demand that the higher offices be placed in the classified service. Ten thousand of the superior officers remain outside the scope of the civil service rules. In Democratic states these patronage appointees are the political agents of their congressional sponsors; in Republican states they are the political agents of the administration in power. All of them are subject to summary removal by the president. Such a system fosters a practice by which great numbers of municipal officials are from time to time and more or less persistently absent from their offices devoting their energies not to the business of their offices but to the control of local political affairs.

Not until these higher administrative posts are withdrawn from the field of politics will the service have that permanence which is essential to efficiency.

CLASSIFICATION OF PRESIDENTIAL POSTMASTERS.

As a first step in this direction, the League asks the co-operation of commercial bodies, labor unions and other business organizations in an energetic campaign which will have as its special purpose to secure legislation providing for the competitive classification of first, second and third class postmasters. Postmasters are subordinates of the postmaster general and are no more than subordinate officials in charge of the business management of their respective offices. There is no more reason that a Democratic postmaster should be removed on a change in administration to make way for a Republican than that a clerk should be removed for similar reasons. In England the only exempt position in the entire postal service is that of postmaster general. Under the present system in this country the first, second and third class postmasterships are part of the senatorial patronage. Under the merit system it would be possible to fill many of the postmasterships through promotion from the clerical force in the postoffice and the rest by the promotion of a postmaster from a smaller to a large office on a basis of efficiency and competitive promotion examination. In accordance with the principles underlying such a campaign, the League during the past year advocated before the President and the Postmaster General the adoption of the

policy of retaining in office the persons who have risen. through the ranks to the position of postmaster. Investigations have been made in a number of cases where postmasters entered the service in the lower ranks and had been promoted from time to time to the office of postmaster. The League believed that it was of the utmost importance that young and able men should be induced to enter the public service and that one of the best ways to secure this result was to let it be known that all men who devote themselves to the public service as a career would receive recognition by promotion to the highest offices which their worth deserves. The attention of the postoffice department was invited to the successful promotion to postmasterships in the case of the postmaster at Norfolk and the postmaster at New York City. The sole purpose of the League's officers in urging the retention of Clinton L. Wright as postmaster at Norfolk and Edward M. Morgan as postmaster at New York City was to illustrate the beneficial results of the adoption of the policy advocated by the League and the need of the application of that policy to all similar cases. The Postmaster General, while recording the postoffice department as in favor of the classification of postmasters of the presidential grade, provided this was accomplished by “gradations," yet declared that, pending the passage by Congress of the desired legislation, it would not be practicable to provide a rule of conduct requiring the continuance in the department of persons who obtained and held their offices because of demonstrated fitness. The Postmaster General declared:

"In the nature of things the department must be guided in nominating persons to the President for appointment very largely by the preference of its duly constituted political advisors representing the communities interested. To go counter to this opinion under present conditions would be an unwise and unauthorized exercise of executive power, which, in all probability, would not be sanctioned by the Senate."

Mr. Wright, postmaster at Norfolk, has been superseded by a political appointee, and the removal of Mr. Morgan, postmaster at New York City, to make place for a Democratic henchman is anticipated by the newspaper

reports. While there may be a difference of opinion as to whether or not public sentiment would permit the Senate to impose its will upon a president who nominates as postmaster an individual qualified for the office through. promotion on merit, yet there can be no difference of opinion on the statement that "senatorial courtesy" implies a violation of the spirit of the constitution, and this emphasizes the necessity of the accomplishment of the League's program to the end that the postoffice department, the great business department of the government, may be absolutely divorced from politics.

THE MERIT SYSTEM AND THE FOREIGN SERVICE

Real progress has been made in the administration of the foreign service by the passage of the Stone-Flood bill. The new law with reference to the foreign service may well be characterized as the fourth notable step in the progress thus far achieved by the merit principle in this field. These steps, which make for a permanent and trained personnel abroad, are of such great importance as to merit recording in detail.

First. Under the inspiration of President Roosevelt in 1906 came the passage of the consular reorganization bill, which classified, graded and regulated the consular service and laid the foundation for a proper system of appointments and promotions.

Second. In the same year President Roosevelt issued his Executive order requiring that original appointments in the consular service should be made through a noncompetitive examination and that promotions within the service should be based on efficiency records. The process of reclamation of the foreign service had thus begun by the inauguration of an examination system which expressly excluded any examination of the "political or other affiliations" of the candidates.

Third. In the first year of President Taft's administration came the executive order of November 26, 1909, extending the non-competitive system of appointments to the lower grade positions in the diplomatic service. That order introduced the merit system of appointment and promotion as far as was consistent with certain special

requirements peculiar to diplomatic offices, with the constitutional provision for appointment by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, and the proportional distribution of federal offices. In operation the order had a decided tendency to reclaim the diplomatic service from the spoilsmen and place it in a position to serve the best interests of the nation.

During the next few years many commercial bodies sought to secure the enactment of the executive orders into law as an effective bar to their revocation with a change in administration. The change of administration in 1913, however, did not terminate the existing system, as President Wilson expressed his sympathy with the purpose of the orders and continued their operation. The orders stood the attack and pressure of place hunters. and public opinion upheld the hands of the President when he insisted that the business interests of the country should not be sacrificed.

Fourth. In the recent session of Congress the next great step was taken, when Congress passed and the President signed the Stone bill providing for the classification of the diplomatic secretaries and consular officers in grades, and the assignment of the members of the service to these grades. The President was also authorized to transfer these offices from one post to another "as the interests of the service may require." It is well to record here that Congress showed no jealousy of prerogative and relinquished its power to confirm officers to particular stations. Under the old practice a man was nominated by the President to be secretary to a particular embassy, while under the new law he is secretary of a system. Such a law gives needed elasticity to the service and tends to the exclusion of partisan considerations. Transfers may be made freely from one place to another within the same grade. Such a transfer under the old law was a new appointment subject to confirmation by the Senate. Thus the law gives an elasticity which is of inordinate importance if the foreign service is to fulfill its mission in the highest degree.

The new law does not stop with a reclassification and regrading of the service, however. One excellent feature. of the executive orders was enacted into law in the clause

directing the Secretary of State to keep a service record of the officers of the foreign service and to report to the President the names of those officers "who by reason of efficient service" had demonstrated "special efficiency" for promotion. This means that promotion within the service shall be made on efficiency records. This feature of the executive orders has, therefore, reached the statute book and cannot be swept away at one stroke of the pen.

While that part of the executive orders creating a board of examiners to test the qualifications for the foreign service without regard to the political or other affiliations of the candidates was not enacted into law, the new statute may well be characterized as the fourth great step in the improvement of our foreign service. It should have a marked effect upon the commerce of the country. The Executive orders stand and it is inconceivable that a reactionary attitude would be taken by a new administration. Meanwhile, the progress which has been won should be the inspiration for early legislation making permanent provision for guarding entrance to and promotion in our foreign service.

Another factor which went far to improve conditions in the foreign service was the investigation of the so-called "Santo Domingo diplomatic scandal," conducted by Senator James D. Phelan of California, in which Minister' James Mark Sullivan was accused of having improper relations with the Banco Nacional. It was during this investigation that it developed, through the publication of the Vick letter, that Secretary of State Bryan had sought "jobs" for "deserving Democrats." The policy advocated by the then Secretary of State was generally and justly condemned, in the words of the Council's resolution, as "plainly inconsistent, not only with fidelity to the principles of the merit system, but with ordinary good faith towards the Dominican Republic and its creditors." As a result of the investigation, Mr. Sullivan resigned and Mr. W. W. Russell, who had been superseded by Mr. Sullivan, was offered and accepted the appointment to his old post.

In this statement of aspiration and record of the Fedeial service many important and interesting details in the progress of the reform have necessarily been omitted, but