The sun., 1891-06-11
PRxIsLyo TIE INFoRMERs.
Theodore Roosevcit Hears Complaints
Against the Local Civil Service Board.


Against the Local Civil Service BOARD.
The Hon. Theodore Roosevelt was In q
delightfully."- candid mood yesterday morning
when he appeared in the little Chinese mill In
the Custom House. He was there as the
august representative OF the Chinese Com
mission In Washington to confront the commit.
tee OF tho Twenty.frst district Republicans
who charged that the local Civil Service Board
has Disseminated against Republican cnndi-
dates for office. Tho resolutions OF the
Twenty first district also intimate that cor
ruption has followed In tho footsteps OF the
present local Board. All OF the local examiners
were there to sustain Mr.. Roosevelt In what
ever he had to say. All the Twenty first
district Investigators were also on hand.headed
by Chairman d. Morgan Hildreth.
Commissioner Roosevelt was the presiding
genius OF tho day. He was positive In all his
statements. and he was Convinced from tho
start that the local Board was INN maculate and
that the Twenty -flrst district people had becn
altogether too partisan In their Republican no-
tions. MIR. Roosevelt did most OF the talking.
and yet tefore the session ended John Proctor
Clarke and others Of the committee rut in
cisive questions to him. Mr.. Roosevelt in his
opening speech told how he thanked tho
Twenty-flrst district Republicans for suggest
ing the Investigation Of the Civil Service Board.
1t had made him greater Republican. he said.
He had courted the inquiry and he was ready
to obliRe the committee with any and all docu-
ments. Then Mr.. Roosevelt told how he felt
about those who In his estimation had borne
false witness against the local Board. In his
estimation they we're "contemptible slander-
ers., because they had not dared to come for
ward with specific evidence against the Board:
the resolutions calling for the Investigation as
slanderers anil cowardly lalsiherS
0snF wh s,as
these. three had furnished !he, IiIs, which 70.
this investigation shortly alter the advent Of
u hiSs ,he Board q ss
sss eala to
that hat Mr. S"msIock, and ar. BaSsosH had as:
but the Republican ticket. Mr., Walden had
always been DEMOCRAT Mr.; Hooasevslt
SsSasSs hf 'Hsss enss %1n'sSsd part
Of the o!d Board 81 which they were MON.
bes which they famed they we're pETsrsSs
IRON the tip; furnished 70 him b and Mr. Lyman
Bal BabcecI s and odS III. Walden nothing had bsen
found which could reflect on the other exam
sa s Hfs aes M
suit Of that Investigation, but nothing had
been shown to prove that the colleagues OF
these three men in the Magone Board were
guilty Of wronRdoing.
The comments heard after Mr.. Roosevelts
speech were to the effect that nobody was sur:
prised that Mr. Comstock and Mr.. Babcock had
furnished the llimsy Information against their
colleagues in the Mngone Board. but many
were very sorry to hear that MIR. Walden b ad
followed in their footsteps and become an in-
former All three IL was said. had but one
idea. and that was to save their places under
the Harrison Administration.
Mr.. Roosevelt wanted 1t understand that he
would protect all witnesses who came for
ward to give evidence to substantiate the
charges of the 1wenty-trst district. He gave
his person al guarantee that they would be pro-
tected and thut they would not lose their
places provided their evidence was straight.
But II their evidence was wrong and could not
be substan'iated. hs would DO all In his power
to have them removed from the service and
aiterward prosecuted by tho United States
Dis rlct Attorney.
age examiner last July was taken up, The
District Committee. on the
rem esentattons Of Mr.. Spencer have insisted
that Capt William L. Pierce tried to throw out
Spencer's papers. and that he did finally sue.
ceed In having that examination cancelled. It
was shown that Mr.. Spencer was little late In
getting in his papers. and the tuesle o. -er this
question resulted in an admission that Capt
Pierce was right and MIR. spencer was right
and that the whole difficulty had come from
misunderst anding.
The committee adjourned until IL O'Clock
this morning.