<P> The Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act (ch. 27, 22 Stat. 403) is a United States federal law, enacted in 1883, which established that positions within the federal government should be awarded on the basis of merit instead of political affiliation . The act provided selection of government employees by competitive exams, rather than ties to politicians or political affiliation . It also made it illegal to fire or demote government officials for political reasons and prohibited soliciting campaign donations on Federal government property . To enforce the merit system and the judicial system, the law also created the United States Civil Service Commission . This board would be in charge of determining the rules and regulations of the act . The Act also allowed for the president, by executive order to decide which positions could be subject to the act and which would not . A crucial result was the shift of the parties to reliance on funding from business, since they could no longer depend on patronage hopefuls . </P> <P> In 1877, there was growing interest in the United States concerning the effects of the spoils system on the American political system . New York City established the Civil Service Reform Association to help address the issues, which would lead to several other organizations like it appearing in other cities . The presence of these organizations was one of the first steps in trying to up end the spoils system in America . </P> <P> The assassination of President James A. Garfield moved the Civil Service Reform from city organizations to a leading topic in the political realm . President Garfield was shot in July 1881 by Charles Guiteau, because Guiteau believed the president owed him a patronage position for his "vital assistance" in securing Garfield's election the previous year . Garfield died two months later, and Vice President Chester A. Arthur acceded to the presidency . Once in office, President Arthur pushed through legislation for civil reform . </P> <P> On January 16, 1883 Congress passed the Civil Service Act, which is sometimes referred to as the Pendleton Act after Senator George H. Pendleton of Ohio, one of the primary sponsors . The Act was written by Dorman Bridgman Eaton, a staunch opponent of the patronage system who was later first chairman of the United States Civil Service Commission . However, the law would also prove to be a major political liability for Arthur . The law offended machine politicians, or politicians who belong to a small clique that controls a political party . These politicians realized that with the Pendleton Act in place they would have to find a new means of income, since they could no longer count on donations from the wealthy hoping to receive jobs . </P>

What event triggered the push for civil service reform of the 1880s