Civil service reform was also an important issue for state and local governments. While only three
states (Massachusetts in 1883, New York in 1884, and Ohio in 1902) passed legislation that required
civil service for municipalities, adoption of civil service reform was widespread. But a distinction
about the means of adoption should be made especially where it concerns the importance of requiring
civil service procedures by law. Some assessments of the adoption of civil service reform during the
first quarter of the twentieth century conclude that the Pendleton Act was a weak statute in that it did
not require federal agencies to classify their positions under civil service and did not mention state and
local governments. Another interpretation of the fact that only three states enacted statewide legislation
on civil service reform would be that it reaffirms the “relative autonomy” that most cities enjoyed
from higher governmental authority, be it federal or state.