Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-06-13

i
| COURSE susTAINED-MR. LYMAN cENsURED FOR
LAxrrY OF pIscIPLISE-THE REPORT STONED
| BY ALL EXCEPT MEssRs. STONE AND ANDERSON.
The civil service committee Of the House
have vindicated Commissioners Roosevelt and
| Thompson. The committee have not only
indicated them, but bestowed upon them the
| highest praise for them.
| THEY RESERVE THEIR RIGHT
| Messrs. Stone and Anderson of the committee
| reserved the right to oppose the whole civil
service reform idea. The rest of the members
of the committee approve the report without
| qualification.
| 1t is very exhaustive report, going into the
whole case very infinitely.
THE sHIDY AND CAMPBELL CASES.
| Dealing with the Shidy matter they take up
the testimony on both sides and conclude that
for Messrs. Thompson and Roosevelt to have
acted differently from what they did would
have been improper. Their conduct was ex-
actiy proper.
| As to the Campbell case, there could no
possible blame fall upon Messrs Roosevelt and
Thompson, the report says: They did all or
more than could be required of them to clear
! up the matter.
|
The report says that his administration Of the
Office appears to have been lax, and they CEN
sure him for his course OF conduct in the affair
| of Campbell his brother-in-law.
THE COMMITTEES CONCLUSIONS
In concluding their report the committee say:
with regard to the conduct of the civil SER
vice commissioners in the matters submitted
to your committee, We find, first, that Com
missioners Roosevelt and Thompson have
! discharged their duties with en-
| tire fidelity and integrity; second, that
the official conduct of Commissioner Lyman
has been characterized by laxity Of discipline
| IN the administration of the affairs of the COM
mission, AMI is therefore censurable. Your
| committee will proceed at once
| to investigate the workings of the system and
| present subsequent report when said investi-
| CATION shall have been completed, together
| with report of their conclusion
SOME DETAILS OF THE REPORT.
After reclting the charges against Mr.. Camp
| Dell the committee says: "Mr. Oberly, Mr.
Lyman and Mr.. Doyle severally investigated to
greater or less extent the charges preferred
against Campbell. found him guilty of
| a breach of discipline and he was repri-
manded. But these gentlemen, as it appears
from the testimony failed to ascertain def
ntely whether the questions copied by Camp
bell and given Mrs. Smith were obsolete or not.
| They gave it as their belief, however, that the
| questions were obsolete. It occurred
that they directed their inquiry to as
certaining whether the copy on the questions
was in the handwriting of Campbell-an in
quiry that was of little consequence if the
yar in "a heel he Of
Tense consisted in copying and giving out
questions that could be used in the examina-
ton to take place thereafter and not in
| copying questions that were obsolete and hence
worthless to Mrs. Smith to use or SELL And it
is not probable that Mr.. Campbell copied ques-
| tons and answers merely to give Mrs. Smith
an idea of the character of the examination.
since if that was so it would have been
quite enough to have copied the questions
only. The omission to ascertain whether
the questions were for use or to be used at
any ensuing examination was palpabie ne
glect of duty, since the fact not inquired about
was obviously the one controlling fact essential
| in determining the degree of Campbelrs culpa-
bility.
1t is clear to your committee that Campbell
copied the questions and that they
were not obsolete Az investigation
properly conducted would have disclosed
the fact. If the administration of the
civil service was not to fall in disrepute
Mr. Campbell should have been dismissed.
His retention indicated gross laxity of disci-
pine, and showed that the administration of
the commission was not such at that time as to
receive or merit public confidence.
Your committee cannot accept as satisfactory
the answer of Messrs. Oberly, Lyman and
Doyle; that they believed the questions Camp
bell copied were obsolete. The facts dis
closed to yourcommittee convince them that
the omission to obtain the truth was as repre-
hensiblc as to have disregarded it after it
had been ascertaned ami is little less culp-
| able, and whether they failed through differ
ences or partially to learn the facts, or know
ing them, failed to take such action as the
public service obviously demanded, is not a
matter of great consequence-the neglect OF
duty in either case is condemned
THOMPSON, ROOSEVELT AND CAMPBELL.
at has been suggested that Commissioners
Roosevelt and Thompson are deserving of
| censure for not taking action in the Campbell
case. Your committee does not share this
view On the contrary, there is nothing in
their conduct to challenge criticism. When
their attention was called to the
matter by the newspaper reports,
| they called the parties concerned
before them. separately and without oppor-
tunity of their comforting with one another,
and there was concurrence of statements
| that the matter had been fully investigated
and Mr.. Campbell punished, and it being as
to them res adjudicata they did not take fur
Their action in the matter, and in that we think
they were thoroughly justified.
THE sHIDY CASE.
In connection with the Shidy case the COM
mittee, after reciting the facts, states that the
conduct of the commissioners in securing
Shidy's appointment to the Census Office after
his dismissal from the Milwaukee post office
was not an exceptional course, nor did it tend
to demoralize the service. 1T would have been
ground for criticism if instead of keeping
faith with the witness they had permitted
those who had concealed the truth and assisted
in the frauds to escape and retain their posi-
tions, and had suffered Shidy, who had been
instrumental in exposing the fraud and in
bringing the truth to light, to be pun
ished for SO doing. The commissioners
insist that the man who told the truth and as
sisted the government in unearthing fraud
and in indicating the law should at least fare
as well as those who did the reverse. For that