finally taken up and considered by that
body. In the debate upon this bill its advocates declared that it would
"vastly improve the whole civil service of the country," which they
characterized as being at that time "inefficient, expensive and
extravagant, and in many instances corrupt."[2] This bill passed the
Senate on the 27th of December 1882, and the House on the 4th of January
1883, and was signed by the president on the 16th of January 1883,
coming into full operation on the 16th of July 1883. It is now the
national civil service law. The fundamental principles of this law
are:--(1) selection by competitive examination for all appointments to
the "classified service," with a period of probationary service before
absolute appointment; (2) apportionment among the states and
territories, according to population, of all appointments in the
departmental service at Washington; (3) freedom of all the employees of
the government from any necessity to contribute to political campaign
funds or to render political services. For putting these principles into
effect the Civil Service Commission was created, and penalties were
imposed for the solicitation or collection from government employees of
contributions for political purposes, and for the use of official
positions in coercing political action. The commission, in addition to
its regular duties of aiding in the preparation of civil service rules,
of regulating and holding examinations, and certifying the results
thereof for use in making appointments, and of keeping records of all
changes in the service, was given authority to investigate and report
upon any violations of the act or rules. The "classified" service to
which the act applies has grown, by the action of successive presidents
in progressively including various branches of tne service within it,
from 13,924 positions in 1883 to some 80,000 (in round numbers) in 1900,
constituting about 40% of the entire civil service of the government and
including practically all positions above the grade of mere labourer or
workman to which appointment is _not_ made directly by the president
with the consent of the Senate.[3] A very large class to which the act
is expressly applicable, and which has been partly brought within its
provisions by executive action, is that of fourth-class postmasters, of
whom there are between 70,000 and 80,000 (about 15,000 classified in
1909).

In order to provide registers of eligibles for t