ALBERT C. RITCHIE, GOVERNOR. 89

from attaching his certificate to a payroll, if a certificate is
provided for by rule, in violation of the provisions of this
Article. No judgment, decree or other order of any court or
of any justice of the peace entered upon the recovery of any
such suras for the State shall be entered "satisfied" or "re-
leased" except upon the written order of the Attorney-Gen-
eral.

27. This Article may be cited as'the Merit System Law;
its purpose is to provide candidates for appointment to posi-
tions in the classified service after determining by practical
tests of the fitness of such candidates for the positions which
they seek, without regard to the political or religious opinions
or affiliations of such candidates, or of any other standard ex-
cept the business efficiency of the classified service, and to
provide adequate; means for the prompt removal from posi-
tions in the classified service of all persons therein who may
be indolent, incompetent, inefficient, or otherwise unfit to re-
main therein, and to keep in a workable state the provisions
for the promotion of employees as provided in this Article
to the end that the same shall be so administered as to attract
the best class of candidates to the classified service.

SECTION 2. And be it further enacted, That if any clause,
sentence, paragraph or section of this Act shall, for any rea-
son, be adjudged by any court of competent jurisdiction to be.
unconstitutional and invalid, such judgment shall not effect,
impair or invalidate the remainder thereof, but shall be con-
fined in its operation to the clause, sentence, paragraph or sec-
tion thereof so found unconstitutional and invalid.

SECTION 3. And be it further enacted, That all laws and
parts of laws, in so far as they are inconsistent with this
Act, or any of the provisions thereof, are hereby repealed, and
especially any provision of law which may conflict with the
provisions of this Act for the classification, selection and ap-
pointment of employees, including Chapter 224 of the Acts of
the General Assembly of 1918.

SECTION 4. And be it further enacted, That this Act shall
take effect from and after October 1st, 1920.

Approved March 2, 1920,