Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-08-23
A CIVIL SERVICE CHAMPION.
Commissioner Roosevelt Before the In.
vestigating Committee Today.
He n LOADED YoR AUTHORITARIAN
COMMENTS on Mr.. eRosvESoR's CRITICISMS or
THE CIVIL SERVICE Law AND THE METHODS
OF ITS ADMINfsrRArIoy

/ OF ITS ADAINIsrRArroy
| Civil Service Commissioner Roosevelt did
battle before the civil service investigating
committee today in defense Of the law against
the criticisms Of Congressman Who have at
tackled it. He was loaded for Mr. Grosvenor,
andunot only for him but all the rest who had
said word against civil service reform or we're
ready to take issue with him on the ques-
| ton. He was to have gone to his ranch
| for the fall. and he had on his cowboy spirit Of
| dash and daring. Two or three times as he smelt
| the air Of the plains-or the blood of anti-civil
| service reform Congressmen-the cowboy yell
| arose to his lips He seemed ready to have il
! out with Grosvenor and all the anti-civil ser
vice reformers be might trot out.
The committee resumed it hearings this
| morning. Mr.. Roosevelt, as the champion Of
| the reform, and Representatives Grosvenor and
Houk, the barons Of the other side, we're pres
emit each to maintain his cause. Before the
close the antis quietly departed from the room
and Commissioner Roosevelt was left champion
| of the field.
MR. aRosvRSoR's CRITICISMS
Mr.. Grosvenor of Ohio appeared before
| the committee. He declared that he was not
opposed to the merit system; that he in
| favor Of civil service reform. Then he criti-
cized the present civil service law quite
| vigorously. He declared that one Of the eight
appolntees from his district was not citizen
OF Ohio and that he knew nothing about the
rest. The one whose citizenship he disputed
was young man named Putnam, whose
papers showed his citizenship TO
have been witnessed by reputable citi-
zens OF Ohio and sworn to by himself.
Mr.. Grosvenor said that the commission by
! fulse pretenses induced people to travel many
miles and incur expense to take examination
when there was no chance Of their getting ap-
pointments. He cited fifty of his constituents
who had been so treated. He very savagely
criticised tho commission for send
ing to the south to get candidates to
fill the new places in the Pension Office. He
| said the commission was probably following the
spirit and letter of the law in trying TO fill the
quotas OF cx-confederate states, but it spoke
bad for tine law. lie also charged that the
pervading spirit Of the civil service law kept
old and incompetent clerks in the depart
ments.
Mr. ROOSEVELT QUOTES eRosyESoR AGAINST
GRoevESoR.
Mr.. Roosevelt then made a reply to Gen.
Grosvenor. He started out by reading a letter
from Gen. Grosvenor to him, in which Gen
S Sresven0r , stated that he was to appear
reply to Mr.. Roosevelt's statement
| to the committee that assertions made by him
in speech on the floor of the House concern
ing appointments i'll his district were incor-
rect
Mr. Roosevelt asked if Mr.. Grosvenor had
not said to the committee that he was not op-
posed to the civil service reform and was not in
favor Of the repeal Of the law.
Mr.. Grosvenor replied that he would say that
now.
Mr.. Roosevelt then quoted from MIR. Grosve-
| nor's speech in which he said he would vote for
the repeal Of the law.
Mr.. Grosvenor said that this must be taken
| in connection with other statements: that he
meant to repeal this law and replace it by some
| other.
Reference was then made to Mr.. Grosvenor's
statement that his understanding OF the mean
ing OF the civil service plank in the republican
platform was to
TURN THE DEMOCRATS OUT AND PUT nEPUBLI-
CANS IN.
Mr.. Grosvenor said that any one who was not
30 dreadfuliy in earnest about the matter would
understand that this was a matter of pleas
antry.
ing In sense of humor. Mr.. Roosevelt then
proceeded to go over Gen. Grosvenor's speech
| and to reply to it.
Mr.. Grosvenor suggested that the speech was
made on the floor Of the House under the pro-
lection Of the CONSTITUTION, which provided that
he should not be called to account for it else
where. II Mr.. Roosevelt wanted to reply to it
he should wait until he got a seat in the House
and then go back to the musty records and
make reply to the speech.
Mr.. GRosvEyoR DEPARTS
Later on he said he had to 60 on the floor of
the House and had no time to listen to reply
to his speech. Taxing his hat and papers he
departed.
Mr.. Roosevelt then took up the statement
that people in Grosvenor' 8 district were induced
to travel distances to take examinations. with
the idea that they would get appoint
ments, when. in fact, they never
were appointed, though they passed
the examinations. To this the commissioner
replied that every effort was made to fully in
form all candidates of the conditions under
which they took tho examination. They
were fully informed as to their chances of APP
pointment
APPOINTMENTS IN MR. GEosvESoB's DISTRICT.
As to Mr.. Grosvenor's statement that no one
in his district had got an appointment Mr.
Roosevelt produced the papers of eight
clerks appointed from that district under
the civil service law. Two OF these we're
appointed under MIR. Arthur, four under
Mr.. Cleveland. and two under Mr.
Harrison; all were still retained. He quoted
Mr.. Grosvenors charge that under Mr.. Cleve-
land no republicans were appointed and that
under the republican administration the re-
verse was the case, and denied that statement
III toto.
QUOTAS OF SOUTHERN STATES
Mr.. Grosvenor's statement that the commits
sion had sent all over the south after candi-
dates for the new positions in the Pension
Office. he said. was sufficient contradiction of
his other statement He said that there had
been great difficulty in getting candidates to
fill up the quotas of the gulf states. During
MIR. Clevelandfs administration the quotas of
these states were still not filled. In the state
OF Louisiana it was impossible to get candi-
dates, and the state twenty behind its
quota. 1t was not until now. under republican
administration, that Louisiana's quota had been
filed. The commission did not know the
politics of these candidates, but the fact of
their coming from Louisiana suggested that
they might be democrats.
Mr.. Roosevelt denied that any inefficient
clerks were kept in the departments by in
fuence of the commission, and adds that ii Mr.
Grosvenor would ask for the dismissal of these
clerks on the charge of incompetency the COM
mission would not interfere.
mr. PUTNAM's CITIZENSHIP.
In relation to the charge that Mr.. Putnam
was not citizen OF Ohio he said he would have
the matter investigated on Mr.. Grosyenor's
charge and that If the young man were shown
to have sworn to a false statement as to his
residence he would be promptly dismissed.
LOOKING FOR MoRE WORLDS TO CONQUER.
There was no charge against the civil service
law or reflection upon it by Mr.. Grosvenor he
did not reply to. He then looked around for
Mr.. Hank. but that gentleman was not there,