Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-08-17
VIOLATED CIVIL SERVICE LAW,
Commissioner Roosevelt's Report Of His
vestigations in Baltimore,

VIOLATED CIVIL SERVICE LAW.
Commissioner Roosevelts Report of His In
vestigations in Baltimore,
Civil Service Commissioner Roosevelt has
submitted to the President with the approval
OF the commission the report of his recent in.
vestigations held in Baltimore. Information
was received by the commission last March
| charging that the civil service law relating to
political assessments was being violated in Bal
timore and that the influence of q. S. officials
was being unlawfully used to control primary
election. Mr.. Roosevelt at once instituted an
investigation, of which this report is the re-
suit. Copies have also been furnished the At
torney General, the Postmaster General and
the Secretary of the Treasury. In his report
Commissioner Roosevelt says:
DUTY OF THE OFFICE HOLDER.
As for the government Office holder, he must
be taught in one way or another that his duty
is to do the work of the government for the
whole people and not to pervert his Office for
the use of any party or any faction.
The examinations for the custom house have
been perfectly straight, no vacancies have been
made for the purpose of allowing partisans to
be appointed and no man has received an ap-
pointment unless he passed SO high that he was
one of the first three on the list; but it seems
clear that Mr.. Marine believes that he has the
right to discriminate among these three for
political reasons. Now, undoubtedly he mas no
such right. He has a right of choice among
them. but he has no right to exercise this choice
on political or religious grounds. Any discrim-
ination of the sort calls for severe rebuke. and
II persisted In for prompt punishment.
This is the only criticism, however, that is to
be made upon Collector Marines conduct of
the Office.
The internal revenue collectors Office at Bal
timore was not used in the interest of either
| faction. The custom house, likewise, was not
used in the interest of either faction.
The case is very different in regard to the
post office and the marshals office. The evil
dence seems to be perfectly clear that both of
these Offices we're used with the purpose of in
terfering with or controlling the result of the
primary election and there was q systematic,
though sometimes indirect, effort made to as
sess the government employees in both for po-
litical purposes.
Marshal Airey was undoubtedly one Of the
leaders of one of the factions at the primaries
and took very active part therein, even to the
exten. of coming into physical collision with
one OF the opposition judges, whom he accused,
whether rightly or wrongly, Of cheating.
SHOULD BE DISMISSED.
In my opinion the following governmental
emp .oyes should be dismissed from Office for
violating sections II and IA Of the civil service
law: Edward Biddlemal and William H. H.
Sultzer of the marshars office; John Fensley
and W. H. Ray OF the customs service; John A.
Bell, James Wilson, William H. Mitchell, James
L. Webber, Robert F. Reed, Henry Martin,
Henry GLASS; Louis Z. Gladfeller. John b.
| Tweddle, Charles G. Smith, Charles w. Ham
nell, George G. Holtz, William I. Birmingham
| Joshua n. Richardson, Edward Perine Erwin
Foutz, Oscar w. Gibson, H. l.. Thesis, John
| Bond, Daniel Phelps and Noah Pierson (com-
pare his statements Q8, 6D; he did not seem to
| be testifying frankly. The testimony of John
II. Horner and John Reed of the custom
| house betrays certain views Of political moral
| ity which, in my opinion, entitle us to call the
| attention OF the collector Of the port to their
cases to determine whether they ought to be
| retained in the service.
1t is evident from the testimony that the non.
classified service in the Baltimore post Office az
| Is the case with the non-classified service in
| almost every patronage Office, was treated az
| bribery chest from which to reward infuen-
| tial ward workers who were useful, or likely to
| be useful, to the faction in power. The ap-
| pointments were made primarily in the inter
ests of the local leaders and OF the local organi
| cations, and only very secondarily with view
to the well-beins of the public service.
POSTMASTER JoHNsoN's KNOWLEDGE.
Therefore, while it does not appear that Mr..
johnson himself used the post office to influence
the primary election, it is evident that it wal
SO used with his full knowledge, and that be
took no effective steps whatever to prevent such
| use thereof.
1t seems almost as much an offense for the
head Of an Office supinely to allow the civil
service law or rules to be violated by his subor.
dinates or through their fundamentally as il
is for him to violate the said law and rules him.
| self. General rule l, already quoted, provides
for the dismissal from Office Of any officer who
uses his ''offcial influence to interfere with an
election. 1t has not been shown that Mr. John
son did directly his official influence, but
| it has been shown that with his knowledge the
entire influence OF his Office was so used by
| others.
| As in the case Of Marshal Airey, however, IL
| must be said that this rule has never hitherto
| been strictly construed, and in fact that it can
hardly be said that there has been any effort so
to construe or enforce it. As appears in the
| testimony taken before the Senate committee
in 1888 it was then charged that Mr.. Johnson's
predecessor in the post office had used his Off
| cial position to influence the election Of dele
| gates to a nominating convention, but no heed
was ever paid to the charge. l am strongly OF
| opinion that at least decided steps should be
taken to show that this rule is not hereafter to
be regarded as a dead letter, and that from
henceforth any violation thereof shall be
treated as furnishing cause for dismissal.
L