Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-10-27
CLERKS AND ASSESSMENTS.
An Ohio Letter and What Commissioners
Roosevelt Says Of It

An Ohio Letter and What Commissioner
Roosevelt Says Of It
THE Law DOES NOT APPLY-HI SAYS cLIRKs
NEED NOT FEAR REMOVAL FOR NOT coNTRIBur-
rNo-rHE CLERK HAS A RIGHT TO coSTRIBUTE
INVESTIGATING THE QUESTION OF CLUBS.
A good many Of the government clerks who
hail from Ohio. it is stated, received q copy Of
the following on Saturday:
COLUMBUS, ONO Oct. %, 1890.
DEAR SIR: Have you done your duty as q re-
publican and Office holder?- II 50, your name
does not appear on our list We are making the
best tight We can to elect enough Congressman
from Ohio to save the next House to the repub-
licans. You are certainly interested in this
matter, and ought to be willing to bear your
share of the burden. You ought not expect
others to do the labor and permit you to enjoy
the emoluments. We know that you are a re-
publican, and when wo say to you confden-
italy that We are handicapped for the wan. Of
funds to pay our legitimate expenses, we be-
lieve and trust you will call on Mr.. VIM. Mayse
and make fair and liberal contribution. or
send direct to us. 1t is not too late to do good.
and your contribution may elect one more re-
publican. Respectfully,
REPUBLICAN STATE. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF
OHIO.
WHAT MR.. ROOSEVELT SAYS
A STAR reporter showed one of these letters
to Civil Service Commissioner Roosevelt this
afternoon and asked him what he thought of it.
Mr.. Roosevelt said that so far as the civil
service commission could judge from the facts
at hand, the Ohio committee had succeeded in
evading the law, for oil the circulars had been
sent to the homes of the clerks and were not
Mt No bod
been done in the departments nor by clerks in
person.
WILL PROSECUTE OFFENDERS.
"AllI can say" said Mr. Roosevelt, sis what I
| said last Friday and that can be taken as the
authoritative statement of the commission. or
course, we cannot recommend prosecutions for
violations of the law until We have proof that
| the violations have occurred.
If we can get information from any one as
| to solicitations for campaign fundsby a govern
ment employe OF another or by any one,
whether by letter or otherwise, in a govern
| ment building, we shall forthwith proceed
| against the offender.
IF any information is given US by any en-
| ploye or by any one else tending to show that
any government official has tried to bring
| pressure to bear upon his subordinates to COM
| pei them to contribute or has Disseminated
| against them in any way for not contributing,
we will at once investigate and will take such
RIGHT TO CONTRIBUTE.
"Those government employees who wish to
contribute have perfect right to do SO, but
it is part OF the law that no government en-
ploye who does not wish to do 80 shall be dis
eliminated against, and the commission will
watch with a jealous eye any attempt
to violate the provisions of this act
and rule. am glad to have
this opportunity to make public for the in
oil oil g. that
they have, as firmly believe, nothing to fear
if they refuse to contribute. As for nv own
personal feeling. regard the circular of the
Ohio executive committee as an outrage. am
as anxious as any one can be for the sue
cess of the republican party in Ohio
| and for the reelection Of Maj. Mckinley in
| particular, but the letter quoted as coming
| from the Ohio committee and sent to the gov
eminent employees in this city can only be
| characterized as an attempt to blackmail the
| employees by indrection. This, of course. is
| upon the supposition that it has really been
| sent to the department clerks, of which we
have as yet no positive proof. AS given in
the papers it asks each clerk if he has done his
| duty, and tells him that he ought not to expect
others to do the work and permit him to enjoy
the emolumeuts If this is addressed to men
in the classified service it deliberately falsifies
| the facts. No committee has the right to ad-
| dress any government employe as a republican
Office holder.
MERIT AND POLITICAL INFLUENCE.
s'The Ohio republicans in the classified
| service who have come in through our exami-
nations owe their positions solely to their own
merits and not to the labor of the republican
party in Ohio or elsewhere, as this commit
tee would seem to imply. If any of
| them do owe their places to political
| influence they have gotten them by false rep
reservations and evasions of the law and
| ought to be cleared out. Government clerks
1 A1a
not enjoying the emouments Of office be-
| cause of the labor Of any political party in
| any state They owe their positions to their
own honest endcavor and merit.
| They owe nothing to politicians. and il is an
| outrage to attempt to coerce them directly or
indirectly into making contributions out of
their slender salaries If they are reluctant to
do SO.
| INyESTIGATING POLITICAL CLUBS.
"Clerks can contribute or not as they please,
and those who do not do so need have no fear
whatever of being molested but they must not
contribute to their fellow clerks, whether this
| contribution Is given in the form of admission
fees and annual dues in u club or otherwise, and
they must not try to assess their fellow clerks.
| whether they do this themselves or, acting as a
| club, do 1t through their representatives. We
| are now making an investigation into this very
matter of political clubs in the depart
| ments, and we will take action as soon
!
| any information from any source tending to
show that the law has been violated, and again
! call attention to the sweeping provisions of the
law against political assessments, which
provide fine and imprisonment for the
government enploye who sinai: :solicit, directly
or indirectly, which means by himself or
| through another, political contributions for
| any purpose whatever. This would certainly
include dues and initiation fees to keep up
| political club.
| Il can assure all clerks in the government SER
| vice that the commission will strain every
nerve to protect any one CT them who is threat
ened with the slightest Inconvenience for re-
| fusiug to contribute.
| THE QUESTION OF PARTY POLICY.
| "Finaliy, as mere question Of party policy,
/ would like to express my opinion an
earnest republican that political clubs among
the employees Of the departments in Washing
| ton this year have been real detriment to the
| party. The amount OF money that may have been
| raised is no offset to what scandal they have