Mr. JENCRES. Mr. Speaker, I am not one of those who believe in the sudden coming of any millennium, political or other, and do not expect, if this bill becomes a law, all of those results which have been painted in such glowing language by the eloquent Gentfrom Vermont. When I 1st entered the public service of this Government during the war, I could not but be struck at once at the great difference between the military and naval administrations and that of the civil depts. It led me to inquire into the cause of this great difference, and to see whether such difference existed in the systems of other nations. I found that in England, during the Crimean war, what indeed I had in part known previously, great complaint existed against to: civil service from its almost total inefficiency, arising, as admitted and proclaimed, from the vicious mode of appoi to office in that service. learned that the evil in England had almost been entirely cured, and I looked into her history to find the reason of the change. I found it, sir, in the adoption of a wise and practical system regulating the appointments in the different depts of the civil service. That complaint was against almost every officer; then there was a “Tite Barnacle” in every office trying “how not to do it;” and live men have been put in office, and in every strain which has come upon the English civil service it has responded nobly. I found the same cause to exist here, and believed I had discovered that the deficiency in our civil service is the result of the same vicious mode of appointment. Acting on that belief, and after studying with great care other systems, I presented a bill at the opening of this Congress, which was referred to the ComJudiciary. The bill has since undergone the scrutiny of 2 committees. The subject was referred to the ComRetrenchment. They took it into consideration, and directed me to report the bill now before the House. From what I have seen in my experience it is my profound conviction this measure ought to be adopted. With the other members of the ComRetrenchment I have been through the different offices here, and have visited customhouses and other public offices elsewhere. We have examined their accounts, their regulations, their mode of doing business, and in my judgment a more vicious system does not exist in any civilized nation on the face of the earth. Every other civilized nation has reformed its system except ours; and while we have in the Military and Navy Depts excelled perhaps other nations, so that we can point with pride to the person nel of our forces, both on sea and land, yet who speaks with pride of those who are working in these treadmills of the public service, thrust in by political preference or personal liking, and who hold on to their places just for the purpose of earning sufficient to get a live lihood, doing as little as they can 7 mThoe fGentfrom Vermont [Mr. Wood says his remarks are based upon an examination of this bill. Sir, he has not seen the bill now before the House. The 1st draft of it contains many of the provisions here, it is true, but not all of them; but if what he says now is the result of the memory of what he had in his mind one year ago, then his memory must have failed altogether. He says this system cannot prevent fraud and robbery in the public service. Why, Mr. oin the Present service is there any check whatever upon fraud and swindling? Where do you fif it? Why do we send out investigating committees every session with power to search through customhouses, postoffices, and Depts at Washington? Why is it that these frauds exist? Turn to the system of France and you will find the name of every man that has entered the civil service there for 100 years past upon the record, with the date of his birth, time of his entry, degree of his standing, whether any complaint existed against him, the degree of merit or demerit in his career, whether continued till death, or if dismissed, stating for what cause. If you look at the statement of Minister Bigelow appended to the report you will find that the director of finances, at the time he w3rote,entered the public service in the lowest and rose to the highest attainable uner their law by gradual promotion for meri torious service. If you look at Prussia you will find a system_even more exact and exacting than that of France. Who, in the recent great strain upon the Government of Prussia in its gigan tic. with Austria, heard any complaint in regard to its civil service? Where was there a clerk who forgot the order of the council of war to send arms and munitions? Where were their messengers of the depts running hither and thither, as during the Crimean war, with articles of subsistence for troops and no troops to receive them? Nowhere. The system worked to perfection; it was more than successful; it placed Prussia among the high est of the continental Powers. That was due chiefly to the perfection of the civil service, whose discipline contributed to the perfect equipment and supply of her army. But the gentleman says this system may work well in Prussia or in England, but not in America. Here he is sadly at fault. The effect of the system in England and Prussia has been, not to bring the scions of the aristocracy into the service as heretofore, but to exclude them. Those who have gone to work “with peasant’s Heart and arm” have crowded out the sons of the aristocracy; and to the vigor of the hardy yeomanry very much of the perfection of the service is due. We propose hereafter to throw the door open to all the people. can best serve the people be entitled to serve them and to the reward of his service. The gentleman says he believes in change; and he advocates the Present system because changes take place in it. What is the change under the Present system 7 Why, the 1st appointment is for partisan service or for personal considerations, without any regard whatever to the fitness of the man for the place to which he is appointed. No one perhaps would appoint a man absolutely incapable, one who could not write or spell, or a blind man, to office. But the government now in almost every case has to pay for the education of its servants. Is that right? Is it not a waste of the public money? Can we justify ourselves in going on with a system of national education to provide incumbents for at least 25,000 offices, when during their education the Government is suffering all the while from their ignorance? This proposed system would save all that. It requires that those who Present themselves shall have the requisite qualifications for the places they seek, and shall not be promoted except they prove themselves to be efficient officers. There was another phase of the Present system upon which the gentleman dwelt briefly, and I was glad he did it; and it is this, that as soon as a man begins to understand the duties of his office he is removed, and another man as incompetent as he was when he took it is put in his place. Thus the Government proceeds in this course of experimental education with no benefit to itself or to the people. If this be a healthful system let the Gentfrom Ver mont [Mr. WooDBRIDGE] make the most of it. I am not aware that such a system ever took root in his native State. There I believe no one can teach even a primary school without an examination as to his or her qualifications as a teacher. This system is applied to the schools all over the country. Why should it not be applied to the clerks in the Depts and to the officers in the customhouses? Another thing, when these men, after such an examination as is here provided for, enter the services every man has his eye upon every other just as in the Army or Navy. If in the military or naval service an officer is guilty of eculation charges would be made against him. n France there is a record kept of the services of every officer, and every charge against him, his successful vindication of himself, or his being convicted or punished, is recorded in a permanent record. Sir, I speak of these things from some knowledge of them. The committee saw with its own eyes how these matters are. Who that comes from England on a steamer is not invited to slip a greenback into the hands of some customhouse official at NewYork, not as a bribe, of course, but in order to facilitate the business of getting his baggage through the customhouse? What merchant is there who brings goods through the customhouse at NewYork who has not to pay, not only the duties Prescribed by law, but to pay something to some man connected with the customs dept who after office hours will arrange to get his goods in in advance of anybody else? They do not call it bribery, but simply expediting business. It seems to me, sir, that the Gentfrom Vermont [Mr. WooDBRIDGE] does not recollect the scope of this bill, although he pronounced a glowing eulogium upon it. He seems to have the idea that the commission to be appointed under it is to go about the country holding meetings like school committees previous to opening schools. He cannot have looked into the books descriptive of the civil service of England, or of any of the continental nations of Europe, or he could never have entertained such an idea. There is nothing formal or imposing about these examinations. They simply Let him who. apply those tests which are applied to school teachers all over this land when they seek em: ployment in their profession. They are to be conducted with dignity and decorum, in quiet and with order, and the final result wif' be sent back to the central board in Washington, a list being made out of those candidates who prove to be competent. That will end the duties of the commission, and the heads of the Depts who seek faithful servants will be sure they have them when they select them from these lists. Now, let me say one word about the prac ticability of this measure. We have taken testimony upon this subject which has been published. f have personally made inquiries of all those who would be called upon to administer this law..They all say that it would be perfectly practicable; that 3 commission ers, with their assts, can do all the work that is required. In England there are but 2 commissioners, with their assts, 21 in number, in different parts of the king dom, all men of learning and character. In this bill we provide that a small fee shall be paid for an examination, which I have no doubt will pay all the expenses, not only for the salaries of the commissioners but their. traveling expenses, and perhaps even more than that. I will state one remarkable instance of the working of this system in the English service. A year or 2 ago there were 8 vacancies in the office of the under SecyState for India. In the Indian service competition is open to all, and there were some 700 and odd applicants for these 8 vacancies. About 400 appeared before the commissioners for examination. Of those 400 many received certificates that they possessed more than the minimum qualifications. The 8 persons who were selected and who went into the employment of the government in India not only possessed the mini mum qualifications, but very nearly the maxi mum; and they also obtained certificates of merit in other studies, in other languages, in other sciences than those required by the rule. In that way the Indian government secured the services of probably 8 of the best fitted men within the limits of GreatBritain. Among them was one who came all the way from India to be examined; a Brahmin of high caste and pure blood, who obtained one of the situations. It has been suggested that these examinations might be had in the different Depts; but I have ascertained and believe that it is practicable for one commission to do all this service, and to do it well. And now, as it never could have been done before in our whole history, except perhaps on one or 2 occasions, this commission can be"constituted without reference to party. We can secure worthy and competent men, who will discharge their duties faithfully and satisfactorily to the nation. And if they do not produce the political millennium in the civil service, which the Gentfrom Vermont [Mr. WooDBRIDGE] portrays, they will at least contribute to lift us out of the disgraceful condition in which our civil service now is.