New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-07-04
"ARCADIAN MR.. GORMAN."
MR.. ROOSEVELT ON THE SENATOR'S OP.
POSITION TO THE CIVIL SERVICE LAW

Washington July (Specall.-Foowing is copy
Of letter recently by Civil Service Commissioners
Roosevelt 10 John c. Rose OF BALTIMORE an Oihoi"l
of the Maryland Civil Service Reform AssoolduOh.
1t deals With various criticisms Of the reform anu Va
the Civil service Commission, and Will be found to CON
tain much lively and interesting lha'Vc'' INV O'N' "a
the letter reads thus
The friends of any good law should always be ready
10 meet ali arguments advanced against ~ 1nVse w n
obhsston Yet so far their task has been easy f0r
the arguments hitherto advanced against this law
tsn s 15fs lack cf that courage which springs from
conviction ana Curousy low level Oh n'cec'aS ee
TONS to this rule but certainly there has never get
been any argument worthy Of serious tSs old
vanced against the proposition 10 supplahV Vno V4O
spoils system by the merit system 1910 -, .no
oppcnents of the cause OF Civil Service reform not to
express in the most hearty manner tne wy Wiz
mentS due e. the ea aaHg SS great daily and Weekly
newspapers, have rendered nvauaole sefNioE " w.
puzzle G,n0 ' maiory y the members Of BON the senate
and the House of Representatives have SHOWN t1em
Teed b1e Almost ali Of those who enjoy TIE highest
and most honorable epuauonS In the COMFY a. fre
ment Their service has been as effective az IL was
disnterestcd and deserves ample %tCg iet ;rgcet
ana most honorable section Of the Nt
Independent and Democratic Eastern WeSVgbI ,rad
ern and sOuthefn-whch has 50 valfaAty chaihplo'eu
inc IL hardly worth while TO waste powder on the
co.. gr,seneI' and some editOrs-whO arr continually
attaching US with kind OF irritable Impotence But
mission have been sssailed by three mon VINO posSsS
olcla places ana who are prominent in their respect
i've parties. It is worth while to show now hePieeiIg
these antagonists founder In making Itr 5oVaCE 1
BESIDES their attacks happen to afford admI2De am as
ps Of two O. the three 6o.e t6tee methods
are first, to impugn the honesty OF the CossI16
second sec l,h TF c or iS 81 6s aeSoHs asked in tie
examinations third, 10 avoid sleclhc charges gnu IL
G SSsdS IN 09's RS Stale
last * the favonte method with our ordinary assauS'
because Of the trivial mental labor II Involves IL Is
Illustrated bt recent article Of eH-Asss slant PostMas
terGeneral Clarkson In one OF our reviews al aF''0
Senators Plumb and stewart speaking IL tle sepa og
on March last furnished examples % the iSt ne' f
lows: ~, ,a, II tno senator or ANYBODY
.,.c Mi s5nI P that the civil Service SS Coam-so TH
without lear favor or affection he Is entirely mistaken.
believe II can Ice shown that iavorsm Of the grgsseSt
nSsls character i used. The senator from Nevada
r stewart says TO me that ms 5 t g.. ruiz npv ~
49, Information Which seems to to be conclusive
upon That point that syste'n OF DacK-scIate4g eu
OF underhahd work whereby persons are picked 2g{ ioT
without the knowledge Of the Commission o
desire 10 call particular attention 10 TINS IanEudEe'
The present Commission been criticised for answer
Ing attacks made upon H. Inl5 hers rs i HAT The Com
mission las been guilty Of cheap corruption, an aGCu,a
ton to which no man Of sPii!' can ~ f SHE
10 submit 10 in silence when II comes rom ip.
source Persons who make charges OF TINS cia1'cteI.
couched in such la9gasge mus HS Be It rme
beIed that these charges %es @gm oEers Or their
ipnHoi,I}rats had been guilty criminal misconduct
n false ard without foundation then MessIs scTaT
behaved In a manner which was saved from Deulg
Infamous only because wac GonNmpube' LG I'M t9
mission forthwith wrote 10 both gentlemen Quolg Ule
part of Mr.. P1umb's speech given above anu col-
tnai Ws ;srocttpnv but earnestly request that the in
formation upon which this statement IS based slsll Pe
Immediately furnished to the President ~, y @eC ac s
any subordinate Of the Commission 1t snail oe ior'"le
furnished 70 US IN the latter eve we NJ wv Which Won
or any representative YOU may choose can De present
All our books records and papers are 0 az ana tc
10 the Inspection Of any Icspolslbe person. anu Oc
career OF every Individual appoIntee can be traced IL
SeteI fr,m tie examination marking, grading entry
i G9 fns register anu ''''''', " wv ~, p,,,o,
nor Mr. stewart ha, answered tiis letter The simple
fact is that no adequate answer IS PoS,toNH, ia
statements did contain particle ot run ~
this they either knew or ought 70 have known Wleu
they made tom. Hereafter, when either OF these
Sis attitude nn,t perforce border on the Hocspue.
An example Of the second method was fnlhisheu Wy
Senator GOrman Of MaIylnd on February 4. TO-
Mr.. Goman peatg the senate sayf 54S %o"
u wish lod here to read to the s'nale Ie1,e' H.
received three years ago hU'a bright yOung meh ~
the city Of Baltimore can repeat y nov aimos( wora
letter-crrrler. lie went before the Bfnd ,incA
wanted him to tell them what was tie most direct
never Intended TO 90 to Japan. he had never looked
that question, ana he fdileQ 10 make tIc piop0.
answer. They then wanted TO- know the number 81
lines OF steamers plying ieWecWtlc United states ana
Liverpool and London, and he said he vas not HD on
such questions as that. They then hranched
Thing tat looked 70 Ms qualifications. he wac re
Jccttd. GIc had thc) rcconmtndduon Of me
pastor Of his church. he had the ccr.Hcie OF
everybody who knew him that he was a sunday school
scholar -
stance Of these REMARKS whercupOn | wrote him the
following letter:
December :, 1889.
To the Honorable Senator \. p. CONAN, Senate Cham
bfr Washington, D. c.
Sir: I have just received copy OF "Ihe Baltimore
American" OF tod1y's issue, in which you are repro
scented as stating that examinations letter.
carrier vas asked 'he most direct route Baltimore
70 China"
II any such question asked it was against
our explicit orders, and we would much like to kno"
the partcular examination In which it occurred we
have in this building complete set Of all the papers