it ; and it has nothing whatever to do with the choice of the appointing officer from those cer- tified. REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. 87 (2.) There is this exception, however, in regard to removals. The Com- mission will investigate any charge of an alleged removal by reason of a refusal to pay an assessment. (Eule 2.) When may an appointment be expected? — (1.) The Commission will not attempt to predict the time or probability of an appointment. The highest mark possible is 100, the lowest which gives eligibility for appointment is 65. Bach applicant by his examination practically de- cides his own standing, and hence his own chances of an early appoint- ment. (2.) The time of examination is not considered in making certifica- tions, as the highest jn grade on the register must be certified first, even though the last examined. Upon strict business principles, the Govern- ment insists on the most competent who offer to work for the salary it pays. (3.) When any State is reached in its order of apportionment the re- quest for a certification may be 1, for females, 2, for males, 3, for those who have passed the limited examination, 4, for those who have passed the general examination, or 5, for those who have passed some one of three or four special examinations. There are, therefore, all these con- tingencies against the possibility of predicting correctly the particular person who may be selected. (4.) Neither the Commission nor any one connected therewith can in- form applicants of their standing as compared with other persons. (See sec. 5 of the act.) Appointment op women. — (l.) ; The civil service act and the rules make no discrimination in regard to sex. The examinations are open alike to both sexes. (2.) The appointing officer, in his requests for certifications, declares whether males or females are desired. The Commission must certify from the sex named. If the sex is not specified, the highest in grade, irrespective of sex, must be certified. (3.) Yery few females are appointed in either the postal or the cus- toms service. (4.) In the departmental service less than a sixth part of the appoint- ments have thus far been of females; and more than one-third of those examined have been of that sex. The okade of applicants not made public — The Commis- sion has no wish, on its own account, to conceal the marking of any one, but the injustice and uselessness of making public the failures to pass the examinations are manifest. The Commission and examining boards will not, therefore, give the standing of applicants to strangers. Effect of an appointment.— Applicants who have accepted an ap- pointment, or been tendered one which they fail to accept, are regarded as no longer on the register of eligibles or the record of applicants. Papers cannot be returned. — All application papers and accom- panying certificates of vouchers are a part of the records which the civil service act requires the Commission to preserve, and under no circum- stances will the originals be returned to the applicant. Commission cannot give advice.— The Commission cannot advise persons as to vacancies in the service, nor furnish information as to the duties, salaries, course of promotion, or other facts as to positions, ex- cept such as may be found in its reports. Address all communications to United States Civil Service Commis- sion, Washington, D. C. ^PPEHSTDIX No. 6. (Six statistical tables.) Table No. 1.— Limited and Genebal Examinations foe the De- partmental Service. This table is in two parts : Part 1 shows the number, &c, who have taken thelimited examination only. Part 2 shows the number, &c, who have taken the general examination. See Eule 7, clauses 1 and 4. But this table does not show the whole number who have taken the general and limited examinations. The papers of three hundred and five persons who have taken these examinations are not tabulated. These persons arefrom thirty-two States and two Territories. Their tabulation would not materially vary either the average age, the ratio of sexes, or the proportion of those who passed. To show the whole number examined for the departmental service the 791 given in Table No. 5, and the 305 above mentioned must be added to those here tabulated, making in all two thousand two hundred and seventy-six. Part 1. — Limited examinations. Numbers exam* ined. 1 9 s 1 Education. Passed at over. 65 ot States, Territories, and the District of Columbia. 6 1 © ■a a ■a h II A" A ■s . 8J s a w B n 8 a° i © o A « 1 i & 13 5 3 2 2 2 2 1 1 .5 12 11 6 3 2 3 4 1 3 6 6 2 2 7 11 18 S s 5 4 7 24 12 11 1 5 10 1 4 3 4 31 10 20 20- 1 5 9 3 6 18 10 5 17 6 6 7 7 2 4 1 3 12 23 29 11 8 7 7 7 31 13 14 1 13 17 1 5 4 8 45 14 27 30 1 9 25 8 6 34 16 8 25 29 31 29 31 40 32 19 27 29 32 24 33 27 25 26 30 30 30 30 18 28 27 41 22 34 25 32 30 29 32 39 29 27 25 22 30 25 30 12 4 4 4 4 2 3 2 2 16 22 8 4 4 3 2 17 5 7 1 5 10 2 3 6 23 5 19 17 1 1 6 3 3 19 10 5 3 2 2 3 3 2 4 2 3 2 2 2 4 > 3 3 5 2 2 2 10 18 5 3 4 2 4 19 11 9 1 5 7 1 4 3 3 29 6 18 17 1 5 8 2 6 10 9 4 8 2 6 5 7 2 1 1 1 5 6 7 2 3 2 4 5 14 8 6 2 1 1 2 5 1 5 7 6 2 3 2 1 7 17 24 1 1 1 7 6 6 3 4 7 1 3 4 1 2 23 12 1 11 1 8 7 8 6 1 3 1 1 19 7 2 11 6 3 11 1 10 1 1 1 4 14 4 7 10 1 1 4 11 3 5 8 5 4 i i i 1 2 2 5 1 7 40 9 23 25 1 4 16 5 7 14 5 2 12 4 3 1 5 3 9 2 14 5 8 17 4 i 1 2 2 5 16 6 3 24 14 4 Total 190 297 487 28 264 182 4 37 124 244 368 EEPOET OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. 89 Part S}. 1 — General examination. States, Territories, and the District of Colombia. Numbers exam- ined. Education. N U Passed at 65 or over. Alabama Arizona Arkansas California Colorado , Connecticut Dakota Delaware Florida Georgia Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas- Kentuoky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts . Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri ... Montana Nebraska New Hampshire New Jersey NewMexioo New York North Carolina. Ohio Pennsylvania .. Rhode Island. ... South Carolina. Tennessee Texas Vermont Virginia West Virginia. . Wisconsin Total 1 1 •l 3 2 5 13 3 2 2 7 1 2 1 1 1 1 3 2 S 29 2 21 1 87 5 20 2 1 1 5 i 13 l 14 7 i 8 l 7 10 2 1 6 4 a 5 1 1 51 9 1 IS 1 25 6 2 « 14 8 3 2 1 5 6 31 22 42 20 3 1 6 14 14 8 9 7 12 1 10 60 1 16 31 2 21 4 15 599 94 310 304 74 376 90 REPORT OP THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. 1 e a" •I H O »H <5> i-3 tl ."8 a i 9 I 3 ! 11 •pjoi ■SJ9UJ«0 •B3[I9I0 ■BaSsRoa oj •S989fl00 eeauienq nj -ssnn -9p«o« nj ■Bjooqos nonnnoo nj ■93« 93M9AV ■a fe I' •eiuniaj; •9XBM 4j a 'B939H09 ni ■B999n 0!> eoamsnq nj •Batra -spews uj •eiooqoe uornmoo nj BJ9UJB0 ■B^J9I0 •TO»X •SI9IJIB3 §3 ® 9 l-H ® •9^8019^ •exBH •pteq suop -enptraxo jeqnniK « t- ^ d! t* oo © t- «© c» coeo^eowc- »es n mt-eooot> «»« HvtiMa N^ecoHm i-i >«H^ t-»OI>l>OOOOaO^!HmH «CONXC«CQ^iOCDH 94 CO (A CO CM t- CO tO ■>& tM -^ N "^1 i-H (O iH -^ rHj ION W iH NCOtoa«0)(OOiOWt-tOOirt»Bt"tOt-H-(ONOI>NN MOO ■ CM fr- 00 C* ■*)« • W iH 00 «5 ••# H iHNHrt ■ ■ > IT. erbere, les creux seront pr6f'6rablement faits de facon a trouer les briques de part en part dans un sens, et de facon qu'une fois celles-ci assemblies, cela fasse une sorte de boyau creux dans lequel il soit possible de faire circuler de l'air ou autre agent de refroidissement. Pour des briques de parois ou de voutes, les creux ne troneront pas la brique de part en part, mais iront de l'exterieur du four a l'interieur jusqu'a une profondeur quelconque, qui n'est nullement limited. On peut aussi obtenir le mfime r6sultat en ne faisant pas Ce creux proprement dits, mais en disposant la brique de facon qu'une fois les briques assemblies, ce soit le joint 6vid6 qui forme le creux. Certiflcat d'addition en date du 29 mars 1876. (Subject: Abridging, indexing, classifying.) 1. "Write abridgments of your translations of the two specifications. Also write au abridgment of U. S. Patent No. 79,804, omitting refer- ence to the drawing. 2. Index, both by name of inventor and by title of invention, all the patents in the copy of Official Gazette before you, beginning with No. 290,943. 3. Make a classification of the same patents according to the arts to which they appertain. 4. Describe a card catalogue and its uses. 110 REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. 5. In an alphabetical list of names where would you place the follow- ing foreign names: Edward, Earl of Caithness; J. H. Merle d'Aubigne; Thomas De Quincey ; Vasco da Gama ; Salignac de Lamothe Fenelon ; Dom Pedro de Alcantara; Benjamin Disraeli, Earl of Beaconsfield; Gustav von Kramstasche Erben; Don Jose" Garcia y Nunez; Gaston Chandon de Briailles? Special Examination foe the Patent Office (Series No. 1).— Mechanical Draftsmen. tests and questions. 1. Make a drawing from the model before you, illustrating the same in such view or views as will, in your opinion, best facilitate a clear un- derstanding of the invention. Note the time occupied in making this drawing. [A model of a machine was placed before each applicant to be repre- sented in his drawing.] 2. Describe, in detail, the several parts of the machine of which this is a model, indicating such parts upon the drawing by proper reference letters. Explain its mode of operation, its object, and the class of ma- chines to which you think it properly belongs. 3. Define the difference between shading and shade lines, and indi- cate the same by a proper reference to an isometric view of a cube. 4. How would you shade a surface so as to indicate that it was con- cave, and how to indicate that it was convex ? How would you shade a sphere? .5. Define (1) cross hatchings; (2) section lining; (3) a ground line; (4) a vanishing point; (5) an isometric view; (6) a perspective view; (7) a plan view ; (8) an elevation; (9) a broken section, and (10) show how you would illustrate a cross-section through two adjoining parts of a structure. 6. Define the following mechanical parts and state a.t least one gen- eral application of each: (1) A spline; (2) a loose pulley; (3) an idle wheel ; (4) a cone pulley ; (5) lazy tongs ; (6) sun and planet gear ; (7) miter-gear ; (8) an eccentric ; (9) link-motion ; (10) a mangle wheel; (11) a crown wheel ; (12) a Geneva stop; (13) a fly wheel; (14) a trunnion, and (15) a universal joint Note. — The drawing above referred to must be in entire conformity to the require- ments laid down in the official rules of the Patent Office, a copy of which may be had of the board of examiners on inquiry. Special Examination foe the Patent Office (Series No. !.)— Copyists of Drawings. tests and questions. 1. State your experience in making mechanical drawings or tracings thereof, or both, of the nature required by the Patent Office, and indi- cate where they may be seen. 2. Make a tracing of the drawing herewith submitted, supplying, in the tracing, such features (if any) as you deem necessary to make it a correct illustration of the machine which the drawing is intended to illustrate, having in view correct shading and shade lines, but adding nothing by way of additional parts to the mechanism actually shown. Note the time occupied in making the tracing. [A cut taken from the Patent Office Gazette was furnished each ap- plicant.] REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. Ill 3. Letter the tracing with free hand letters and without reference to the original drawing; observing, however, the same letters and the same order of lettering, but adopting your own style of letters. 4. Name the views presented in the drawing you are required to trace, and define the several kinds of views made use of by mechanical drafts- men. 5. How would you represent in cross-section two adjoining parts of a structure ? 6. State how you would shade concave and convex surfaces, and de- fine the difference between shading and shade lines. Note.— The tracing above required must be in entire conformity to the require- ments laid down in the official rules of the Patent Office, a copy of which may be had of the board of examiners on inquiry. Special, Examination for the Patent Office (Series No. 1.) Proof-Eeader. 1. Define the parts of speech of the English language. 2. Give rule for the use of the hyphen. 3. Give rules governing the use of the comma. Give rules governing the use of the semi-colon. Give rules governing the use of the colon. Give rules governing the use of the period. 4. Difference between the uses of the parenthesis and the brace. 5. If you can recall any passage of prose or poetry, write it out, with due attention to capitals, punctuations, &c. 6. What rule do you employ as to the use of capital letters ? 7. Where do you employ the character ( ), &c. ; where etc. t [A copy of the following proof-sheet was furnished each applicant, on which he was required to mark the corrections required.] UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. MOSES FRANKLIN FOLEY, OF BASEL, SWITZERLAND, AND THOMAS ALBEKT FOLEY, OF BUDA PEST, HUNGARY. GRAIN DRILL. [Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 294,603, dated January 1, 1884. Ap- plication filed April 31, 1883. (No model.)] To all whom it may concern : Be it known that we, Moses F. Foley, of Basel, Switzerland, formerly of Wilkes- berre, and Thomas A. Folye, of Buda Pest, Hungary, formerly of Minneopalis, Min- nesota, have invented a certain new and useful Improvements in Grain-Drills, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description. Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this speci- fication, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in both figures. Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improvement, partly in section. Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the same, part being broken away. Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation of a part of the same, taken through the line x x, Fig. 4. Fig. 5 is a side and rear elevation of a standard, illustrating the attachment of the plow. The object of this invention is to provide grain-drills constructed in such a manner as to adapt them for use in drilling wheat between rows of corn. The invention relates to a grain drill constructed with carved brackets having lugs upon their outer ends to receive the rear ends of the side beams, and bearings in their innner ends to receive the journals of the drive- wheel and drive-shaft, so that the said beams wheel and shaft will be firmly connected. The plough beams are made with holes to receive the lower ends of the seed-conducting tubes, and with lugs upon their lower side to receive the bolts and the brake pins that connect the said lugs 112 REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. ■with lugs upon the tipper ends of the plow-standards, so that the said tubes, stand- ards, and beams can be conveniently conuected. The central or draft beam is split at. a little distance from its rearward end. with which the plow-standard and con- dncting-tnbo are connected, to form projecting supports for the attachment of the forward ends of the side beams. The plow is securei) to a plate, which is hinged at their lower end to the standard by lugs and a bolt, and is connected at its upper end with the said standard by lugs and a brake pin, so that the said plow, when it strikes an obstruction, can swing to the rearwardly, as will be hereinafter fully described. A represents the cenrer beam, the forward end of which projects to serve as a draw- beam. The center beam, A, at a. little distance from its rear end, is split and is spread, asshown in Fig. 3, to form supports for the forward ends of the side beams, B, which are secured in place bjv bolts C, as the beams B pass back from the beam A, they are bent outward, rearward, inward, and rearward, to bring the' rear ends of the said beams into proper posi tion to receive tbe ends of the brackets D, which are se- cured in place by bolts E. The brackets D are held from turning upon the bolts E, and are strengthened in its posi-ton by lugs F, formed npou the outer sides of the end parrs ot the said bracket, and overlapping the upper and lower sides of the rear ends of the beams B. The brackets D are made in U-form, with their inner arms longer than their outer arms, as shown in Fig. 2, and in-the ends of the said inner arms are formed bearings f r the journals of the drive-wheel G. To the beams BAB are attached the lower ends of three uprights, H, the upper ends of which are attached removable to the bottom of the seed-box I, to support the said seedbox above the said beams. At the ends and center of the rear part of the bottom of the seed-box I is formed discharge-openings J, beneath which is placed small cylinders K, having recessses iormed in them to receive seed and remove it from the seed-box. The seed dropping- cylinders K are attached to a shaft, L, which revolves iu bearings attached to the bot- tom of the seedbox I, and which has a beveled-gear wheel, M, placed upon it. The teeth of the gear-wheel M mesh into the teeth of a beveled-gear wheel, N, attached to the shaft o> the upper end of which revolves in a bearing, P, attached to the seed- box I. The lower end of the drive-shaft, o revolves in a socket-bearing, Q, formed in the lower end of one of the brackets D. To the drive-shaft O, near its lower end, is attached a beveled-gear wheel, R, the teee'.h of which mesh loose inio the teeth of the beveled-gear wheel S, formed upon or attached to the drive-wheel G, so that the cylinders K will be revolved to scatter the seed by the revolution of the said drive-wheels. The hub of the gear-wheel M is made long, and has an annular groove formed in it to receive the inwardly-bent forked lower end of the lever T, which is fulcrumed to the rear side of the seed- box I by a bolt or other suitable means. The part upper of the lever T projects upward at the rear side of the seed-box I, so that the seed drop- ping mechanism can be ready thrown into and out of gear by operating thesaid lever T. The lever T can be hold in either position by a toothed bar or other su able catch attached to the seed-box I, but which is not shown in the drawings. Tbe seed is kept from escaping at the upper rear sides of the cylinders K by cat off plates U, attached to the inner surface of the rear side of the seed-box I, as shown in Figs. 1 and 8. The seed-dropping cylinders K are covered by gaurds V, attached to the bottom of the seed-box I, to prevent the seed from scattering as it falls from the recessses of the said cylinders. The guards V can also serve as bearings for the shaft L, and have openings V in their rear sides, to allow the driver to see if the said cylinders are operating proper. The guards V are provided with discharge-nozzles V*, which enter the upper ends of the tubes W. The lower ends ends of the tubes W euter holesX in the laterally-projecting parts of the side beams, B, and in the rear er d of the center beam, A, so that the conducting tubes W will be supported firm by the said beams. From the holes X the seed drops into the interior of the hollow standards Y, through which it passes into the channels opened by the plows formed upon or attached to the lower ends of the said siaudard. The standards Y may be made open at the lower part of 1 heir rear sides, as shown in Fig. 9. Upon the front and rear sides of the uppor ends of the standards Y are formed pairs ot luggs Z, to receive between them the luggs a, formed upon or attached to the lower sides of the beams BAB, in front and rear of the holes X. The rear lugs Z a are connected by a bolt, b, and the forward lugs Z a are connected by a wooden pin, c, of sufficient strength to support the draft-strain under ordinary circumstances, but which, should the plow strike an obsi ruction, will break imd allow the said stand- ard to swing back, to prevent the said plow from being broken In tbe construction illustrated in Fig. 5 the plow d is secured, by bolts or rivets or other suitable means, to a metal plate, e, which is fitted to the forward side of tho REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. 113 lower end of the standard Y'. Upon the side edges of the lower end ofthe plate e are formed lugB /which are perforated receive to the holt g. The bolt g passes through the lngs /, and through the lower end of the standard Y, so that the said plate and plow will be hinged to the said standard by the lugs / and bolt g. Upon the upper ends of the side edges of the plate e are formed lugs fc, which are made of such a length as to project beyond the rear side of. the said standard, and are perforated to receive the woooden pin i, which crosses the rear side of the said standard, as shown in Fig. 5. The wooden pin i is made of sufficient strength to sustain the draft-strain under ordinary circumstances, but will break should the plow strike an obstruction, and allow the plow d and the plate e to swing back upon the bolt g, and thus prevent the plow from being broken. j is a plate which slides in guides attached to the bottom of the seed-box. I, and has perforations formed in it corresponding with the discharge-openings J of the seed box- bottom, so that the said plate can be adjusted to regnlate the size of the said discharge-openings or to close them entirely, as may be required. Upon the rear edge of the gage-plate _;, is formed an arm, k, which is bent upward at the rear edge of the bottom of the seed-box I, and is widened to extend along the said rear edge. The widened upwardly-projecting part of the arm k is slotted to receive the screw I, that is screwed into the rear edge of the seed-box bottom, to secnre the gage-plate j in place, and to limit the movement of the said gage-plate j. The arm k is pro- vided with an index, m, which moves along the rear side of the seed-box I and shows the position of the gage-plate j. The arm k is also provided with a handle, n, for convenience in adjusting the gage-plate j. Haying thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent — 1. The combination, with the medium beam, A, split and spread apart as shown the bent side beams, B B, bolted at their front ends to the spread part of beam A, and the brackets D D, too, support all parts of the drill on a median rear wheel, as shown and described. 2. The combination of the beams B, of the brackets D, provided with lugs F, over- lapping the upper and lower sides of said beams, as shown and described. MOSES FRANKLIN FOLLEY. THOMAS ALBERT FOLEY. Witnesses : Henry E. Ehoads, ' W. E. Stillwell. Correct such of the following words as,are spelled erroneously: Accordion, aging, allegible, ashlar, bluing, bouquet, calipers, condensible, conveyor, creasote, deleble, distention, distorsion, develope, etherial, gluing, ignitable, insertable, isoceles, me- ridinal, mortice, moustache, mousquito ; naptha, nickle, nutricions, pantograph, peli- «oid, pumace, petrefy, cupalo, seive, seize, vasaline, seperate, supersede. Pension Office Series No. 1.— Special Examination. {First subject.) Question 1. One of the examiners will read so distinctly that each person being examined can hear him, one of the exercises for dictation accompanying these papers. In general not more than fifteen or eighteen words per minute should be read, nor more than five or six words with- out pause. Give the sense as much as possible, and be sure that all can hear. Allow two minutes at the close for punctuation. Copy as much of the dictation as possible, writing clearly and compactly. Question 2. Copy the following precisely : Sir: I have yours of the 24th instant asking me for a proper and uniform construction of section 4707, Eevised Statutes, concerning pen- sions to dependent mothers. Among all civilized people there is a recognized moral obligation on the son to support his dependent parents. This is not a common law duty, but is recognized by many of the States by statute. I believe, however, that the statute is rarely resorted to to compel the discharge 12271 S 8 114 EEPOET OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION of this duty. Public opinion, which is usually more potent than stat- utory law, would compel such support ordinarily without statutory aicL In most cases the support so given is not. the result of statutory law, nor from the fear of public reprobation, but is induced by the love of children for their parents. It is not a violent presumption to suppose that every man who went into the army would support his parents ii their necessities required him to do so. Question 3. Write, without abbreviation, the names of those States of the Union of which the first letter of the name is either C or M. Question 4. Write a letter, filling the space below, addressed to the Commissioner of Pensions, stating the grounds of policy and duty upon which the granting of pensions may be justified. (Second subject.) Question 1. Add the following : 5, 673, 911, 987 87 44, 376, 013, 705 90 32, 673, 231, 695 25 7, 736, 910, 286 16 6, 444, 642, 155 14 44, 297, 763, 429 39 26, 105, 321, 266 57 9, 708, 132, 873 63 42, 231, 001, 161 86 63,497,476,084 03 1,362, 004, ,706 22 Express in figures the following numbers : Question 2. Ten million thirty thousand and forty-five. Question 3. Five hundred and two million one thousand and one ten-thousandth . Express in words the following figures : Question 4. $163,003,601.0044. Question 5. What will be the result if \ of 3£ be multiplied by § of itself, and the product be divided by J ? Give the operation in full. Question 6. John Jones agrees to pay Peter Jones one thousand and fifty dollars and five cents two years nine months and eleven days from date, and to pay interest thereon at four per cent. How much will be due, principal and interest at maturity of the note! Give the operation in full. Question 7. Jones buys goods for $5,275 on four months' credit, bnt is offered a discount of 6 per cent, for cash. If money is worth 15 per cent, a year, would he gain or loose by paying cash, and how much? Give the operation in full. Question 8. Brown sold 1500 bushels of corn at fifty-nine cents and a half per bushel, losing fifteen per cent, on account of damage by a flood. He expected to gain ten per cent. How much did the amount received fall below his expectations'! Give the operation in full. (Third subject.) Question 1. Which States border on the Ohio Eiver, and which on the Mississippi Eiver ? REPORT OP THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. 115 Question 2. Through what States would a straight line pass if ex- tended from New York to New Orleans ? ' Question 3. Name the capitals of each of the following States : New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Delaware, Ohio, Maryland, Michigan, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Kansas, Alabama, Nebraska, and Oregon. Question 4 Name ten of the principal rivers of the United States flowing iuto the Atlantic or its bays north of Florida. Question 5. Name six of the principal battles of the Eevolution, and tell which side was victorious in each. Question 6. In what wars have the United States been engaged since the Eevolution ? Give approximate dates. Question 7. When did the civil war begin, and when did it end, and which was the first, and which was the last considerable battle during the same ? Question 8. What causes led to the war of 18121 Question 9. How and for what term are Senators and Members ol the House of Eepresentatives in Congress elected! Question 10. Under what conditions may a bill passed by Congress become a law without the approval of the President ? (Fourth subject : Pension law.) Question 1. To whom and for service in what wars are pensions granted under the laws enacted since the 4th day of March, 1861 ? Question 2. What is the order of succession of those entitled to pen- sions ? Question 3. Are the rights of soldiers and sailors the same under said laws ? Question 4. What is meant by "line of duty," as used in the pension laws? And state whether it necessarily embraces every soldier dis- abled in the military service. Question 5. Must a soldier or sailor be disabled to obtain a pension under the laws mentioned ; if so, what is the standard which governs, and what is the highest rate of pension ? Question 6. What does the word disability include, and if a soldier or sailor is pensioned for a disability and afterward recovers from the same will the pension continue T (Fifth subject : Laws of evidence.) Question 1. What is the difference, if any, between evidence and proof? Question 2. What is meant by competent evidence, and what by a competent witness ? Question 3. What is the difference between primary and secondary evidence? Question 4. If primary evidence cannot be produced what, if any- thing, is required of the party desiring to produce secondary evidence to make the same competent? Question 5. What kind or quality or evidence must a party always produce to support an allegation in legal proceedings ? Question 6. What is meant by the caption, and what by the jurat of an affidavit ? Question 7, Draw a complete affidavit in which John Smith shall properly set forth that Samuel Jones was free from any physical disa- bility prior to Jones' enlistment in the military service of the United States. 116 REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. (Sixth subject.) Question 1. Define anatomy and hygiene. Question 2. Kame the principal bones of the arms and of the legs. Question 3. Where are the tarsal bones, the dorsal vertebrae, the ten- don achilles t What and where is the pericardium ? Question 4. What is a hernia? Question 5. A soldier may be disabled by gun-shot wound, rheuma- tism, chronic diarrhoea, hypertrophy of the heart, phthisis pulmonalis, hernia, by malarial poisoning, varicose veins, and disease of eyes. Which of these disabilities are permanent in character ? Which are or may be variable in degree ? Which is due to climate I Question 6. What internal organs are or are likely to be, as a se- quence, affected by rheumatism, malaria, phthisis, or scurvy? Abmy Signal Office^ Series ~So. 1.— Special Examination. (Subject: Translation — French.) Question 1. Translate the following after correcting any errors that may be noticed : Le Service Americain Des Signaux. Si l'on a te droit de dire que l'idee de faire servir le barometre a la pr6vision du temps est eminem- ment frangaise, on doit reconnaitre que c'est aux Americains que l'on doit l'idee fticonde de reunir en un seul faisceau les forces de plusieurs nations pour 6tudier en commun les grands problemes dont s'occupe la M£t&>rologie. Des le 9 fevrier 1852, M. Walsh, consul des Etats-Unis a Paris, communiquait a Arago une serie de documents officiels etablis- sant Pavantage qu'il y aurait a adopter un systeme uniforme d'observa- tion. A la suite de cette ouverture, un Congres m6teorologique se r6- unis sait, en aout 1853, a Bruxelles, sons la presidence de M. Quetelet. — [De Fonvielle — La Prevision du Temps p. 39-40.] (Subject : Translation — German.) Question 2. Translate the following, after correcting any errors that may be noticed : Die Formel 3) habe ich mit den Eesultaten mehrerer Versuche ver- glichen und mit denselben in Cbereinstimmung gefunden, damit also zugleich den experimentellen Nachweis fur die Anwendbarkeit der For- mel 1) auf den betrachteten Verdampfungsprocess gegeben. Die For- mel 1) bildet zugleich die Grundgleichung fur die mathematische Be- handlung der stationaren Verdampfungsprocesse iiberhaupt. Wenn irgend eine Oberflache einer Flussigkeit in einer Atmosphare sich be- findet, welche mit dem Dampfe der Flussigkeit nicht gesattigt ist, so wird aus der Oberflache Dampf in die Atmosphare eintreten, und wenn die ausseren Bedingungen es gestatten, auch ein stationarer zustand der Verdampfung sich einsteflen. Dieser wird folgende eigenthum- lichkeiten darbieten.— [Stefan, Wien Sitzung, berich, LX5XIDI, 1881 s.] (Subject: Mathematics.) Question 1. Deduce the general formula for the cosine of any side of a spherical triangle in terms of the other sides and the opposite angle. Question 2. Deduce the polar equation of the ellipse, the pole being at the centre. REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. 117 Question 3. Find the maximum and minimum values of u in the equa- tion : « = a sin X + 6 cos X Question 4. Integrate by development into an infinite series the ex- pression : -/ dx Vl-a? Question 5. The probable error of the average of 10 measures of a quantity is ±0.015 and the mean error of the average of 15 other meas- ures is ± 0.018. "What is the probable error of the average of these two results, giving each a weight depending on its respective probable error? (Subject : Mechanics.) Question 1. Prove that the time of vibration of a simple pendulum is v a Question 2. Prove that the atmospheric pressures at the elevations xj and x„ above sea-level are connected by the formula log£± = A(x t — x 1 .) Pa Question 3. Explain the cause of the phenomenon in the flow of liquids known as the vena contractu. Question 4. State the general principles of the kinetic theory of the constitution of gases. (Subject : Theory of instruments.) Question 1. State the sources of error in thermometers and in the various methods of determining the temperature of the air. Question 2. Explain a method of calibration and calculation of the calibration errors of thermometers. Question 3. Explain the method of determining the tension of any air that may be present in the vacuum chamber of a mercurial barom- eter. Question 4. Explain the theory of the optical principles involved in the ordinary astronomical sextant. Question 5. Explain the method of determining the dip of the mag- netic needle by the use of the dip circle. (Subject: Molecular physics.) Question 1. Define the terms " specific heat at constant pressure" and " specific heat at constant volume," and state what is the ratio of the values of these for simple gases. ' Question 2. Give the formula for the total quantity of heat expressed in calories required to transform water at zero into vapor at the tempera- ture T. Question 3. Explain the thermo-dynamic principle by virtue of which dry air cools as it rises- in the atmosphere. Question 4. Explain in general terms the theory of the origin of bright and. dark bands in the spectrum. 118 REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. Question 5. Explain the method of determining the temperature of a distant coil of wire by counterbalancing its resistance to the passage of an electric current. Question 6. Waves of sound proceed simultaneously from all parts of a long straight flash of lightning : Find the law according to which the intensity of the thunder will increase or diminish as heard by any observer. « Question 7. Explain the formation of optical diffraction bands or fringes. (Subject : Meteorology.) Question 1. At what latitude is the greatest amount of solar heat re- ceived in 24 hours on the 21st of June by a horizontal surface at the upper limit of the earth's atmosphere t Question 2. Give a diagram presenting the diurnal variations of the barometric pressure, and show what combination of two observations will give a good daily mean pressure. Question 3. Describe the general distribution of temperature, wind, and pressure over the North Atlantic Ocean^during July. Question 4. Explain the general cause of the low pressure in the Arc- tic, Antarctic, and equatorial regions. (Subject : Numerical computations.) Question 1. Compute the values of y = 5 /144— (16-x) 2 for the succes- sive values of x from to 10. [Logarithmic tables must be used, and the work must be arranged in a neat form. J (Subject : Personal experience and ability.) The following questions form the second part of this examination. They may, if the candidate prefer, be taken home by him and answered after free reference to such books as he may choose to consult, the ob- ject being to illustrate his readiness in collecting data and investigating special subjects. He is required to compile his replies without consult- ing with any other person. The replies must be communicated by mail or in person on or before the second of May to the "Civil Service Com- mission, Washington, D. C," and be accompanied by a letter in a sep- arate envelope, stating that they have been compiled without consulta- tion with any, person, but solely relying upon published books and the candidate's own knowledge. They must be written on sheets to be fur- nished herewith. Question 1. Enumerate the scientific publications that you have care- fully read in the original languages. Question 2. Enumerate the titles of any considerable scientific pub- lications of which you are the author, in whole or in part. [Give refer- ences to the places of publication of each.] Question 3. State the nature and extent of your work and experience in pure or applied science. Question 4. Submit a synopsis of some proposed new and original course of investigation of some subject bearing on meteorology or its applications. Question 5. Submit an investigation deducing a formula for correct- ing for instrumental temperatures, the readings of a barograph con- REPORT OP THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. 119 «tructed as follows : A steel siphon barometer tube of uniform bore rests on a bed-plate to which is also attached a vertical brass frame support- ing a revolving vertical brass drum, on which latter are recorded the oscillations of the upper end of a light glass rod whose lower enlarged end floats on the surface of the mercury in the short open leg of the siphon. Question 6. Submit a sketch of a memoir, with illustrative diagrams, showing the latest results of observations on the frequency and distri- bution of auroras over the northern hemisphere. [A sketch of the con- tents of each chapter of the memoir will suffice, but you will be expected to give full references to any authorities whence the needed information can be obtained.] Question 7. Submit a sketch of a memoir on the various methods of determining the heights of the clouds and the results of actual observa- tions on this subject, fin the absence of any desired book of reference name the work to which you would refer as authority or as containing the needed observations.] Question 8. Submit a sketch of a memoir on the influence of a body of water, such as the lakes or the ocean, upon the temperature of the air over and around it, taking account of solar radiation, atmospheric absorption, evaporation, vertical currents, cloudiness, rainfall, fog, direction and force of the wind, melting of snow and ice, ocean currents, &c. [Give, as before, full references to the authorities on these subjects.] Office Geological Survey. — Series No. 1.— Special, Examina- tion. — Assistant Topographers. (First subject : Algebra.) Question 1. What is algebra! Question 2. Eeduce the expression b n [ — 7 a — 7 b (a — c) — (3 — a — b) ] to its simplest terms. Give the operation in full. Question 3. Find the values of x and y in the following equations by all the different methods of elimination: 5 3 _1 3 1 1 Q x—11 y-l~ 6 x + y y-1 30 Give the operation in full. Question 4. Prove that in a proportion the product of the means equals that of the extremes. Give the demonstration in full. Question 5. Find the value of x in the following equation : ^ + 3=0 a-\- x a- Give the operation in full. (Second subject : Geometry.) Question 1. What is geometry? Question 2. Prove that the $um of the angles of a triangle is equal to two right angles r 120 REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. Give demonstration in full. Question 3. Prove that in any triangle the greater side is opposite the greater angle, and conversely. Give demonstration in full. Question 4. Prove that an inscribed angle is measured by half the arc on which it stands. Give demonstration in full. Question 5. Prove that the area of a circle is equal to one-half the radius into the circumference. Give demonstration in full. (Third subject: Trigonometry.) Question 1. What is trigonometry ? Question 2. Define the circular functions and give their relations one to another. Question 3. Prove that the sides of a plane triangle are proportional to the sines of the opposite angles. Give the demonstration in full. Question 4. What is a logarithm f Question 5. Given two sides of a triangle : a = 8,464.36 yards, b = 17,925.21 yards, and the included angle = 38° 29' 09" ; required side wing precisely : 327 Temple Place 23 Christopher Lane.. 197 Mt. Vemon st 397J St Patrick Place. No. 6 Carter's Bow No. 34 Goat alley 332 W. 29th »t Mail Letter Foreign Letter Local Letter Mail Package Local Postal Card . Beg.Beceipt Official Letter Mail Bate Letter . . Foreign P.C February 16. . March 25 April 7 May 23 Jane July* Angust7 .... Philip Bantz Mrs. Ella C. James Miss Mollie Holmes Bipley, Hoygood tc Co.. B. W.Jones -'-.. Miles O'Biley Deceased. Not known. Dissolved. Closed. 144 East 132dst 1509 Mass. are., N. W. Question 3. Copy the following precisely : " Carriers are forbidden to deliver any mailable matter which has not passed through the post-office or station with which they are connected, or to exhibit any mail matter entrusted to them (except on the order of the postmaster or some one authorized to act for him) to persons other than those addressed, or to deviate from their respective routes, or to carry letters in their pockets, or to engage in any business not connected with this service during their hours of business." Question 4. Write, without abbreviation, the names of ten of the principal streets of the city in which this examination is held. (Second subject.) Question 1. During the fiscal year 1882 mail matter was delivered at free delivery offices as follows : Mail letters, 298,266,739 ; mail postal cards, 71,481,742 ; localletters, 90,002,317; local postal cards, 50,923,724; registered letters, 2,552,894 ; newspapers, 160,794,706. What waa the total number of pieces delivered ? Question 2. The number of letters conveyed in the mails in Great Britain in 1880, was 1,176,423,600 ; and in the United States, 847,830,029. How many more were conveyed in Great Britain than in the United States* Question 3. What is the difference between $7,070 and $11,070.30 ? Question 4. Write in figures forty thousand three hundred and five dollars and four cents. Question 5. How many pieces of second-class matter (newspapers) are there in 644 pounds, each piece weighing 8 ounces (16 ouuces to the pound) 7 Question 6. The whole number of pieces of mail matter handled at 112 post offices, was 1,143,518,880. What was the average number of pieces for each office ? Give the operation in full. Question 7. If a letter-carrier in delivering letters takes 47,520 steps in a day, each step averaging 20 inches, how many miles does he walk fa, mile being 5,280 feet) t REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. 123 Question 8. Tf the compensation of a letter-carrier amounts to $939 in 313 days, how much will it amount to in 146 days ? (Fifth subject.) Question 1. Name a city or large town in each of the following States : Ohio, Michigan, Colorado, Maryland, Virginia. Question 2. Bound the State in which you live, and name its capital. Question 3. Name ten of the cities or chief towns of the State in which this examination is held. Question 4. Name five of the leading agricultural product* of the State in which you live. Question 5. Which one of the five great lakes is wholly within the United States t Post-Office Series No. 4. — Clerk's Grade. (First subject.) Question 1. One of the examiners will read so distinctly that each person being examined can hear him, one of the exercises for dictation accompanying these papers. In general not more than fifteen or eight- een words per minute should be read, nor more than five or six words without pause. Give the sense as much as possible, and be sure that all can hear. Allow two minutes at the close for punctuation. Copy as much of the dictation as possible, writing clearly and compactly. Question 2. Copy the following precisely : " A new contract was made in June last for stamped envelopes. The average reduction in price is nearly 7 per cent. That reduction is the more gratifying, because it follows a reduction of about 20 per cent. made in the last contract over the one which preceded it. Estimating the number of the different kinds of envelopes to be issued under the new contract upon the basis of the number actually used during the year, which ended on the 31st of March last, the aggregate cost will be #456,197.58. Five bids were received for the manufacture of such en- velopes. The cost of the same number and kind under the highest pro- posal submitted would be $476,585.40. There was thus only a little more than $20,000 between the highest and the lowest offer made for a contract which will amount to something like half a million dollars. That fact furnishes plenary proof both that bidders were equally well informed of the services expected and that the bid accepted, while it was the best offer, was not likely to subject the contractor to loss." — Report of Postmaster- General, 1882. Question 3. Write all of the following words, spelling them correctly : envellope labled misscent candedate registerred cervise commershal remittence reciept superintendant ounsces indorsment seperate evidense recipiant surtificate parsel lottary causion abcense (Second subject.) Question 1. During the fiscal year ending June 30, 1882, there were delivered by letter-carriers in free delivery cities 388,669,056 letters, 2,552,894 registered letters, 122,405,466 postal cards, and 160,794,706 newspapers. How many pieces in all were thus delivered ? Give the operation in full. 124 EEPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. Question 2. The total disbursements for the postal service in the fiscal year 1882 were $40,482,021.23. The ordinary receipts were $41,515,642.80, and the receipts from money orders $360,767.35. What was the excess of receipts over expenditures ? Give the operation in full. Question 3. Thirty-two clerks are to distribute 36,000 letters on a cer- tain day. Half of the clerks are experienced men and half of them new men. If each experienced man does twice as much as a new man, how many letters will be distributed by each man, and by each class of men t Give the operation in full. > Question 4. The postmaster at Norwich made requisition for the fol- lowing postage stamps : 27 sheets of 1-cent, 97 sheets of 2-cent, 35 sheets of 5-cent, and 17 sheets of 10-cent stamps. What was the money value of these stamps, there being 100 stamps in each sheet ? Give the operation in full. Question 5. Write in figures one hundred thousand and five dollars and seven cents. Question 6. There were handled by the railway postal clerks in one year 2,155,213,880 letters and postal cards, and 1,278,756,765 pieces of other mail matter. One error was committed for every 3,805 pieces handled. What was the total number of errors committed ? Give the operation in full. Question 7. Multiply 10§ by 7£ and divide the product by 9£, express- ing the result in the simplest form. Give the operation in full in common fractions. Question 8. The total revenues of the Post-Office Department for the fiscal year 1882 were $41,876,410.15, and the expenditures for postmas- ters' salaries for the same time $8,964,676.72. What percentage of the revenues did the salaries amount to ? Give the operation in full. (Fourth subject.) Question 1. Write a letter in the space below addressed to the post- master under whom you seek service, giving a statement of your educa- tion and your occupation to the present time and your views of the qualities essential to an efficient employ6 in a post-office. This exercise is designed chiefly to test your skill in simple English com- position and your knowledge of the rules of punctuation. (Fifth subject.) Question 1. Name the principal railroads in the State in which you now are, and the principal railroad centers. Question 2. Name six or more of the principal branches of the Mis- sissippi Eiver. Question 3. Bound the State in which you live, and describe the lo- cation of its capital. Question 4. Name the States bounded in part by the Atlantic Ocean. Question 5. Name ten or more of the cities or chief towns of this State. Question 6. Name the States in which the following cities are situ- ated : Boston, Philadelphia, Eichmond, Pittsburg, Chicago, St. Louis, Galveston, Mobile, San Francisco, Milwaukee. Question 7. Which are the chtef towns you would pass in going by rail direct from this place to New York (or Chicago)? Question 8. Name ten of the leading agricultural products of the State in which you live. eepokt of the civil service commission. 125 Customs Seeies TSo. 2. — Night Inspectob's Geabe. (First subject.) Question 1. Copy the following precisely: The tonnage of vessels owned in the United States at the close of the fiscal year 1882, by the records of the Eegister of the Treasury, was 4,165,933 tons. Of this 1,292,294 tons were in 2,185 vessels registered for the foreign trade, and 2,873,639 in 22,183 vessels enrolled and licensed for the coasting trade and fisheries. There was a decrease of 43,292 tons in vessels in the foreign trade, and an increase aC 151,491 tons in those in the domestic trade. The increase in the tonnage of this class of vessels for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1881, was but 6,924 tons. Of the merchandise brought in at seaboard, lake and river ports dur- ing the fiscal year 1882, $130,266,826 were, imported in American ves- sels, and $571,517,852 in foreign. Question 3. Write the following words, spelling them correctly: stemebote bulion goverment foreighn storeage useage valewed assistent ad valorum navegasion unbleeched equalety gallun excede prinsipal sourses monies leekage comerse tarrif (Second subject.) Question 1. Add the following, placing the total at the bottom : $11,987 87 3, 705 90 695 25 10,286 16 642,155 14 429 39 66 57 873 63 397 49 Question 2. The revenue from customs for the fiscal year 1882 was $220,410,730.25, and for 1881 $198,159,676.02. How much did the rev- enue for 1882 exceed that for 1881 1 Give the operation in full. Question 3. A merchant bought 23 hogsheads of sugar at $46.45 a hogshead, and sold it for $53.62 a hogshead. How much did he gain ? Give the operation in full. Question 4. The annual receipts of a company are $570,685. What is the average a day if there are 313 working days ? Give the operation in full. A „- „„ **•,,_ Question 5. If a clerk receives $1,500 it year for his labor, and his expenses are $968, in what time can he save enough to buy 28 acres of land at $133 an acre ? Give the operation in full. 126 report of the civil service commission. Customs Series ~No. 1. — Inspector's Grade. (First subject.) Question 1. One of the examiners will read so distinctly that each person being examined can hear him, one of the exercises for dictation accompanying these papers. In general not more than fifteen or eighteen words per minute should be read, nor more than five or six words without pause. Give the sense as much as possible, and be sure that all can hear. Allow two minutes at the close for punctuation. Copy as muck of the dictation as possible, writing clearly and com- pactly. Question 2. Copy the following precisely : The number of documented vessels of all classes built during the past fiscal year exceeds that of the fiscal year ended in 1881 by 263. The undocumented vessels built during the past year, such as canal boats and barges, may fairLy be presumed to have been much larger. The total tonnage of vessels entered from foreign countries was 15,630,541 tons during 1881, and 14,656,499 tons during the year ended June 30 r 1882 — a decrease of 974,042 tons. The American tonnage entered in the foreign trade was increased 49,141 tons, and the foreign tonnage was decreased 1,023,183 tons. This tonnage is computed from the number of entries of vessels, and not on the number of vessels, and is Umited to the geaboad ports. Question 3. Write all of the following words, spelling them correctly i guager bulion goverment differonce tonage useage valewed assistent ad valorum gpesific unbleeched equalety galon excede prinsipal sourses monies leekage invoise tarrif (Second subject.) Question 1. Add the following, placing the total at the bottom: 5,673,911,987 87 44,376,013,705 90 32,673,231,695 25 7,736,910,286 16 6, 444, 642, 155- 14 44,297,763,429 39 26,105,321,266 57 9,708,132,873 63 8,856,764,397 49 Express in figures the following numbers : Question 2. Sixty thousand seven hundred and forty-five. Question 3. Forty-three million one hundred and one thousand, and one ten- thousandth. Express in words the following figures : Questions 101,334. Question 5. 6,203,104.05. Question 6. What is the duty on 25 tons 2 cwt. 3 qrs. of irqn at $40 per ton? (The ton is 2,240 pounds.) Give operation in full. REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. 127 Question 7. A merchant sold a lot of damaged sugar at a loss of 25 per cent., receiving $1,972.65. How much did the sugar cost him? Give operation in full. Question 8. What will be the amount of duty on an invoice of 3,622 railway bars, each bar being 27 feet long and weighing 60 pounds to the yard, at 70 cents per 100 pounds T Give operation in full. Question 9. What is the total quantity of molasses in 4 casks con- taining respectively, 40J, 25J-, 27^, and 55£ gallons 1 Give operation in full in common fractions. Question 10. A merchant bought a cargo of wool and sold five thou- sand one hundred and twenty-five ten-thousandths of it. What part of the cargo had he left? Give operation in full. v ( Fifth subject.) Question 1. Name the capital and a chief city in each of the following States: Virginia, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Texas, Florida, California. Question 2. Name the States in which the following cities are situated : Sacramento, Olympia, Boston, Davenport, Jefferson City, St. Paul, Pueblo, Mobile, Atlanta, Omaha. Question 3. Name five of the chief rivers of the United States. Question 4. To what country did California formerly belong ? Question 5. Name ten or more of the cities or chief towns of the State in which you are examined. Question 6. Bound the State in which you live and describe the location of its capital. Question 7. Which one of the five great lakes is wholly within the United States. Question 8. Name five capes on the Atlantic Coast of the United States. Customs Series No. 2. — Clerk's Grade. (First subject.) Question 1. One of the examiners will read, so distinctly that each person being examined can hear him, one of the exercises for dictation accompanying these papers. In general not more than fifteen or eighteen words per minute should be read, nor more than five or six words with- out pause. Give the sense as much as possible, and be sure that all can hear. Allow two minutes at the close for punctuation. (To Applicant. — Write as much as you can of the passage read. If from any cause you miss a word, do not pause, but go on with the next words you hear. Write clearly and spell correctly.) Question 2. Copy the following precisely : There has been an increase in the principal crops of the country in 1882 over those of 1881. Over 75 per cent, of the exports of domestic merchandise is in products of agriculture. It is reasonable to expect an increase in the exports of merchandise and an increase in the balance of trade in our favor. This expectation appears also to be justified by the fast that the exports of breadstuff's for the first four months of the current fiscal year at the principal ports, exceeded such exports for the corresponding months of the preceding fiscal year by $4,570,084. The exports of petroleum for the fiscal year just closed exceeded those for the preceding fiscal year by $10,917,097. 128 EEPOET OF THE ClVJX, 8EKV1CE COMMISSION. During the fiscal year ended June 30, 1882, the exports of specie were $49,417,479, and the imports $42,472,390, a difference of $6,945,089. In the preceding fiscal year there was an excess of imports over exports of $91,1C8,650. This change came, probably, from the falling off in ex- ports of merchandise for the year. — [Report of the Secretary of the Treas- ury, 1883.] Question 3. Write the following, correcting the spelling and supply- ing capitals and punctuation : The peple of england untill resently had as lord russell verry well nows no balot no sufitient schooling no privilidges useual and nessecary to cittisens they ware behind the french in there arts and destetut of menny elaments of a genuen sivilezation. ' {Second subject.) Question 1. Add the following, placing the total at the bottom : 5, 673, 911, 987 87 44, 376, 013, 705 90 32, 673, 231, 695 25 7, 736, 910, 286 16 6, 444, 642, 155 14 44, 297, 763, 429 39 26, 105, 321, 266 57 9, 708, 132, 873 63 8, 856, 764, 397 49 42, 231, 001, 161 86 63, 497, 476, 084 03 123, 435, 602, 002 90 Express in figures the following numbers : Question 2. One hundred and one million one thousand and ten. Question 3. Three hundred and forty -three million ten thousand and one, and one ten-thousandth. Express in words the following figures : Question 4. 3,000,600. Question 5. 200,002,002.00025. Question 6. A grocer having a capital of $10,000 invested \ of it in tea, at -&- of a dollar per pound ; -^ of the remainder in coffee, at J of a dollar per pound, and ^ of the rest in sugar at 5 T s ff cents per pound. What quantity of each did he buy, and how much money had he left t Give the operation in full in common fractions. Question 7. A piece of silk exceeds f of a yard in width by £ of an inch. What is its actual width ? Give operation in full in common fractions. Question 8. A dealer exported 374.3190 bushels of corn, receiving in exchange coal at the rate of 1 ton of coal for 15.124 bushels of corn. How much coal did he receive ? Give the operation in full in decimal fractions. Question' 9. An importer sold part of a cargo of tea at 90 cents a pound, and made a profit of 20 per cent, on the cost price. He sold the rest at $1.10 per pound. What per cent, did he make on the last sale? Give the operation in full. Question 10. A merchant imported 120 tons of English iron, costing REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. 129 1 \ pence per pound, on which he paid a duty of 20 per cent. The freight was 5 shillings sterling per ton. What was the total cost in TJ. S. cur- rency I (The ton equals 2,240 lbs. The pound sterling equals $4.8665.) (Third subject.) Question 1. The interest of $39,000.00 for 3 years 1 month and 18 days is $8,554.00. What is the rate per cent, per annum ? Give the operation in full. Question 2. If I buy U. 8. 6s of '81, at 112J per cent., including bro- kerage, and sell the gold interest at 107g per cent, for currency, what rate of interest do I realize on my investment ? Question 3. What is the difference between the true and the bank discount of $7,000 payable in 7 months at 6 per cent. Give the operation in full. Question 4. Samuel Adams, a contractor, had the following dealings with the Treasury Department : He furnished January 3, 1883, 2,575 lbs. of twine at 12 cents a lb. ; April 4, '83, 25 doz. gold pens at $25 a doz.; May 7, '83, 645 reams letter paper, at $2 a ream ; July 9, '83, 45 doz. qts. Arnold's ink, at $3 a doz. ; October 30, '82, 1,000,000 envelopes at $2 a thousand ; and December 5, '82, 8 doz. inkstands at $1;97 a doz. He was paid cash as follows : February 4, 1883, $175 ; April 30, $350 ; July 15, $700; November 5, $2,300; and December 31, 1883, he was allowed on settlement $45 for cartage, and charged $75 for breakage and $60 for shortage on envelopes. State his account in the blank below with proper heading, and show the balance, if any, due him. (Fourth subject.) Question 1. Express in your own language, at greater length and in good prose, changing the principal words, the thoughts contained in the following verses : "Tell me not in mournful numbers, life is but an empty dream. For the soul is dead that slumbers, and things are not what they seem." Copy the following sentences and correct the errors of syntax which they contain: Question 2. You certainly cannot think that you are happier than us. Question 3. Wealth, as well as poverty, are sources of misery. Question 4. Of the two positions you must decide for yourself which is the more preferable. Question 5. Let the papers lay where I have lain them. Question 6. Walter Jones or his brother William just passed with their face tied up, as if they had met with an accident. Question 7. The earth is ever a bounteous mother to its children. Question 8. Write a letter to the Secretary of the Treasury, in the space below, on the foreign and domestic commerce of the United States, defining them and showing their relations to the prosperity of our country. 12271 C S 9 130 REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. (Fifth subject.) Question 1. Name the capital and a chief city in each of the following States : Virginia, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Texas, Florida, California. Question 2. Name the principal ports of entry in each of the follow- ing States : Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, North Car- olina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Virginia, Illinois. Question 3. Name the three States of the Union which extend farthest north, and also the three which extend farthest south. Question 4. Name and locate five capes on the Atlantic coast of the United States. Question 5. In what wars did the following battles occur: Lundy's Lane, Entaw Springs, Bunker Hill, Gettysburg, Palo Alto, Lake Brie, Monmouth, Heights of Abraham, Saratoga, Stone Eiver. Question 6. Describe the extent of territory acquired by the Louisiana purchase. Question 7. When, how, and from whom was Florida acquired by the United States? Question 8. Name the constitutional qualifications for the Presidency of the United States. Question 9. Describe the legislative branch of the U. S. Govern- ment, and state what functions the Senate has that do not belong to the House of Eepresentatives. Question 10. What are the chief sources of revenue to the general Government ? Customs Series No. 1. — Assistant Weigher's Grade. (First subject.) Question 1. One of the examiners will read, so distinctly that each person being examined can hear him, one of the exercises for dictation accompanying these papers. In general not more than fifteen or eigh- teen words per minute should be read, nor more than fire or six words without pause. Give the sense as much -as possible, and be sure that all can hear. Allow two minutes at the close for punctuation. (To Applicant: Write as much as you can of the passage read. If from any cause you miss a word, do not pause, but go on with the next words you hear. Write clearly and spell correctly.) Question 2. Copy the following precisely : The tonnage of vessels owned in the United States at the close of the fiscal year 1882, by the records of the Register of the Treasury, was 4,165,933 tons. Of this 1,292,294 tons were in 2,185 vessels registered for the foreign trade, and 2,873,639 in 22,183 vessels enrolled and li- censed for the coasting trade and fisheries. There was a decrease of 43,292 tons in vessels in the foreign trade, and an increase of 151,491 tons in those in the domestic trade. The increase in the tonnage of this class of vessels for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1881, was but 6,924 tons. Of the merchandise brought in at seaboard, lake, and river ports dur- ing the fiscal year 1882, $130,266,826 were imported in American vessels, and $571,517,802 in foreign. REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. 131 Question 3. Write the following words, spelling them correctly : stembote bulion goverment licqued storeage useage valewed assistent ad valorum seperate unbleeched equalety gallun ajusted prinsipal sertifecates monies leekage comerse tarrif Second subject. Question 1. Add the following, placing the total at the bottom : 5, 673, 911, 987 87 44, 376, 013, 705 90 32,673,231,695 25 7, 736, 910, 286 16 642, 155 14 2.6, 105, 321, 266 57 132, 873 63 8,856,764,397-49 Express in figures the following numbers : Question 2. Twenty-live thousand one hundred and one. Question 3. Forty -four million oue hundred and one thousand and one, and one ten thousandth. Express in words the following figures : Question 4. 24,763. Question 5. 20,101,001.0015. Question 6. A merchant bought 51 tons 17 cwt. 3 qrs. 25 lbs. of wool, and sold 27 tons 4 cwt. 2 qrs. 27 lbs. Of the remainder one-half was lost by fire. How much had he left ? (The cwt. is 112 lbs.) Give the operation in full. Question 7. To f of f add £ of ^, and reduce to lowest terms ; mul- tiply the sum so obtained by 1§ and reduce to a mixed number ; from the product subtract f and reduce to lowest terms ; divide the re- mainder by 5 and convert the quotient into a decimal fraction ; add 1.1 ; multiply by 2.5; subtract .9; and divide the remainder by .007. Give the operation in full. Question 8. A can weigh a certain quantity of goods in 15 days by working 7 hours a day. How long will it take him to do the same work by working 9 hours a day ? ' Give the operation in full. Question 9. What is the total weight of 4 hogsheads of sugar, weigh- ing, respectively, 936 J, 1 ,025^, 864f, and 987^- pounds, deducting tare at 10 per cent. ? Give the operation in full. Question 10. An invoice of wool weighs 32 tons 17 cwt. 2 qrs. 11 lbs. State the value in £ s. d., at lOd. sterling per pound. Give the operation in full. (Fifth subject.) Question 1. Name the capital and a chief city in each of the follow- ing States : Massachusetts, Minnesota, Iowa, Oregon, Tennessee, South Carolina, Virginia, Delaware, Kansas, Pennsylvania. 132 EEPOET OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. Question 2. Name the States in which the following cities are situ- ated: Meriden, Elmira, Lincoln, Natchez, Bangor, Paducah, Pueblo, Columbia, Oakland, Annapolis. Question 3. Describe the different routes for the transportation of goods between New York and San Francisco. Question 4-. From what foreign country do we receive the largest im- portations of sugar ? Question 5. Name five of the most important sea and gulf ports in the United States. Question 6. Bound the State in which you live and describe the lo- cation of its capital. Question 7. In traveling direct by railroad from Boston to Washing- ton, D. C, what navigable rivers do you cross ? Question 8. Name five capes on the Atlantic Coast of the United States, and the States in which they are respectively situated. (Practical questions.) Question 1. Explain the terms " Gross Weight," " Net Weight," and " Tare." Question 2. By what signs are weighable goods indicated on the per- mit? Question 3. How is salt weighed in bulk ? Question 4. When a weigher has made his return can it be altered or amended. If so, how? Question 5. How is an invoice of railroad iron or steel rails weighed 1 Question 6. When the marks and numbers of goods which have to be returned in specified lots are obliterated, how should the weigher make out his return ? Question 7. State the manner in which a weigher should make up a dock book. Question 8. What is the difference between ad valorem and specific duty? APPENDIX No. 8. POLITICAL ASSESSMENT. The following is the eleventh section of the New Tork civil-service act of May 24, 1884: t § 11. No officer, agent, clerk or employe' under the government of the State of New York or any political division thereof shall directly or indirectly use his authority or official influence to compel or induce any other officer, clerk, agent, or employe" under said government, or any political division thereof, to pay or promise to pay any polit- ical assessment. Every said officer, agent, or clerk, who may have charge or control iu any building, office, or room occupied for any purpose of said government, or any said division thereof, is hereby authorized to prohibit the entry of any person, and he shall not consent that any person enter the same for the purpose of therein making, collecting, receiving, or giving notice Of any political assessment ; and no person shall enter or remain in any said office, building, or room, or send or direct any letter or other writing thereto, for the purpose of giving notice of, demanding or collecting, nor shall any person therein give notice of, demand, collect, or receive any such assess- ment ; and no person shall prepare or make out, or take auy part in preparing or mak- ing out, any political assessment, subscription, or contribution with the intent that the same shall be sent or presented to or collected of any officer, agent, or employe" subject to the provisions of this act, under the government of the State of New York, or that of any political division thereof, and no person shall knowingly send or present any political assessment, subscription, or contribution to or request its payment of any said officer, agent, or employe". 133 .AJPDPENDIX No. 9. The following is the fourth section of the civil service act of the State of New York passed in 1883 (see Few York Laws, 1883, chap. 354) : Whoever, while holding any public office or in nomination for, or while seeking a nomination or appointment for any office, shall corruptly use, or promise to use, whether directly or indirectly, any official authority or influence (whether then pos- sessed or merely anticipated) in the way of conferring upon any person in securing any office or public employment, or any nomination, confirmation, promotion, or in- crease of salary, upon the consideration or condition that the vote or political influ- ence or action of the last named person, or any other, shall be given or used in behalf of any candidate, officer, or party, or upon any other corrupt condition or considera- tion, shall be deemed guilty of bribery or an attempt at bribery. And whoever being a public officer, or having or claiming to have any authority or influence for, or affect- ing the nomination, public employment, confirmation, promotion, removal, or increase or decrease of salary of any public officer, shall corruptly use, or promise or threaten to use, any such authority or influence, directly or indirectly, in order to coerce or per- suade the vote or political action of any citizen, or the removal, discharge, or promo- tion of any officer or public employe", or upon any other corrupt consideration, shall also be guilty of bribery or of an attempt at bribery. And every person found guilty of such bribery or of an attempt to commit the same as aforesaid, shall, upon con- viction thereof, be liable to be punished by a fine of not less than one hundred dollars nor more than three thousand dollars, or to be imprisoned not less than ten days nor more than two years, or to both said fine and said imprisonment in the discretion of the court. The phrase "public officer" shall be held to include all public officials in this State whether paid directly or indirectly from the public treasury of the State, or from that of any political division thereof, by fees or otherwise, and the phrase "public em- ploye'" shall be held to include every person, not being an officer, who is paid from any said treasury. 134 c