New-York tribune., 1890-01-27
CAMPAIGN COLLECTIONS.
REPORT OF COMMISSIONER ROOSEVELT
ON THE NETWORK CUSTOM HOUSE.
THE CIVIL SERVICE LAW OBSERVED srhlCILf
IN NAVAL OFFICER BURT's OFFICE,
PARTIALLY IN COLLECTOR MAGoNE's
AND YoT'AT ALL IN SUR
YEYOR BEATTIE's.

YEYOR BEATTIE's.
Washington. Jan. 2G.-Civl Service Commissioner
Roosevelt has submitted to the full Commission y
report Of his recent Investigations into the alleged
violations of the Cvll-servlce law in the New-fork
Custom House Just before the last Presidential elec-
ton Upon the subject Of the collection OF political
assessments during the campaign, Mr.. Roosevelt says
in part
The law prohibiting political assessments OF any
kind or the collection thereof. in any manner or
under any disguise, IS sweeping and thorough in It's
provisions Up to 1852 these collections were mace
perfectly openly the employees being publicly notified
how much they were to pay, when 1t was TO be paid
and at what place The present law has put com
plee stop to this open spoliaton of poor clerks and
has made IT comparatively difficult 10 mulct them
even secretly.
at is probably safe to say that 90 per cent OF the
money collected for political purposes from minor
Governmental employees represents SO much blackmah
This parcular species OF robbery is enough at
best and one Of its meanest features Is the fact tat
the men most apt TO contribute money, the men
most susceptible to pressure are those OF opposite
political faith to the dominant party Another fact
10 be remembered is that very much OF the money
so collected is never turned into the party campaign
chests at ALL being kept for their own private uses
by the jaclsas who have collected 1t.
II the head Of the Office IS determined TO have
his subordinatcs contribute tho latter soon know H.
and the fact that they must pay becomes common talk
among them. In some Offices the system Of making
pocal assessments has obtained steadily for many
wears that many Of the clerks have come to regard
il as part Of the established order Of nature. Many
politicians take this view as a matter Of course
one Of the witnesses In the present case, strong
Republican, who holding Office under the last
Administration. testifes that he was advised to con
tribute to the Democratic campaign by one OF ms
friends a New York Republican district leader, as
IN do he " 40 keen
place.
"In the Naval once, under Mr.. Burt my investiga
ton goes 20 show that the law was observed abso
lutey both in letter and spirit As far as can find
out there were no collections made for political pur
poses In any shape form, and nothing Hike political
coercion was tolerated; each cmployc was left en-
trcly free TO contribute TO whichever political party
he desired, not to contribute at all, II he did not
wish to-
In the Collectors orce under Mr.. Magone, there
wac an apparently widespread. but not universal, and
By no mean, always successful effort to cyade the
law By pc>uadIng or forcing the Republican clerks
10 contribute. Some list OF these Republican clerks
must have been kept, because they were especially
singled for less indirect solicitation. either
personally or by circular and there IS the testimony
0f wituc,, that this solicitation Was undertaken
by the EXPIRE, command Of Nr. NagonoS private sccrc
tary There being nothing 30 show. however. that Mr.
Nagone aware Of his sccrcary's action. On the
other hand there certainly active coercion OF
these same clerks. Moreover the effort TO make
them contribute was always made indirectly. and
usually guardedly that It IS difficult 10 say the
law was actually violated IN its letter.
In The surveyors Office. under Mr. Beatte. the
contributions. as FAR as is shown by the testimony
= tn twenty eight wtne,,c- examined were universal
The Democrats generally gave th,lr money II their
own accord hut al the Republican clerks were prac
u,ally forced against their VIII 10 pay what were
3D..
plIshcd hy q Ncr ingenious AID widespread system
% Nelcd threat, and covert intimidation. ~ well
'"iH'l "It tHt IL was completely .-iiI' me cN
tsrt - thc -uccc-, being shown by tA" fit that ALL
ar.ool. we 10 The ED forced to Ia,.
Every M'Ulud $50, rc-Yrt,d 90 to cNtlrt the con
t.n"Hd g money For In,tan. e., ,.nr II the wlt
ne'.e- "c'- tr."i - contribute hy being made very
qpeomf .r" a heir "o.a n"'I t9ey did aa. So
thcr u., aad were suddenly shifted t, Others
- o.. Ilr .louucs Ml.i O. discover te reason
lur O." 't1l-'. ale they we're kept al the new
iny. WHOM uc' were usually promptly transferred
l"ct Z" ti.Ir oh posts. without word being -ail
Aa'. = thy ftil~i 'o contribute, "-p.'m afent,.
tor trcr o. d,.hlr,c. Othc.s were Informed that black
i1.f 10 py. Others we're merely asked a,ain and
aeiu N thov cl-cl - contribute. or II thcr know
|hofc t."f could contribute ~ t,eL Wis I'd, ii'
pia. being named. or u they had been down u
a-l.d with ruch prctcnc" of personal frlcndlncss
t1uct mos. however. This mask w1- dropped. aud thc
1I,lce was gwen op'rlr. p--h3l- accompanied hy
..ur.cY hldrn threat rh" camp 81 cr.uilr-
fo,uar1Ir funds wore eclt - nl the employees.
rno man who WAS collecting tio~" funds wa, one
b. jordan. iu Liberty ST.. and Dos ctrd- were also
sent sometimes several times Z" tlr cnplo'cs. and
,,r several occasions thcr Distributed hv hini
Finally. .0mc % the more refractory men, who h"ii
ont longest were tld outright That Il they Wished
60 avoid trouble and retain their places they had
ir.t pes.
"Uv those various means much pressure wa-
brought bear ON the cWp0y'a That u the end theN
al -uccuuicd and paid their money. do u"t rltge
flo head ~ to office Nr Eolftir with ,OWpuclt. lu
This vr1ucdo'ns. bat the fact remain, TINT th"~"
acfs were committed in the office under h- control
such widespread and flrroachuc evasion and viola
ton ~ thr law speaks hut 40 Dr 'lc vigilance oi
tlO.c 60 hO.c du'y II was ~ sc" 10 emf
Mr. Roolovelt has made specific recommendation,
I'm ca-cs of number ~ employees ~ the Custom House
which VIII not lc made public uuil trr have been
submitted 10 the p,op"r prosc,utinc officers