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more than secondary considerations. The result has been the fostering of dishonesty and extravagance, which have brought weakness and gross corruption into the administration of the local governments. In consequence of this there has been a constantly growing tendency, among the more intelligent class of citizens, to demand that honest business methods be applied to local public service, and that appointments be made on the basis of intelligence and capacity, rather than of party allegiance. The movement for the reform of the civil service of cities is going hand in hand with the movement for general municipal reform, those reformers regarding the merit system of appointments as not merely the necessary and only safe bulwark to preserve the results of their labours, but also as the most efficient means for bringing about other reforms. Hence Civil Service Reform has been given a leading position in all programmes for the reform of state and municipal governments in recent years. This has undoubtedly been due, in the first instance, at least, to the success which attended the application of the merit system to the Federal service, municipal and state legislation following in the wake of the national civil service law. In New York an Act similar to the Federal Civil Service Act was passed on 4th May 1883, and in 1894 the principles of the merit system were introduced by an amendment into the State Constitution, and made applicable to cities and villages as well. In Massachusetts an Act was passed on 3rd June 1884, which in its general features was based upon the Federal Act and the New York Act. Similar laws were passed in Illinois and Wisconsin in 1895, applying both to the state governments and to the city governments of Chicago, Milwaukee, and several other cities. In New Orleans, La., and in Seattle, Wash., the merit system was introduced by an amendment to the city charter in 1896. The same result was accomplished by New Haven, Conn., in 1897, and by San Francisco, Cal., in 1899. In still other cities the principles of the merit system have been enacted into law, in some cases applying to the entire service and in others to only a part of it. The application of the merit system to state and municipal governments has proved successful wherever it has been given a fair trial.1 As experience has fostered public confidence in the system, and at the same time shown those features of the law which are most vulnerable, and the best means for fortifying them, numerous and important improvements upon the pioneer Act applying to the Federal service have been introduced in the more recent legislation. This is particularly true of the Acts now in force in New York (passed in 1899) and in Chicago. The power of the commission to enforce these Acts is materially greater than the power possessed by the Federal Commission. In making investigations they are not confined to taking the testimony of voluntary witnesses, but may administer oaths, and compel testimony and the production of books and papers where necessary ; and in taking action they are not confined to the making of a report of the findings in their investigations, but may themselves, in many cases, take final judicial action. Further than this, the payment of salaries is made dependent upon the certificate of the commission that the appointments of the recipients were made in accordance with the civil service law and rules. Thus these commissions have absolute power to prevent irregular or illegal appointments by refractory appointing officers. Their powers being so much greater than those of the national commission, their action can be much more drastic in most cases, and they can go more directly to the heart of an 1 In the U.S. Civil Service Commission's Fifteenth Report, pp. 489502, the “growth of the civil service reform in states and cities” is historically treated, briefly, but with some thoroughness.
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existing abuse, and apply more quickly and effectually the needed remedy. Upon the termination of the Spanish-American war, the necessity for the extension of the principles of the merit system to the new territories, the responsibility for whose government the results of this war had thrown upon the United States, was realized.2 By the acts providing for civil government in Porto Rico (12th April 1900) and Hawaii (30th April 1900), the provisions of the Civil Service Act and Rules were applied to those islands. Under this legislation the classification applies to all positions which are analogous to positions in the Federal service, those which correspond to positions in the municipal and state governments being considered as local in character, and not included in the classification. On 19th September 1900 the United States Philippine Commission passed an Act “ for the establishment and maintenance of an efficient and honest civil service in the Philippine Islands.” This Act, in its general features, is based upon the national civil service law, but includes also a number of the stronger points to be found in the state and municipal laws mentioned above. Among these are the power given the Civil Service Board to administer oaths, summon witnesses, and require the production of official records; and the power to stop payment of salaries to persons illegally appointed. Promotions are to be determined by competitive examinations, and are to be made throughout the service, as there are no excepted positions. A just right of preference in local appointments is given to natives. The president of the Philippine Commission in introducing this bill said : “The purpose of the United States Government ... in these islands is to secure for the Filipino people as honest and as efficient a government as may be possible. ... It is the hope of the commission to make it possible for one entering the lowest ranks to reach the highest, under a tenure based solely upon merit.” It is too early as yet to give positive testimony as to its actual operation, but judging by past experience it is believed that this law is well adapted to accomplish the purpose above stated. For fuller information upon the details of the present workings of the merit system in the Federal service, recourse should be had to the publications of the U.S. Civil Service Commission, which are to be found in the public libraries in all the principal cities in the United States, or which may be had free of charge upon application to the commission. The Manual of Examinations, published semi-annually, gives full information as to the character of the examinations held by the commission, together with the schedule of dates and places for the holding of those examinations. The Annual Reports of the commission contain full statistics of the results of its work, together with comprehensive statements as to the difficulties encountered in enforcing the law, and the means used to overcome them. In the Fifteenth Report, pp, 443-485, will be found a very valuable historical compilation from original sources, upon the “ practice of the presidents in appointments and removals in the Executive Civil Service, from 1789 to 1883.” In the same report, pp. 511-517, is a somewhat comprehensive bibliography of “ civil service ” in periodical literature in the 19th century, brought down to the end of 1898. (J. R- p-) Civita Caste!Sana, a town and episcopal see of Italy, province of Rome, 49 miles north from Rome by rail. In 1887 remains of an Etruscan temple, and also the remains of a temple attributed to Juno Quiritis, were 2 See U.S. Civil Service Commission’s Fifteenth Report, p. 37 and pp. 521—559, in which the application of civil service reform principles to colonial governments was discussed in connexion with a review of ' the experience of Great Britain and Holland in this regard.
