New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-03-20
DOORKEEpER POLK's PRACTICES.

form on the case of Doorkeeper Polk is a very re-
markable document. The Democrats since they
obtained control of the House of Representatives
and with it Of few hundred petty appointments,
have had more trouble with the patronage than all
| the great Executive Departments of the Government
with their many thousands of employees The pat
ronage of the House Is chiefly controlled by the
doOrkeeper, and whom the Democrats have
yet been able to find has succeeded in administering
it in such way rs to make it possible for his party
friends the who responsible for him, to de-
| fend him.
| What would happen If one of the Executive De-
| partments was administered for n single month
with disregard for the limitations of law equal to
| that which has been disclosed in the investigation
of the doorkeepeSS office made by Mr.. Harrison's
committeei Suppose Secretary Sherman or Post
master-G General Key should create offices simply
to provide for gentlemen who cannot live on 81 200
year." or should appoint twice as many clerks as
the law allows and give as an excuse, " rawness i'll
office" If this is the kind of Civil Service Demo-
cratic Administration would bring, the country
would not survive il long.
SOME INTERESTING DETAILS.
The majority of the House Committee on Civil
Service Reform have reported in regard to the admin
istration of Doorkeeper Polk follows:
That during the extra session OF this Congress he
ployed permitted to act messengers andlabor
in and about the House of Representatives in
OF the number authorized by law and and above the
so-caled clekroom men, who clean the hail. sixty odd
persons This done with the full knowledge that such
without warrant OF law and was not dlscon-
tnued after he had learned that the Committee on
Accounts would not justify his acts in the premises,
and would not make provision for the payment
Of such Illegal force His manner of making appoint
ments such that he did not know the number en-
poyed who Lad claims fer services The result was
that the Of money voted by the House, December
l6 pay tins extra force, and which was based upon
data furnished the Committee on Accounts by him,
proved insufficient to pay all who had claims under him
for services rendered and they were forced TO submit
reduction OF 20 per cent from the pay they supposed
themselves entitled to-
In cxtenuatiOn Mr. Polk pleaded the necessity OF the
Increased force the practice under former Congresses
and specifically under the XLIVth Congress aud the
pressure brought TO bear upon him by members Of Con-
gress. III his testimony, however, he finally admitted
his mistake TO the necessity, admitted that he was
the force under the XLIVth. Congress
was authorized by resolution, and corrected his state
| ment as to the pressure from members.
The committee continues:
| Seeond-Tnat up 10 lato day In this session. he has
authorized permitted persons 10 perform services,
wLo tie time, borne rolls. and continued
others In service after striking them from the fols,
promising suggesting that they woud be paid under
resolution that they should be placed q roll when
his force should BE increased.
Third-That he employed on the floor OF the House,
during the session in December. itysix pages. just
two-fod as many as the law and although
he had made up ms page-roil on the 81 OF the
month tho boys thereon being notified OF tho fact, yet
when the House took Its he made fictitious pay
roll placing thereon twenty pages as serving from
the lst TO the 18th, and the other twenycght sCrv
from the 10th TO the 31st. Tho first tTentyeiSht
were paid S37 So and the last twcntyeigM $40 each.
To Justify tins anomalous roll to the Committee Ac
nf.lf hiatt the hlVsa he he
last half OF the month 10 be his regular pages
the January roll found eleven Of the pages
who had been dropped on the 18th OF December. In
cxtenuation Mr. Polk pleads the poverty Of the boys
the urgent appeal OF parents and friends the consent OF
the pages TO their being paid, and that it "a
work OF charity"
Fo,uth-That he has continuously employed one mail
and two riding pages and above the number au
thorlzcd by law, saying that they were ndispensablc
aud taat the gentlemen who framed tie law uhc one
fixing tho number Of pages probably knew nothing
about the OF the pages OF the House or the
Fidh-Thai the doorkeeper placed upon the soldiers
roll who had never been ia the army One 81 theln
"a boy" put on The roll for January, III order to
"gve him his pay. and beoause there was vacancy ON
that roll for the month";: and yet one soldier serving
continuously from December got no pay for the first
half Of January. Another was droppc ON the lJtb and
on the payroll tie last OF the month to enable him TO
the pay, which be did, and on the request OF Mr.
Polk paid II over to the man VINO had taken his place,
but who not qualldcd for the roll.
sTm-lhat The doorkeeper GA receive en-, money IRON
been promised one or the other Places
purpose of making his salary equal 10 the one promised
ihc testimony that this was voluntary contribution
ana was afterwards repaid; but the fact that Mr. Polk
this salary of his pocket aiuts the Transaction
Serenn-Ihat while c9nphing od thG ihs9ine,en,y
do other than abOrers services, and permitted several
OF them hire substitutes TO perform their work. they
drawing the fun salaries aud paying ther substitutes
about Ose-fifth thereof.
Etohn-That he created an Office at high salary,
without precedenton The doorkeepers rolls, for the pur-
pose Of making place for gentleman who could not
accept OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES place. Tor 1t would not
NmM-That his manner OF making up his rolls was
the month that their names were not on any payroll
one man appointed December for The soldiers roll
found at the end OF the month that his name was
left of the payroll for the first seven days
Tor the half of the month although his service was
continuous The d0orkeeper gave divers persons notice
of appo!ntInents who after performing services they
supposed under the law would find at the end OF the
month that they could not DC on any payroll one
colored employed by Mr. Polk ana set TO work
by his assistant October, shown his name on the
roll by janitor yet was never put on the payroll
habit OF making III the regular roll ut the end OF the
month and worked great injustice
TeRM-Ihat the testimony docs not SHOW mat ar.
Polk is positively interested ~ any claims now pending
him an I'm settled balance aud has bin for its relief be
fore the House, he claims to have interest in IT,
l ~ of the XVth Congress. Mr Polk seems to have
employed continued in employ, man because OF bis
PoS does not deny the major part OF the things herein
set forth bnt exenuaiion pleads the necessities OF
camOrs OF needy applicants ana past CUSTOM
| The committee closes as follows:
Your committee believes that with proper handling
the lawful force under the dOOrlccper would nave been
quite sufficient, and That II was his duty TO ma out as
early as practicable whether not vas SUFFICIENT ana
| in event TO add 10 1t until authorized u do
SO by resolution of tho House; but that no raw
ness In Office and no custom can D' seI up III
defence of tho palpable violation OF known
laws The utter disregard OF legal restraints SHOWN
by Mr. Polk his open violation OF known laws, TO say
nothing OF his ne1lciency shown from the testimony
only tue more glazing instances being herein eed,
render him. In the opinion OF the committee unfit for the
| Ia nj dno