EXECUTIVE MANSION, _July 23, 1888_.
_To the Congress of the United States_:
Pursuant to the second section of chapter 27 of the laws of 1883,
entitled "An act to regulate and improve the civil service of the United
States," I herewith transmit the fourth report of the United States
Civil Service Commission, covering the period between the 16th day of
January, 1886, and the 1st day of July, 1887.
While this report has especial reference to the operations of the
Commission during the period above mentioned, it contains, with its
accompanying appendixes, much valuable information concerning the
inception of civil-service reform and its growth and progress which can
not fail to be interesting and instructive to all who desire improvement
in administrative methods.
During the time covered by the report 15,852 persons were examined for
admission in the classified civil service of the Government in all its
branches, of whom 10,746 passed the examination and 5,106 failed. Of
those who passed the examination 2,977 were applicants for admission
to the departmental service at Washington, 2,547 were examined for
admission to the customs service, and 5,222 for admission to the postal
service. During the same period 547 appointments were made from the
eligible lists to the departmental service, 641 to the customs service,
and 3,254 to the postal service.
Concerning separations from the classified service, the report only
informs us of such as have occurred among employees in the public
service who had been appointed from eligible lists under civil-service
rules. When these rules took effect, they did not apply to the persons
then in the service, comprising a full complement of employees, who
obtained their positions independently of the new law. The Commission
has no record of the separations in this numerous class. And the
discrepancy apparent in the report between the number of appointments
made in the respective branches of the service from the lists of the
Commission and the small number of separations mentioned is to a great
extent accounted for by vacancies, of which no report was made to the
Commission, occurring among those who held their places without
examination and certification, which vacancies were filled by
appointment from the eligible lists.
In the departmental service there occurred between the 16th day of
January, 1886, and the 30th day of June, 1887, among the employees
appointed from the eligible lists under civil-service rules, 17
removals, 36 resignations, and 5 deaths. This does not include 14
separations in the grade of special pension examiners--4 by removal,
5 by resignation, and 5 by death.
In the classified customs and postal services the number of separations
among those who received absolute appointments under civil-service rules
is given for the period between the 1st day of January, 1886, and the
30th day of June, 1887. It appears that such separations in the customs
service for the time mentioned embraced 21 removals, 5 deaths, and 18
resignations, and in the postal service 256 removals, 23 deaths, and 469
resignations.
More than a year has passed since the expiration of the period covered
by the report of the Commission. Within the time which has thus elapsed
many important changes have taken place in furtherance of a reform in
our civil service. The rules and regulations governing the execution of
the law upon the subject have been completely remodeled in such manner
as to render the enforcement of the statute more effective and greatly
increase its usefulness.
Among other things, the scope of the examinations prescribed for those
who seek to enter the classified service has been better defined and
made more practical, the number of names to be certified from the
eligible lists to the appointing officers from which a selection is made
has been reduced from four to three, the maximum limitation of the age
of persons seeking entrance to the classified service to 45 years has
been changed, and reasonable provision has been made for the transfer
of employees from one Department to another in proper cases. A plan
has also been devised providing for the examination of applicants for
promotion in the service, which, when in full operation, will eliminate
all chance of favoritism in the advancement of employees, by making
promotion a reward of merit and faithful discharge of duty.
Until within a few weeks there was no uniform classification of
employees in the different Executive Departments of the Government. As a
result of this condition, in some of the Departments positions could be
obtained without civil-service examination, because they were not within
the classification of such Department, while in other Departments an
examination and certification were necessary to obtain positions of the
same grade, because such positions were embraced in the classifications
applicable to those Departments.
The exception of laborers, watchmen, and messengers from examination and
classification gave opportunity, in the absence of any rule guarding
against it, for the employment, free from civil-service restrictions, of
persons under these designations, who were immediately detailed to do
clerical work.
All this has been obviated by the application to all the Departments of
an extended and uniform classification embracing grades of employees not
theretofore included, and by the adoption of a rule prohibiting the
detail of laborers, watchmen, or messengers to clerical duty.
The path of civil-service reform has not at all times been pleasant nor
easy. The scope and purpose of the reform have been much misapprehended;
and this has not only given rise to strong opposition, but has led to
its invocation by its friends to compass objects not in the least
related to it. Thus partisans of the patronage system have naturally
condemned it. Those who do not understand its meaning either mistrust it
or, when disappointed because in its present stage it is not applied to
every real or imaginary ill, accuse those charged with its enforcement
with faithlessness to civil-service reform. Its importance has
frequently been underestimated, and the support of good men has thus
been lost by their lack of interest in its success. Besides all these
difficulties, those responsible for the administration of the Government
in its executive branches have been and still are often annoyed and
irritated by the disloyalty to the service and the insolence of
employees who remain in place as the beneficiaries and the relics and
reminders of the vicious system of appointment which civil-service
reform was intended to displace.
And yet these are but the incidents of an advance movement which is
radical and far-reaching. The people are, notwithstanding, to be
congratulated upon the progress which has been made and upon the firm,
practical, and sensible foundation upon which this reform now rests.
With a continuation of the intelligent fidelity which has hitherto
characterized the work of the Commission; with a continuation and
increase of the favor and liberality which have lately been evinced by
the Congress in the proper equipment of the Commission for its work;
with a firm but conservative and reasonable support of the reform by
all its friends, and with the disappearance of opposition which must
inevitably follow its better understanding, the execution of the
civil-service law can not fail to ultimately answer the hopes in which
it had its origin.