Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1882-12-21
Extracts From the speech OF Hon.
GeOrge u. Pendleton Upon Civil
Service Reform.

ctfNtCc hctotms
repeat, Mr.. President, that the civil
service is inefficient; expensive. and ex
travagant. and that II is In many instan-
ces corrupt. Il it necessary for me to
prove facts which are 20 patent that even
the blind must see and the deaf must
hear:
AT the last session Of Congress. in open
Senate. il wa stated and proven that in
the Treasury Department at Washington
there are 3,4O0 employees, and that OF
this number the employment OF less than
900 is authorized by law and appropria-
ti0ns made for their payment. and that
more than l 200 are put on or OIL the rolls
OF the Department at tho will and pleas
ure of the Secretary of the Treasury. and
are paid not out of appropriations made
for that purpose, but out OF various funds
and balances of appropriations lapsed in
the Treasury in one shape or another,
which are not by law appropriated to the
payment Of these employees. | was
amazed. had never before heard that
such a state of affairs existed, / did not
b, Iieve it was possible until my honora.
BILE colleague rose in his place and admit
ted the general truth of the statement
and defended the system as being neces.
sary for the proper administration OF the
Treasury Department. .-9
Mr.. President, we see here in this state
ment whence comes that immense body
of public officials, inspectors, detectives,
deputies, examiners. from the Treasury
Department who have for years past
been sent over the States for the purpose
of managing Presidential conventions
and securing Presidential elections at the
public expense.
hold In my hand statement made
before the committee which reported
this bill, showing that 10 one of the di-
visions of tile Treasury Department at
Washington, where more than nine
hundred persons were employed, men
and women, five hundred and more of
them were entirely useless, and were dis
charged without in any degree affecting
the efficiency of the bureau. do not in
tend to misslate any fact today if can
avoid it, and therefore | read from the
testimony taken before the committee.
Every gentleman can find it if he has not
it already on his table. The statement
to which refer l read from page 121 Of
report from committee No. 576:
Il6 extravaganza OF tne present system was wen
shown in the examination OF the Bureau of Engrav-
ing and Printing by committee Of which l was
chairman. OF force Of nine hundred and fifty
eight persons five hundred and thirty-nine with an
nual salaries amounting to $3.50 OOU, were found to
be superhuous and were discharged. The commit
tee reported that years the force in branches
had been twice and even three times great as the
work required. In one division
/ beg Senators to listen to this
In one division sort of platform had been built IN
derneath the iron roof about seven feet above the
floor, to accommodate the surplus counters. 1t ap-
peared that the room was of ample size without this
contrivance for all the persons really needed. In
another division were found twenty messengers do
ing work which IL was found could be done by one.
The committee reported that the system Of patron
age was chiefly responsible for the extravaganza and
Irregularities which had marked the administration
of the bureau and declared that 1t had cost the peo
pie millions Of dollars In that branch of the service
alone Under this system the office had been made
to subserve the purpose OF an ams-house or lum.
In consequence of this report the annual appro-
priation for the Printing Bureau was reduced from
$500 900 TO $780, 0O0 and out OF the first years saw
ings was built the fine building now occupied by
that bureau.
And again, on page 1876. this same gen.
tleman says:
My observation teaches me that there more pres
| sure and Importantly for these places
That is, the 5000 clerkships-
| and that more time lS consumed Dy neauB OF De-
partments and those having the appointing power,
In listening to applications for that grade than for
all the olher places in the Departments combined
and that whenit is discretionary with Department
| to appoint man a woman the choice Is usually
exercised in favor of the woman. l know recent
case in the Treasury Department where vacancy oc
Cured which the head of the bureau deemed it i'm.
pOrtant to fill with man. TWAS position where
mans services were almost indispensable; but the
importantly was so great that he was compelled to
accept woman, although her services were notrc'
quired. In consequence of this importantly fol
| places for women practice has grown up in the
Treasury Department of allowing the salaries Of the
higher grades ofclerkships to lapse when vacancies
occur, and of dividing up the amount among clerks
usually women, at lower salaries. In the place Of
male clerk at 1880 year. for instance three womer
| may be employed at $500. Often the services OF
man are required in its higher grade, while the wo
men are not needed at ALL but as the man can not be
| employed without discharging the women, he cal
not be had. The persons employed 10 this way art
said to be son the lapse Out of this grew the prac
tice known IN Departmental language as ''antcipat
ing the lapse"
more people are appointedon this roll than the sal
aries then lapsing will warrant, in the hope tina
enough more will lapse before the end Of the fsca
year to provide funds for their payment But ths
funds almost always run short before the end Of thu
year. and then either the "lapse" appointees mus
be dropped or clerks discharged from the reguia
roll to make place for them. In some instances, II
former administrations the employees on the regua
roll were compelled, under terror OF dismissal, Z
ask for leaves of absence, without pay, for sufi
cient time to make up the deficiency caused by the
appointment of unnecessary employees "on tn
lapse" Another bad feature is these 'lapse' EN-
plOyees being appointed without regard to the nee
essties of the work, for short periods and usual
without regard to their qualifications, are OF ittl
service while their employment prevents the film
of vacancies the regular roll and demoralizes tn
service.
In one case thirtyfve persons were put on tn
slapse fund" of the Treasurers office for eight day
81 1Af q Aunol UnaP
which was in danger Of being saved and returned
the "rreasury."
/ l have no doubt
Says this gentleman further
that under rigid application of this proposed sys
TEN the work Of the Treasury Department could b
erformed with two-thirds the number of clerks no
employed, ana that is moderate estimate of tn
saving.
Mr.. President, a Senator who is nov
present in the Chamber and who vii
recognize the statement when make il
though / shall not indicate his name
told me that the Secretary of one of tn
Departments of the Government said t
him, perhaps to the Committee on ap
preparations. at last session, that ther
were seventeen clerks in his Department
for whom he could find no employment
that he did not need one competent cler
, of higher grade, and if the appropria
tion were made for that one clerk, at tn
proper amount according to the grada
tion of the service and the appropriation
for the seventeen were left out, he could
without impairing the efficiency Of hi
; Department, leave those seventeen clerk
off the roll; but if the appropriation
should be made the personal, social, an
political pressure was SO great that h
would be obliged to employ and pa
them, though he could find no employ
ment for them.