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Executive Orders Archive

Every President • 1789 to Present

Presidential Order Constitutional Neutral (+0.02)

Executive Order—Amendments of Civil Service Rules

Thursday, August 6, 1891
2 min read (462 words)

Plain-English Translation & Framers' Constitutional Analysis

Early Statesman synthesis distilling legal jargon into practical meaning, statutory anchors, and structural constitutional impacts.

This executive order, signed by President Benjamin Harrison on 1891-08-06, establishes federal administrative policy concerning "—Amendments of Civil Service Rules." It outlines operative directives for executive department officers, delegating enforcement responsibilities and establishing official governance guidelines.

Constitutional Assessment: This action represents an orderly exercise of Article II administrative discretion, managing the internal machinery and personnel of the executive branch without abridging the ancient liberties of the people.

Key Directives & Operative Actions

The civil-service rules are hereby amended as follows: GENERAL RULE II.
Strike out paragraphs 1 and 2 of section 6 of General Rule III and insert in lieu thereof the following: So far as practicable and useful, competitive examinations shall be established in the classified civil service to test fitness for promotion, under such regulations as the Commission may make.
Until such regulations have been applied to any part of the classified service promotions therein shall be made in the manner prescribed by the rule applicable thereto.

Constitutional & Societal Entities Impacted

🏛️ Merchants, Importers & Commercial Enterprises 🏛️ Executive Departments & Federal Civil Servants
Total Words
462
2,578 characters
Estimated Read Time
2 min
@ 200 words / min
Flesch-Kincaid
8.7
Post-Grad reading level
Constitutional Polarity
+0.02
Framers' Alignment index
📜

Scholarly & Legal Citations

Exec. Order, "Executive Order—Amendments of Civil Service Rules," Benjamin Harrison (Aug 6, 1891). Available at https://executiveordersarchive.org/orders/app-executive-order-amendments-civil-service-rules-23.

Official Document Text

Source: The American Presidency Project (UCSB Archive)