The daily critic., 1890-09-18
DEFENDS his POSITION.
Secretary Tratnor Insists That He was
Misrepresenteda

mlarenreAenteu.a
Editor Ciffie In reply to vour eli.
torial in yesterdays paper, headed with
my name, ] would say that the general
public, OF which I am one, usually
Judges of the contents Of a law by tine
way 1t Is administered, presuming that
those who execute it fully understand
its meaning and requirements. Itisnot
presumed that every member of the
public will study into the intricacies Of
every law, unless he be In the legalprO-
fession. and even If one did vet he
would have 20 be governed by the law
as administered unless he contest such
an administration Of II In the courts.
With regard 10 the Civil Service law.
which you say I denounced ~ though
the newspaper reports from which you
got your Information (which merely say
thatI dwelt very severely upon the Civil
Service law y hardly warrant your as
seriion. I viii leave you to Judge OF
the contents and character Of the Law
by the way II is being administered, and
not by what | know about it intrinsi-
cally or Of myself
First. Very few OF the eX Union
soldiers discharged from the civil serv-
ice have been reinstated therein In the
grades or at the salaries from which
they were DISCHARGED. They have
mostly been reinstated in the lower
grades, ranging from $40 and 5000 to
81 200 or 81 400, though perhaps re.
moved from 81 600 and 81 800 posi-
tions.
Secondly. They had to he certified by
the Civil Service Commission for re-
appointment, and some Of the later an.
pointments, IL not all Of them, read,
'on six months probation and after
such probation the reappointees, or
"reinstated," as they are officially
called, are recommended for and re-
Ceive permanent appointments, which
certainly looks very much as II they
were deemed novitiates In the service.
Thirdly But when these reinstaled
men come TO be assigned TO duty. they
are not then treated as novices in the
service, but are assigned TO duties and
succeed employees of the highest classes,
which duties could only be assigned to
employees Of the longest experience
and highest efficiency"
Fourtbly. When vacancies occur in
the grades of the service from which
these former employees were discharged,
and who are now performing the du.
ties Of those grades, which, however,
are two or more grades above the ones
in which the said employees now are,
as the law is administered, or said to
be, those employees are estopped from
aspiring to those vacancies because "the
law requires them to be promoted regu
larly up through the grades" Now,
do not say that the above are the words
Of the law, nor did / say so In my adj.
dress before the MARYLAND Republican
Association, to which you refer in your
editorial In that address, as now,
only dealt with the facts as | found
them in the administration Of the law
which | presume Is the way Il Is con
sttued by the Civil Service Commis
sion, which has IN charge its con
struction and formulatcs the rules to
regulate It's execution.
The facts cited above viii enable you
10 Judge, as | did, Of the "absurdity'
Of the character Of the law or rs con
struCtion-espccially those facts rclat
ing TO having the reiDstated employees
assume the duties Of old and experienced
clerks az the same time that they are
classified and have 20 60 through all the
role and routine Of civil service novlces
Respectfully, JosEru THAINoR.