The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-03-31
HOW BLACK GOT DEMOCRATS.
Colonel Dudley's Apportionment Compared
with that of His Successor.

Colonel Dndiey's Apportionment Compared
with that of His Successor.
Washington Special to New York Tribune.
.How was it possible for Commissioner Black
TO select seventy-two Democrats and no Repub.
licans from those certified by the Civilservice
Commissioner as he stated in his evidence be-
fore the Senate committee2' Dorman B. Eaton
was asked.
piled Mr. Eaton, "but feel it duty to do so on
account of the inference in the Tribune that the
| selection of Democrats, as stated by Commits
sioner Black, is fair specimen of what may be
done in all parts of the service at Washington.
| Let me explain. For each vacancy the Commits
sion sends to the head of the department
where the vacancy exists the names Of four per-
sons, and from these four selection must be
made The object Of limiting the numbersto
four was to prevent political discrimination.
Each person is entitled to three separate
Qualifications. Thus. it seems plain. there is
little opportunity for selecting those of one po-
itical party. To this rule of certifcation there
have been two exceptions: one relating to the
State Department, which hardly concerns more
than eight or ten places, aud to which not more
| than four or five appointments have been made
since the rules went into effect; the other, the
much larger exception, is the Pension Office. 1t
became necessary to allow to that Office the GER
LITIGATION of all persons examined, and conse-
quenty to afford an opportunity for selections
| from the whole number; but subject to the
| provisions of Rule 8, which prohibits any dis
elimination by the appointing power by reason
of political opinions or affiliation Nevertheless
| these general certificates makes it possible to
discriminate in violation of the rule.
| 1.-THE reason for this general certification to
| the Pension Office was that on he last day Of
the first session of the last Congress it created
$50 places for pension examiners to serve one
| year At that season of the year it was neces-
sary to fill the places promptly large part of
| the year might expire before they were filed
| President Arthur thought it was unjust to ap-
fho Sfofo off re
| year terms, as against the apportionment Of ap-
| pointments for ordinary clerkships which have
| no limit of term. He, therefore, promulgated a
special rule which required as many of these $50
| places as should not be filled by persons already
| in the Pension Office to be apportioned separately
| among the States. The Commission sent Com
missioner Dudley the name of one person
on July l6, 1884, and he was appointed;
| the names of seven persons on July %
| five of whom were appointed; the names of
| twenty persons on Aug IL, twenty of whom
| were appointed It will be seen that these ap
| pointments and the prompt selection made from
them almost excludes the possibility OF political
| discrimination. Between Aug. 16 and 80 the
| Commission had completed the examination of
| more than 400 persons. and they were all sent
up. there being at that time 63 of the $50 places
vacant. From this large number of persons
available. the person graded highest was taken,
| with due regard to a fair apportionment among
| the States. The eighty nine places filed from
those certified in 1884 were apportioned among
thirty-thr States and Territories and in the
District of Columbia in the manner set forth in
the table show you"
According to this table, six of the eighty nine
places went to Indiana, Colonel Dudley's State;
six to Illinois, eight to Pennsylvania, eleven to
New York, three to North Carolina, three to
New Jersey, and so on There was no political
allotment or discrimination. On March 3, 1885.
Congress created $50 places in the Pension Blu
reau precisely like those above described. Ali
new appointees for this service of course. had
to 60 in under the civilservice rule. Mr.. Eaton
said that the same plan of certifying all who had
passed the examination was adopted in this case.
He continued:
Between July 20 and Aug. 10 the Commits
sion certified more than $50 persons from which
to make these selections, and about
twenty-five Of them were appointed.
Between October and December about
one hundred mora were certified and
from these and the prior certifcation about sew
enty in all were appointed. AS understand the
matter, the selection of Democrats, referred to
in the testimony of the Commissioner, was made
mainly under these certihcations. The appor-
tionment Of these men thus appointed-as to
which the Commission had, as in the previous
year, neither authority nor participation of any
kind-appears in the table which show YOU"
According to the table sixty-eight appoint
ments were distributed among twenty-five
States. Illinois, General Blacks own State re-
ceived twelve, nearly one sixth of the whole num-
Der; Indiana seven, New York two. Pcnnsyl-
vania six, North Carolina none, New Jersey
none. Missouri six, and General Black
testified that all of them were Democrats