From that
time there has been great pressure on every new President similarly to
reward his followers.
Civil Service Reform.--While the evils had been pointed out at
various times, little was done to remedy the spoils system until
Congress, in 1883, passed the Civil Service Law, known as the Pendleton
Bill. It provides for a Civil Service Commission of three members, not
more than two of whom may belong to the same political party. This
commission gives competitive examinations, which are required for
testing the fitness of applicants for certain positions in the public
service. The number of offices originally included under the act was
about 14,000. The President is given the power to direct the further
extension of the "classified service," that is, those positions that are
to be filled by persons who have passed the best examinations. In 1913
there were some 284,000 classified offices. While much has been
accomplished, during the past twenty years, toward reforming civil
service appointments, it is to be hoped that a large number of the
unclassified offices will, at an early date, be placed on the list to be
filled only after examination.
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