Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-07-10
BALTIMORE'S SPOKESMAN.
THE CIVIL SERVICE OMMISSION
RAKES HIM OVER.

Power of Removal by O0ioIals Not Re-
stricted by the Reform Law-POstmRs-
ter VeHzey Found Guilty OF Violating
the Spirit and Letter of the Law in
Several Particulars.
WASHINGTON, July 9.-The Civil Ser.
vice Commission to-day makes public it's
"opinton on the action of j. Parker
Neazey as Postmaster at Baltimore in
making appointments for partisan rea-
sons" 1t is between four and five thOus-
and words in length, and labOriously dis
cusses the questions involved. When
Mr.. Veazey became Postmaster he found
employed in that office 254 Republicans
and six Democrats. Only tifty-one of these
had been appointed under the civil ser
vice law, having passed an examination
before local board of which every mem
Der was Republican. Mr.. Neazey dis
charged every Republican who had been
appointed as such by his Republican pre-.
decessOrs and filled their places with men
who had passed a civil service eXamina-
tion, but whose politics Mr.. Neazey took
care to ascertain was in all cases Demo
cratic. Commissioner Lyman, himself
Republican, interviewed MIR. NeaZey upon
the subject, and Mr.. Veazey avowed his
justi6abe and legal. The document
given TO the public tonight was prepared
by Commissioner Oberly and signed by
all three of the commissioners.
THE QUESTIONS RAISED.
1t gives the position of the commits
sion upon the two questions raised
by this controversy: First, has
the right Of an appointing officer
to make removals for partisan
or other reasons satisfactory to himself
been In any way abridged or modified b.
the civil service act and rules, and has
the commission any authority to inquire
into the reasons Of any appointing officer
for making removals? Second, can an APP
pointing officer, without violating the
civil service act and rules, refuse 10 ap-
point an eligible applicant, regularly
certified to him, because the applicant is
member of a political party of which the
appointing officer IL not member, or can
he, without violating the act and rules,
appoint an eligible applicant regularly
certified to him for the avOwed reason that
the applicant Is a member of the political
party to which the appointing Othcer
belongs.
POWER OF REMOVAL UNRESTRICTED.
In replying to the first question the
commission takes the grounds that while
H. IS contrary to the spirit OF the civil
service act to remove any person from
the classified civil service for purely par
tisan reasons the fact remains that the
power of removal is practically unre-
stricted, and the commission has no right
except IN the instances stated in the 0pin-
ion to make any inquiry or take any ac-
tion concerning removals.
VIOLATED THE LAW.
In regard TO the second question the
Sssef. hn nj hnt
Postmaster Veazey violated the spirit of
the civil service act, and not only the
spirit but also the plain letter of rule g.
l. When, as an appointing officer. he sought
for information concerning the political opin-
IONS and affiliations Of persons who. while he
WAS Postmaster at Baltimore, applied to him
for entrance at his Office to the classified pos
tai service.
2. When. as an appointing officer. he failed
to discountenanCe disclosures made to him
concerning political opinions ana amllatlOnS
OF such applicants,
8. When, as an appointing officer he So
lected from the certificate sent TO him by the
board Of examiners, with knowledge OF the
fact, the name OF a Democrat and then ap-
pointed Democrat because he was Demo-
Crat.
4. When, as an appointing officer, he refused
to appoint Republican regularly certified
to him because hewas a Republican.
CRY OF THE sPoILsMEN.
The other questions that have been
raised by this contention the commission
does not see proper to discuss. 1t is not
blind to the TACT that the classified civil
service contains many people who are
efficient public servants and who entered
the service through the wide doorway
from the broad highway OF the "spOils
system" The commission is also con
sciOus Of the fact that these people are
protected in the positions they occupy by
the friendly voices Of mistaken friends Of
civil service reform mingling with the
alarming cries raised by INSCRIPTIONS
members OF political organization under
former partisan methods, OF which these
people became at once incompetent and
undutful servants of the public,and duti-
full, ever ready, skillful servants
of politicians whose influence procured
for them their places, and the commission
is not deaf tO the current assertion that
the civil service act was formally admin
istered entirely in the interest Of a pOliti-
cal party, an assertion which, though
foundat0nless, is made plausible by
the fact that the civil service act was
until lately administered almost ex-
clusively by members Of one party.
TO BE ENFORCED NOW.
With these matters the commission can
not deal, but IL Is determined that the
present civil service act and rules shall he
executed in their spirit as we'll as in their
letter; that with the knowledge Of the
commission no board Of examiners at any
custom house or post office shall
be. as formerly, composed en-
tirely OF members Of the party control
ing the custom mousse or post office; That
ali examinations, all certlfications from
eligible registers. and all action of exam
ining boards shall be nOn-partsan; that
no violation Of the civil service act or
nf hn
mission shall escape it's denunciatiOn |
In this non-partisan spirit the commIs-
sion has considered the questions raised |
by the Baltimore post Office controversy, /