The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1885-12-15
minor Matters.
Civil Service in the custom House.

To the Editor of the Press:
AT an examination under the civil service law,
held at the Custom House in this city July 7th,
1883, at which Hon. Dorman B. Eaton was pres
ent and presided, there were twelve successful
candidates for the customs service, all of whom
were appointed by Collector Dow the following
November for the temporary OF winter service at
this port. . .
The terms Of these officers expired by limitation
May 1st, 1884
his probation, was permanently appointed TO NIL
In November, 1884, the other eleven were re-
appOinted for the same service under Section OF
Rule 49, which provides that "Any officer who
shall become separated from the service without
fault or delinquency on his part may be reap
pointed in the same grade of service within one
year following such separation without further
examination, ON such certification as the COM
One of the number so appointed afterwards re-
sgned and the terms OF the other ten expired
again by limitaton May dst ssrs 1Ss5 having served
more than the six months probation required by
Rule II of the Civil Service Rules, petitioned Col
lector Dow to be permanently appointed, subject
to the exigencies of the service or in other words
to be permanently appointed as winter officers
drawing pay only when rendering service.
They believed that they were entitled to thlS
under the letter and spirit Of the law, for Rule II
provides that ''alI original appointments in the
months. at the end Of T which time, Il the conduct
and capacity of the pr0batOner be found salts
factory he shall be absolutely appointed or en-
iSgse' Pss but otherwise De deemed OUT Oh 'n' ser
This matter was referred by the Collector to the
a COPY Of the reply of the Department was
Immediately forwarded by Collector Dow to the
petitioners, from which it appears that the De-
partment by reason OF Rule IL deemed n f saca per- p
rights of the officers in question, and Collector
Dow, in his letter forwarding the Department
reply, said
Il am of the opinion that the claim to reap
pointment of temporary inspectors who have rem,
dered satisfactory service cannot be & &disr@egarded @
shall govern my action accordingly"
In October, Collector Dow, knowing that the
time was near at hand when appointments must
again be made for the winter service, wrote to
the Board of Civil Service Commissioners regard
ing the matter, which at once replied, certifying
by name each and all;of the ten persons who had
served the two previous winters, for reappont-
ment.. !,
seen such service.
Immediately following this correspondence
Collector Dow was suspended and General An
derson appointed, followed day or two later by
another civil service examination In this dis
But the season was getting late, the ocean
steamers were already due here, and something
must be done before the result of that examinar
tion was attainable.
Collector Anderson appointed four officers from
the list of ten who had been certified by the Ma
tional Board, three of them soldiers and one a
civilian and then awaited the result OF this last
examination, as it would seem in the hope then
to be able to fill some of the "hungry and thirsty.
He has now appointed seven from this last list
thus disregardng utterly the certifcation OF the
other six persons made by the Civil Service Com
mission and two of whom were hOnorably dis
charged soldiers, who, under the rules, have the
preference in appointments and al SIX OF whom
had satisfactorily served the required probation
If General Anderson in this matter has not dl-
rectly violated the letter of the law, he certainly
has the spirit of it, and disregarded the certifca
become the subject of Senatorial consideration.