19
marked lack .of enthusiasm or aggres­
sive support from any reform move­
ment, the press, civic groups, or state
administrators. The . gênerai attitude
was: '“V h at will civil service contrib­
ute to the betterment or efficiency of
the state service? Political interference
and patronage abuses are negligible; our
budgetary and financial system is ef­
ficient, and employees already enjoy se­
curity of tenure.’ It was against this
background, both favorable and un­
favorable in nature, that the Civil Serv­
ice Commission embarked on its task.
Initial Approach and Development
Shortly after passage of the act, the
governor appointed a; civil service com­
mission of three members, all of whom
were outstanding and respected citi­
zens in their communities. Two had
previously served on state commissions.
Consequently, a somewhat greater than
average familiarity with state operating
problems was existent within the com­
mission membership. This factor did
much to allay initial misgivings of de­
partmental administrators who feared
an impractical approach to their prob­
lems by the central civil service agency.
A director was selected in the usual
manner by a nation-wide open com­
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DEXTER
pétitive examination. Under the fore­
going conditions, the commission and
director approached their task with the
general attitude of giving administra­
tive views of operating officials full
recognition. The commission believed
its principal potential contribution to
be one of improvement, standardization
and simplification of personnel pro­
cesses, rather than the installation of a
reform program which would "keep
the rascals out’ and go to extreme
lengths to protect the so-called merit
principle.
Recognizing the prevailing conserva­
tive philosophy with respect to state
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