The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1889-05-15
REPUBLICAN CIVIL SERVICE REFORM.
Dating Back Notices of Dismissals and
Commissions of Appointment.
Daily Sentinel, May H.

ING in dire distress of conscience at the present
moment Last fail they lent their influence to
the election OF Gen. Harrison to the presi-
deney. They professed to believe that the In
diana candidate would make a better civil
service president than Mr.. Cleveland. The
latter was the first president under the civil
service regime, and although he pleased the
reformers in great many respects. there were
few who managed 10 find fault with him when
it was agreeable to their politics to do
These persons confidently said: IF Harrison
gets in he will do better"
But never were men doomed 20 so bitter dis
appointment. The civil service statute is being
as completely ignored by the present admins
tratiOn as if it had never been heard of. There
is no attempt to conceal the wholesale violation.
The various government officers who have re-
Gently come into power are not in the least
sneakng about it. They are simply openly and
very vigorously kicking the democrats out, and
make no attempt to conclllate any one. 1t is
true they have in few cases, offered small
brides to stii.-neeked democrats if they would
step down and out without making fuss, but
these are exceptional cases. AS a rule, they
care very little whether the democrats make
fuss or no. So far as going through with the
formula of making a charge against any one
who is removed from OtIice-Why, the idea
would be laughed at.
And yet this is the administration that was
going TO be more OF a civil service success than
that Of President Cleveland. President Harri-
sons appOintees who have the power of dis
pensIng patronage are paying not even the
slightest respect 10 the civil service law. They
utterly ignore its existence. trying neither to
eyade nor ignore 1t.
The removals in the railway mail service
continue TO come thick and fast. +. w. Rusk,
who has been running between this city and
yesterday. One feature OF the case illustrates
in faithful way the methods of republican Of
hcials. When Mr.. Rusk received his notice of
dismissal yesterday from Chief Clerk HIT, it
read as follows:
II inclose you papers disseminating your
pay and services. You are therefore relieved
from duty dating to-day, May Is. Turn into
this Office at once all government property"
When Mr.. Rusk referred TO the inclOsed
papers sent from Washington he found they
were dated April %. They contained no ex-
PLANTATION whatever for the dismissal, but
merely stated that his pay was to be discOn-
tinued. OF course this removal was not made
April 30 nor was the appointment OF Terrell
Mr.. Rusks successor. But the civil service
regulations went into effect on May l, and the
discharge of Mr.. Rusk and the appointment OF
his successor were dated back to avoid the law.
Doc" Grady of Lafayette, clerk on the
Big -Four, has also been removed. He is pro-
nounced an efficient clerk by the local post
Office employees.
Two other removals are Bagley, on the ST. L.
K L., a good clerk and Hodnett on the p, St.
J.. d C.-the latter one of the best postal
clerks in the country. The clerks in the In
dianaDoiis postoffce admit that Hodnett put
up the best mail that ever came into the local
Office.
Yet these men have all been removed from
office, and no republican will be found willing
10 stultify himself by charging that there was
any other cause tor the removals than politics
Another n q WI ioh hat he
postal authorities are engaged 10 comes from
Mt. Vernon. George u. Scott was clerk in the
Evansville postofice two years and a
half Last July he was appointed
August he passed an examination under w. F.
Hit. chief clerk. distributing 700 cards. with
two errors, making 90. y per cent. Regarding
subsequent examinations Mr.. Scott says:
Oct. IL passed another examination, hand
ling ,3o4 cards, with Is errors, standing 9S.72
per cent. In December another examination,
handling 1863 cards, making 1882 per cent,
and received permanent appointment Jan. 3,
1889. have never been charged with more
than three errors per month handling 30 to So
packages OF letters daily. / have never had a
tracer for registered or any other letter. nor
have i ever received a reprmand from the de-
partment. Yet on April rs an order was issued
discharging me and appointing in my place a
republican, without experience, and whose
only claim TO recognition was work done for
the republican party. Many other clerks, as
good, or better than am, have been discharged
IN this district"
One OF the men recently appointed to succeed
some of the above efficient clerks is John B.
Newman of this city. His political record is
unsavory. he was in the employ of the rail-
way mail service until last summer, when he
was removed. However, he attributed his re-
moval to politics, and early in the campaign he
became convinced, like good many other peo-
pie that Cleveland would be reelected. Ac-
cordingly he suddenly underwent a change of
heart" and applied for admission to the Hen
bricks club, though he had previously been
republican. He was admitted, and marched
with the Hendricks club in at least one demo-
cratic parade. A day or so before the election,
however, Mr.. Newman's sagacous political
nose began TO scent republican victory, and
he accomplished a double sommersault flap
back into that party. In other words he was
gambling with himself on the election, and he
was lucky enough to win. The reward for Mr..
Newman's last flap has been his reinstatement
in the mail service
Mr.. William Mellen Of 4Sl n Mississippi-st.
is inclined to think the present postal service
needs little of the touching up which the
Journal was always maliciously administering
TO Postmaster Jones. Mr.. Mellen is a subscriber
to the Weekly San Francisco Chronicle, but
finds it almost impossible TO get COPY of it of
late. A friend in New York also wrote 10 Mr..
Mellen few days ago, informing him he had
sent him couple of reprint papers of a hun
dred years ago; but Mr.. Mellen did not receive
I than,