CIVIL SERVICE, AMERICAN

the civil administration of government departments other than the army and navy branches, as represented by public officials whose employment ranks them with civilians. As an institution the civil service is chiefly identified with the conduct of national government divisions. Its modern development, both in the great numbers of its personnel and the volume and character of its functions, projects it as representative of every duty included in the ever widening sphere of government activities. In the United States, the federal civil serv- {ce embraces the executive departments, including the railway mail, Indian and Marine Hospital Services, the pension agencies, and the mint and a ay offices; the custom-house; the post-office; the overnment printing office; and the ternal revenue establishment. Political favoritism ruled largely in filling government posts of every grade in the country’s early days, though Washington, Adams and other Presidents sought to select appointees by fitne . As it is today in the high branches, tenure in the civil service was at the mercy of changes of government. _ It was at last recognized that wholesale replacements as one political party succeeded another worked to the serious detriment of the conduct of public busine . In 1833 the Merit System was established by the Civil Service Law, which created a commi ion and authorized the President to extend the system by executive order. Thus what became Known as the cla ified service was established, and various grades of government employes have been added to if since. Even the cla ified service, however, has been tampered with by politics, more than one President having withdrawn from it certain cla es of offices to enable them to provide appointments for their supporters. In recent years, Presidents have shown an increasing tendency to adhere to the merit system by appointing candidates for available posts, after they have been tested by competitive examinations. Under the merit system, public employes are forbidden to pay any contributions to party funds out of their salaries and are protected from being forced to perform political services in order to hold their places. The whole intent of the merit system is to keep politics out of the public service, though it is not always succe ful in doing so. The number of government positions in 1922, both cla ified and uncla ed, was 69,980 in Washington and 490,883 elsewhere. There were 354,560 competitive posts in the cla ified service, for which 201,999 were examined, and of these 47,170 were appointed. Cla ified employes on reaching certain ages are automatically retired from the service unle certified for continuance. Railway mail clerks retire at 62, mechanics, post-office clerks and carriers at 65, and all others at 70. Those who have served 15 years or more are entitled to an annuity based on length of service. The merit service has also been adopted by a peg a of states and incorporated ies.