Few Offices To Fill

Washington, Nov. 24. - There has been an enormous change in the civil service during the last four years. Nearly 56,000 offices which have hitherto been dispensed as rewards for politlcal service within the last two years have been placed beyond the reach of spoilsmen, and 75,344 in all are now under the civil service rules, to be fllled only by competitive examination and promotion for merit. Before the 4th of March 4,000 or 5,000 more will be added to this number, including 4,000 pension surgeons who will go on the list as soon as the clerks at headquarters can make out the papers. There will be a great deal of astonishment and chagrín among the faithful Republican eampaign workers who will come to Washington with letters of recommendation after the inauguration of next spring to find that President McKinley will have less than 700 good appointments at his disposal, instead of the 80,000 that have usually been the alimony of the executive; and among these 700 are many which will not tempt the ordinary office-seeker, like blacksmiths, butchers, teaciiers and policemen on Indian reservations, keepers of national cemeteries, lighthouse attendants, etc. There are 8,638 laborers. watchmen, etc, under the various branches of the go'"ernment, who may be selected from private life without examination. There are 4,815 á.ppointments conflrmed by the senate, which are within the president's gift, although if Major McKinley respects Mr. Cleveland's order of Sept. 20, 1895, placing all the consular offlcers, whose salaries do not exceed $2,500. under the civil service rules, this number will be considerably reduced. It was the intention of the president to protect the rank and file of the consular service, and to make it possible only to fill vacancies by promotion or by competitive examination.