The daily critic., 1890-11-15
PARTISAN REMOVALS.
NEARLY ALL REPUBLICAN POSTUASr
EBS APPOINTED BY CLARKS0N
supplemental Report Of the Special
Committee Of the Civn Service Ke-
form League, Containing some
Interesting Figures.

form League, Containing some
Interesting Figures.
The special committee Of the Civil
Service Reform League, Of which w.
D. Foulke IS chairman, appointed 20 in.
qulre into the condition of the FeIeral
service and the operation Of the r form
aw, has made a supplemental ep 5rtil
ecard TO the political character of the
changes made in the Presi lendll
pos'o0ices
The committees questions ia regard
TO the politics Of the postm ,slers re-
moved and those appointed elcjte the
following results Out Of 437 ans ycrs
received In which the information ya
given mp to This point. It appears tina
in 42I cases the postmaster removed or
resigned was a Democrat, in one case a
Prohibitionist, in one an Independent,
and in two cases the incumbents being
women, 10 Is stated that they belonged
to no political party.
There were three designations and
three removals of Republicans. From
513 answers received regarding the Doli
tics Of the postmasters appointed Il ap-
peared that 80 were Republicans. I
was a Knight Of Labor, I an Independ
ent and a Democrat. The Democrat
was Samuel =. Buiris Of Talladogo,
Ala, Of whom his predecessor writes:
Il was removed because ] was a Demo-
Crat, and not In sympathy with the Ad-
ministration. II was believed that my
successor, being a protectionfst, was In
sympathy with the Administration and
would support It.
The uniformity with which Demo
Gratis were removed and Republicans
appointed, says the report, shows pretty
clearly that political motives were not
absent In making these changes It
appeared in some cases that quite full
Inquiries were made as 10 the political
faith Of candidates for appointment be.
fore their commissions we're issued. An
instance Of this Is an investigation bv a
postC flee Inspector into the political
faith Of Robert G.. Ballantyne, appointed
postmaster at BraCketsville, Tex.
The employment Of postoflice Ia
spectors for this political work at Gov
eminent expense, the report says, car.
ries with II its own criticism. To in
quiiies as TO the political services
rendered by the new appointees in the
last campaign and elsewhere the com.
mittee received 496 answers. Ia ijJ
cases it was stated that no services were
rendered, cases were disputed, while
In $50 Cascs--a little over 63 per cent
the new appointees were active In party
work.
The committee quotes letters written
by Representative Morse Of MassnChu
selis, Copgswtll Of Massachusetts. Per
kins Of Kansas, and others tu shr Nv that
removals and appointments we're made
on various prttvXrs which, In The upiu
ion ~ the committee. we're inuen ted TO
cover political reasons An instance 10
" hiCh particular attention is p ,id Is me
removal OF T. NJ. lockwood Of BurIing
ton Kan.
Mr. Lockwood received a letter from
representative Harrison Kelly, saying
that his successor would likely be ap
pointed within three weeks, and Offer
ing him the opportunity Of reslgning.
Mr.. Lockwood did not resign aud he
was removed. Squire NJ. Lane was ap
pointed 10 the place. lie Immediately
appointed MIR Kelly's daughter to a
place In his Office and aftcrWafd made
her assistant postmaster.
10 is clear To the committee, SAYS the
report, that the numerous changes,
more than 81 per cent Of all the Presl
dental postmasters. has been IN a great
measure political. Mr. Clarkson. Ia an
interview sent through the United
Press TO all the leading newspapers In
the country, is reported as saying: The
President has made no removals except
for cause, for delinquency. inefticiency
or violation of law. He refused to make
any changes for partisan reasons, "
Our Inquiries, says the committee,
'haye led US to the conviction that this
declaration cannot be true; and. In our
opinion, It would have been more Just
10 have acknowledged the existence Of
political influences.
This would have involved an incon.
sistency with the promises Of the last
Republican platform: that the spirit
and purpose of the Civil Service law
should be observed in all Executive ap
pOintments But, where the fact Is as
clearly established as Il Is in this case,
The avOWal Of such Inconsistency would
have been far better than the attempt TO
conceal 1t by giving reasons for the
changes, which, in point Of fact, are
not the real ones.
IL was indeed hardly 10 be expected
that the spirit of civil service reform"
in the PostOfiice Department could be
enforced through such instrumentalities
as Mr.. Clarkson and Mr. Wanamaker.
Dir. ClaTksOn has been openly and con
spicuOusly an opponent of the reform
AT Boston, at Piltsburg and elsewhere,
be has In public speeches endeavOred 10
discTedit The system 10 which his party
pledged itself His appointment as
First Assistant Postmaster General gave
him, we belieyeYe. control Of a larger
amount Of patronage than that OF any
other officer appointed by the Presi-
deIt
The opposition Of the Postmaster
General 10 civil service reform has beea
less candid, but It has been no less Ia
tense. There are circumstances which
have occurred since he has been in Office
clearly showing his hostility 10 the
platform Of bis party IN regard 70 this
reform.