ABSTRACT
Conflict and compromise are the parents of the contemporary system of personnelmanagement for most government employees. That system is frequently referred to as a merit system, emphasizing the principle that people are hired and fired because of their ability to complete assigned tasks, rather than on the basis of their ties to a political party or because of their sex, age, or race. Yet, the fundamental reason for the establishment of the merit system was not so much a concern for ability as it was a triumph of educated, English-speaking whites over political machines based on patronage linkages to new-immigrant communities. Many recent changes in the merit system are also best understood as part of larger political struggles. Likewise recent challenges to the merit system are a part of political conflict.
