Democratic Sentinel, Volume 16, Number 51, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 January 1893 — CIVIL-SERVICE EXTENSION. [ARTICLE]

CIVIL-SERVICE EXTENSION.

Little Prospect That President Harrison Will Take Action. Washington special: A gentleman who has talked with the President on the subject says that the people who are expecting a large increase in the classified civil service before the administration changes will be very sadly disappointed. He said that the* President is strongly inclined to extend the civil-service rules in connection with the Postofflce Department, but that he has practically abandoned the purpose of any general extensioif, such as the increase of the employes of the Government printing office or the customs service. All employes now outside the protecting lines of tl\p civil-service regulations are using every endeavor to have themselves intrenched against Democratic Interference, but so far without success. There is a snag in the way of the extension of the civil service classification to the Government Printing Office. It is understood to be the desire of the President and of the Civil Service Commission that the office should be brought within the civil service classification, but there is trouble before them in the form of opposition by the Typographical Union. The objection to the extension of the service is raised that if appointments are made upon any form of examination which does not recognize membership of the union as a necessary qualification it will result in what the union would call “rats” getting into government employ. The government is hardly prepared to declare that none but union men shall be qualified for employment, and the union Will certainly object to any employment within that class of persons not belonging to the union.