The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-07-10
The Power of Removal Is Unrestrained, bui
Selections from the Lists of Eligibles Must
Be Made Without Discrimination.
Mr.. Garland Kept in Office Because Of
Threats of Southern Politicians.
The President Vetoes the Bill Providing
Public Building for Dayton, 0.-Final Ac-
tion in the Payne Case Again Postponed.
THE CIVIL SERVICE.

OF What May and May Not Be Done.
WASHINGTON, July 9-On the occasion of
visit made by Ciyil-seryice Commissioners Iy
man to Baltimore, on the 2lst and 22d Of May
to supervise examinations for the customs serv
ice, attention was called by the Civil-servics
League Of Maryland to alleged violations of the
civil-service act and rules by Mr. j. Parker Yea
zey, who was at that time postmaster at Balti
more. Commissioner Lyman considered 1t his
duty to inquire into the foundation for the
charge made to him, and accordingly called upon
Mr. Veazey and interrogated him in reference ia
the number of changes he had made and the
manner in which he had filled the vacant posi-
tions in his Office. Upon his return from Balti
more, Commissioner Lyman, under date of June
g. made to the Civil-servics Commission state
ment concerning the alleged violations
of the civil-service act and rules By
Postmaster Veazey. After celebrating
upon the matter the Commissiona dopted reso-
luton that copy of Commissioner Lyman's
report should be forwarded to Mr.. Veazey, who
had relinquished his Office on the 30th OF May,
with the request that he reply to the charges.
On the Sd instant the Commission received
from Mr.. Veazey long and elaborate reply, in
the Commissioners charges, and justified him
self in the dismissal of employees of the Balti-
more postofice on the ground that they were
Republicans. He also asserted that he had
filed the vacancies with Democrats obtained by
him from the eligible registers of his postofice,
after he had made inquiry and obtained knowl-
edge of their politics. He stated that he had
appointed them as Democrats for the purpose OF
making his Office a thorough Democratic
ciyil-service Office. Ee also asserted that
he had refused to appoint Republicans
certified to him for the reason that
he knew them to be Republicans He asserted
that he had right to make removals for parti-
san reason, or for any other reasons satisfactory
to himself, and that the Civilseryice Commiss-
toner's had no right to make inquiry concerning
his reasons for such removals. The Cvlservica
Commission after considering the report of Mr..
Lyman and the answer of Mr.. Veazev prepared,
and this evening made public, an opinion upon
the following questions raised by this contro-
versy:
''First-Has the right of an appointing officer
to make removals for partisan or other reasons
satisfactory to himself beer in any way abridged
or modified by the civilservice act or rules, and
has the Commission any authority to inquire
into the reasons of any appointing officer for
making removals.
''Second-Can an appointing officer, without
violating the civil-service act and rules refuse
to appoint an eligible applicant, regularly certi-
fed to him, because the applicant is member Of
political party of which the appointing officer
is not member or can he, without violating
the act and rules, appoint an eligible applicant
regularly certified 10 him, for the avowed rea-
son that tho applicant is O member of the polti-
cal party to which the appointing officer be-
longsp
In replying to the frst question the Commits
sion takes the ground that while it is contrary
to the spirit of the civi-service act to remove
any persons from the classified civil service for
purely partisan reasons, the fact remains that
the power of removal is practically unrestricted.
and the Commission has right. except whore
removals have been made for refusal to perform
political service or to pay a political assess
ment, to make any inquiry or take any action
concerning removals.
In replying to the second question the Commis-
sion makes an emphatic negative answer, and in
summing up concludes that Postmaster Veazcy
violated both the letter and the spirit Of the
cvl-seryice act first, when, as an appointing
officer, he sought for information concerning the
political opinions and affiliations of the person
who. while he was postmaster at Baltimore, ap.
piled him for entrance at his Office TO the classs
ified postal service; second, when, as an appoint.
ing officer he failed to discountenance disclos
ures made to him concerning the political
opinions and affiliations of such appli
cants; third, when, as an appointing
officer, he selected name from certified list
sent to him by the board of examiners, with
knowledge of the fact that the name was that of
Democrat, and then appointed the Democrat
because he was Democrat; fourth when, as
an appointing officer, he refused to appoint
Republican, regularly certified to him, because
the Republican was Republican.
The other questions that have been raised by
this contention the Commission does Lot see
proper to discuss 1t is not blind to the fact
that the classified civil service contains many
people who are inefficient public servants, and
who entered the service through the wide door.
way from the broad highway of the 'spois sys-
tenn The Commission is also conscious OF the
fact that these people are protected in the posi-
tions they occupy by the friendly voices OF mis-
taken friends of civil-service reform mingliug
with the alarming cries raised by interruptions
members of the political organization under the
former partisan methods OF which these people
became at once the incompetent and undutlful
servants of the people, and the dutiful,
ever-ready, skillful servants OF politicians
whose influence procured for them their
places And the Commission is not dead TO the
current assertion that the civil-servce act was
formerly administered entirely in the interest OF
ono political party, an assertion which, though
foundatonless. is made plausible by the fact thar
the civil-service act was. until lately, admins
tered almost exclusively by members OF one
party. With these matters the Commission can
not deal; bnt it is claimed that in the present.
the civil-sery;ce act and rules shall be executed
In their spirit, as we'll as IN their letter. thats
with the knowledge OF the Commission, no board
of examiners at any custom-nouse postofhce
shall be- as formerly, composed entirely of lneni-
bers of the party controlling the custom-hans0
or pOstofice: that all examinations, all certifcH-
tions from eligible registers all the action Of ex-
amining boards shall be- nonpartisan; that
violation of the civiservice act or rules called td
the attention of the Commission shall not escape