The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-01-28
THE CIVIL SERVICE.
The Report of Commissioner
Roosevelt Submitted.
ASSESSING OFFICE HOLDERS
LII the New York Custom House and What
was Found-John Morgan and 3. H.
Roberts on Utah Politics.

| WASHINGTON, Jan. 26.-Civil Service
commissioner Roosevelt submitted To the
iuH committee the report of the recent in
vestlgatlon into the alleged violations of
tne CIVIL service law in the New Yorl- Que
tom house Just prior to the last nresido,,
llai election, of upon the subject of the col
Ieotion Oh pohtlcaI assessments during that
campaign. Roosevelt says the present law
mas put complete stop to the open spolia-
ZION OF poor clerks and it makes it inper.-
GlVely dlfhcult to mulct them even secretly
Government employees do not. as n rn1a
simply from desire to help the political
cause In which they believe. In other words
employees are coerced into making them
run rear that their position will be leon
ardlzed If they fail to do So 1t is probabiv
odIe 10 say that 10 per cent of the money
colIecled Ior political purposes from minor
governmental employees represents co
nuch blackmail. Those who agree i'm DoliN
Iies win tue party in control feel some as
ao ohahce Oh protection If they refuse to be
Goerced into parting with their noney
But unfortunately those of On,2S
site political faith feel that thev
nave no power behind the throne on which
Co rely, SO are nervously afraid of giving
onense and yield helplessly when threat
eneu- Inc amount paid is not absolutely
very great In individual cases, but to tbe
poor clerk Just able to get along the loss of
S; Sc. ConC' vi his salary may mean lust the
winter overcoat for himself a Jva,.T3
u uiesS LOT MS wife, or Christmas tree for
nls cnlldren. Another fact to be rernediad
70 Cnat nlucn OF the money so collected ia
never turned into the party camnaion
CHESTS al all, being kept for their own priy-
f ate uses by the jackals who have col.
One of the witnesses in the present coso.
a Republican who was holding office nnSer,
Ile !asG administration, testified that ne was
au'lseu TO contribute to the Democratic
Cam palgn fund by one of his friends. New
L OK REPUBLICAN district leader. as beinr
SHe only thlng to do if he wished to keen
a nii place. In the investigation of the
GU FIoIatlonS OF the law against making
t"pI assessments have made more or
Tess complete examination into the conduct
III InIs respect OF the offices of collector
surveyor and naval office of the port of
of 1888. Uif'i election
In the naval office, under Mr.. Burt NV
LuVesIlgatlon goes TO show that the law was
oOastVe9 absolutely, both in letter and
spirit. So far as 1 can find ont there ,,,ara
no coIectlons made for political purposes in
any shape or form, and nothing like noIiti-
cal coercion was tolerated.
i, III the collectors office under Mapone
mere was an apparently widespread bpt
loU universal and by no means always suc-
'essIui effort to evade the law by persuad-
~ VI forcing republican clerks to contrib
lte. Some of the last of these RennbIicnr
Jerks must have been kent, because thev
we're especially singled out for more OR less
ndlrect solicitation, either personaIIv IN. bv
circular; and there is the Testimony of
me witness that this solicitation was nm
lerGaAen Dy express command of Magone,s
,rVate secretary, there being nothing to
H ~ however, Ihat Magone was aware of
mem contribute was made Indirectly and
sualIy so guardedly that it is difficult To
ay that the law was actually violated in IFS.
etter. LII i''
IN the surveyors Office, under Beattie-
Contributions so far as is shown bv the
eS!Iui0ny OF twenty eight witnesses ex
lIIHeu, were universal. The Democrats
gave their money of their oJvn
cord, but the Republican clerks were
LdctlcaIly forced against their will to paw
uab were really, in the surveyors ofice
nuer DeatCe contributions, so far as is
noWn by the testimony of twenty-eigbt,
Illnesses examined, which were universal
no IN reality political assessments for the
enenC OF the opposite party. This was
ny oil Ingenious and wide
pread system of yelled threats and in
limitations so well carried out that il was
onpletel y successful. Every method was
escorted to, while at the same time avoid.
lg the actual demand of money. For in
lance, some Of the witnesses were forced
contribute by being made very uncom-
0rtahle IN their work until they did so.
ney We're originally at work at stations
ear their homes, and were sndden1y
nlfted to others far distant and very in
onven1ent to go to. Their inquiries failed
discover the reason for the change. and
ley were kept at the new stations until
icy finally made up their minds to nav
hen they were transferred to their old
aces without word being said.''