The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1877-06-16

A.
Treasurer once swensyhree In the Registers onics
ten. All these are reductions, no persons being APP
pointed to their places. In most OF the divisions
change is proposed and none has been made This
true OF eleven divisions.
Ill. There are cases clerks are removed for
ncom potency bad habits In these cascs the places
are OF course supplied but IL is positively asserted BY
Treasury officials that merely arbitrary removals
OF clerks have been Will be made rotated
out OF Office TO make .or personal or political
favorites. and there have no, been more than 100
removals far In the whole building these all for
cslse-eisher ncompetency. economy, or tho lapse Of
"fundsh from which they pad
TnK DISMISSAL OF RELATIVES
~. The latest order causing removals Is that under
which the Secretary has determined dismiss rela-
Of clerks also holding Office There seems some
thing whimsical ana absurd aooul this rule. bat l am
told thai II necessary order break up family
rings in the departments rhua II Is said q father
and his son. holding places and perhaps both compe
tcnt have been known 10 use their knowledge OF the
department affairs and their influence 10 keep
who was VIGOROUSLY incompetent II Is asserted that
abuses OF this kind have sprung up; but after ALL il
seems the number liable TO dismissal under this rule
will be less than one hundred-sone say not than
nisy But the inquiry has brought odd
OF family Office holding Tho late Senator Brownow,
for Instance, certainly took good of his family ut
the government expense. Here is a list OF OF
them, all ofnce-holdcrs:-
l. Clne, father-n-law Of James Brownlow. son OF
William o. Brownlow collector OF Internal revenue
Fifth Tennessee district
John Brownlow. son OF william G. Brownow, in
ternal revenue agent 5000
3 Harry Aiken, sor-in-law OF william G. Brownlov.
Clerk United States Districs Cour,, Knoxville, Tenn.
capital officer.
L. Ai1cns faIher, Register in bankruptcy.
D. Boyn.on, son-in-law Of William G. Brownlow,
pension agent Knoxville.
9. sam Hunt postmaster Al Cleveland Tenn. brother
in-aw Of william g. Brownlow.
I William Rule postmaster, Knoxville. partner OF
william O. Brownow IN The publication OF the Knox
vile CAroncle
ono wonders whether other Senator's have been as
careful providers
v. IL should be understood by ONCE seekers that
political influence IL not needed in any case The
old system OF plliug up recommendations from Soma
tors Representatives and prominent politicians con-
unuea; bu. applicants only waste tbdir time and
paper. motto Of introduction from any respectable
person all that Is required n there
the applicant had bcttor return homo once II thore
then applicants gwen permission TO 90 before
civil service examining board, ana II they pass
credtably they may possibly have remote chance to
get 5000 clcrkship. Tho higher places filled by
promotion good from the lower grades and
l am told that since the 4th Of March this rulo
has been carried out The Treasury Department
contains about z, 200 people, and thorc will be in
tons great proportion OF the applicants unable
pass the very simple examination required for
5000 place. All The departments arc crowded with
applications Office most Of them the scoro OF
the absolute poverty OF tho applicants who seem TO
consider the government cleemosynary inst-
tuition. a4A
vi. In the Treasury Department the law requires
that the cler kshps and other places shall be dstrib
uted among the States according TO population.
believe this law applies only TO the Treasury There
Is accordingly table showing what number Of places
entitled to and what number II actually
has Name, for instance il entitled to SO places
aud has u In office; New Hampshire is entitled
10 and has 81; New York entitled to 2l9 anu has
232 Pennsylvania entitled to 176 and has 210. Ohio,
by the way. which is omitted TO 1885, has In onice 1872
IL s SAID in the department that Secretary Sherman
has bscn indisposcd TO mako Ohio appointments any.
where, lest he should be charged with favoritism.
VII Hence, in Brief appointments obtained in
the Treasury, and, in fact in all the departments
now, in this way when a man woman applies IL
should DO with short letter from some responsible
person, certifying TO tho applicants character II,
thereupon, is found that the quota from tho app
cants State Is not already fula worry unlikely thing
ho is told that whenever vacancy occurs-anoshor
very unlikely event-he snail have permission TO go
before the Examining Board 10 be examined II he
passes . credabIe examination--a loss likely
event than many think--he will then be registered
preferred list Tor appointment to take his turn,
as 1t Is probable others from his state already
this list before him; and alter all this trouble and
much waiting he may finally get a 1900 81, 200
place. l should say that In hot summer man
would have about as good chance to be
struck by lightning get 5000 cerkship in Wash.
ngton in these days; bat still they come Tho dGi-
Guilty u they don't believe IT, They think IL Is all a
shan hall TINT .infinencoi, will do
It, If only they persistent; and the President and
his Cabinet 1t to the country to adhere per-
sistently to thor rules; Tor only by nncxibc ad-
herence they get the great army Of olce-seekers
and their allies. the politicians, TO let go.
Even when clerks discharged because
they arc needed, because they are incompetent
they do not hesitate to believe that nnucnce will
surely them Tho word has become part OF the de-
partment cant here, and you may hear poor man
woman say In the utmost soberness "My influence
will BIO here tomorrow" or "Here rs some OF my in.
fuencc, the Of II has gone California spend
the summer" or SHY influence will no deeply
offended at this dismissal" Among tho persons lately
removed "for cause" a woman who, 1t was dis
covered had for some timo lent money her impc-
fellow clerks 1t the charge per per
month. Another case was that OF man who held
third class cIerkship and was found to be worth
two hundred and nty thousand dollars Considering
tho number OF competent persons awaiting and
ing promotion 1t was thought safe to cast him upon
his own modest resources.
THE POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT.
/ have spoken particularly about the Treasury Do
partncnt In this letter. because that remains the chief
OBJECT Of attack; and also because has occssoncd
grumbIing than some of the other departments.
II the statements made OF course thore
Is ground for just complaint In the Post ONCE Do.
partmcnt the railway mail service has for time
mad In operation excellent system Of civil service
examinations and OF making appointments In tho
Interior Department abe system Of appointments
alter examination, and OF promotions for merit, is In
full operation II is not supposed In any that
aminaons give absolutely the best mon but they So
cure nj enst more CAPABLE persons for the service