OF THE

UNITED STATES

CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION.

1896
July 1, 1896, to June 30, 1897.

Previous reports can be consulted at the principal public libraries. A Manual of Examinations
is issued by the Commission for public distribution, giving information respecting

the scope of the examinations and the methods of appointment.

WASHINGTON:

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE.

1898.

Message from the President of the United States, transmitting Fourteenth

Annual Report of the Civil Service Commission.

FEBRUARY 17, 1898.-Referred to the Committee on Reform in the Civil Service and

ordered to be printed.

To the Senate and House of Representatives:

I transmit herewith, for the information of the Congress, the Fourteenth Annual Report of the United States Civil Service Commission,

WILLIAM MOKINLEY. EXECUTIVE MANSION,

February 17, 1898.

2

TABLE OF CONTENTS.

(Soe also Index to Report.)

Page.

Report (Fourteenth Report of the Commission to the President)..

11

Message of the President transmitting the Report to Congress

2

Demonstrated economy......

12

Examinations and appointments

15

Scope of the examinations

15

Promotion regulations....

17

Age and education of appointees

18

Investigations

19

Service records

21

Status of deputy collectors of Internal Revenue

22

Efficiency of persons appointed through civil-service examinations.

22

Appointments and reinstatements of veterans

23

Rule as to removals ....

24

Tenure of Government employees

25

Excepted places

26

Further extensions.

27

The Commission's force...

27

Historical register of the Commission..

29

Part I.—THE DEMAND FOR REFORM FROM THE PRESIDENTS AND CONTEM-

PORARY STATESMEN. DEMONSTRATED ECONOMY.

Evils of the Tenure-of-office act of 1820 and of the Spoils system, as shown

by quotations from contemporary statesmen and official documents. ...

35

Evils of the spoils system which the civil-service law was designed to correct.. 38

Intended scope of the civil-service act as shown by extracts from debates, etc. 42

Views of the Presidents, heads of Departments, and other officials relative to

the civil-service law.

47

Utterances of the Presidents, 1789–1897.

53

Reasons for the classification of the Library of Congress.

62

Need of applying the merit system to the Federal census.

66

Saving effected by the adoption of the merit system, as shown by the growth

of the number of positions before and the reduction after the passage of the

civil-service act......

68