Civil Service Reform
Spoils System – Andrew Jackson - 1829
Used prior to Jackson, but not nearly as much.
Andrew Jackson , who declared (1829) that the federal government would be bettered by having civil servants rotate in office.
during Jackson's eight years in office not more than one fifth of officeholders were replaced. The dispensation of offices by strict party allegiance was followed in succeeding years and critical opposition grew.
By 1840, the spoils system was widely used in local, state and federal government
In 1841, when William Henry Harrison became president, the practice had reached groaning proportions. Between 30,000 and 40,000 office-seekers converged on the Capital to scramble for 23,700 jobs that then comprised the federal service
Grant Administration – outright corruption – paying for jobs.
In 1871, Congress authorized the President to set regulations for admission to public service and appoint the oversight Civil Service Commission. However, this merit system ended in 1875 because of Congress's failure to provide the funds to see it through.
In 1881, a spurned office-seeker Charles Giteau shot and killed President James A. Garfield. His death provoked further public outcry for civil service reform and spurred passage of a bill introduced by Sen. George H. Pendleton of Ohio. His bill became the Pendleton Civil Service Act of 1883 and re-established the Civil Service Commission. The Act rendered it unlawful to fill various federal offices by the spoils system.
Merit System - Hire only those who are qualified. Entrance exams, qualifications, etc.
Pro Con
Spoils get rid of dead weight easily get rid of good quality workers
Voter turnout replace them with unqualilfied
Workers care little for jobs since
they will be replaced shortly
Merit hire & keep qualified tough to fire ppl
Voter turnout down
Civil Service Reform
Civil service - govt. workers
50,000 in 1871 (3/4 postal) only 6,000 work in DC
100,000 in 1881
157,000 in 1891
239,000 in 1901
Dramatic increase due to all the new govt. commissions (ICC, CSC. Etc.)
Spoils System – The system of hiring govt. workers where the party in power replaces all
govt. workers with loyal party supporters.
- Had always been used for some workers, but under Andrew Jackson the spoils system was dramatically expanded to include more workers. (most govt. workers were postal at that time). 1829, he declared that the govt would be better off if workers were rotated. Still, only 20% of civil service were “spoils jobs” under Jackson
Q – Is it true that govt. workers are better off if rotated????
Q – Inefficiency???
Q - Affect on voter turnout???
- spoils jobs are expanded by each administration until 1880’s.
Merit System – the system of hiring govt. workers by their qualifications, sometimes
analyzed through testing.
- Corruption and scandal under Grant administration leads to first (weak reform movement Civil Service Commission in 1871. TR is director 1889-1895.
- Assassination of Garfield in 1881 by Charles Giteau , a disgruntled office seeker, revitalizes movement.
- Pendleton Act passed in 1883.
- Every President since has expanded the list of jobs covered by Merit System.
Q- Any negatives to merit system? Hard to fire. How do you test for high level jobs?