Omaha daily bee., 1892-06-18
CIVIL SERVICE REFORM.
Report of the Democratic Majority of the

Committee of vestigation.
WASHINGTON, d. C,. June 1.-THE demo-
cratic majority of the house committee on
reform in the civil service has agreed upon
a report drawn up By Representative Boat
ner OF Louisiana upor the results of the COM
mttee's investigation OF the alleged violation
of the civil service law at Baltimore. The re-
port quotes the postmaster generals state
ment that none OF. the persons whose dis
missal from Office had been recommended
by the civil service commission for violation
Of the law had been dismissed or prosecuted
and gives at some length his reasons for fail
ing to act, according TO his testimony before
the committee, which reasons the committee
characterize as contradictory. 1t says; sit
is singular that the postmaster general
should have endorsed the idea that the men
charged with the violation of the civil service
were entitled to notice before any action as
to their guilt was enforced upon, and that
they were entitled to assistance of counsel in
the Investigation. t1s
1.-The examination Of the testimony taken
by the inspectors and which the postmaster
general claims to have acted on shows that
neither their con tlusions nor his are sup
ported by the statements of the parties i'm
plcaued: OIL the contrary, testimony reported
by the inspectors conhrniss and corroborates
fully that taken by the civil service com
mission. Substantially the same facts ad-
mitted by the parties before the commits sion
were sworn to before the inspectors and the
severe structures and criticisms which the
inspectors passed on the work Of Mr. Roose-
welt in making the Investigation are not
borne out by any facts stated by the wit
nesses on that examination. IS
'The acceptance, Dy the postmaster gen.
eral without NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. or inquiry
of the report OF the Inspectors, which ii
proved convicted the civil service commits
sioners of gross official misconduct and most
dishonorable practices,i is to say the least,
eXtraordinarv,n ~
The report. contindipg, says: "The an
swers OF the postmaster general to many of
the questions propounded by your committee
were evaSlve and utterly inconsistent of the
evidence on which heiclaims to have acted.''
1t also comments on the failure of the post
master general to produce written opinion
from the assistant attorney general of his
department to the effect that participation in
the primary elections, on which the case was
based, did not constitute violation of the
laws and doubts whether any reputable az
torney would risk his reputation by giving
such an opinion. Further, it says: ''The
garbled statement OF evidence taken before
the ins pectors furnished by the postmaster
general shows the desperate straits tc
which he Is driven In the attempt to sustain
the action of his inspectors and his own"
The report holds thatthe accused employees
were actually guilty of q violation of law
and that their excuses were "trans parent
evasion" 1t says: '.Had the postmaster
general been able TO show that he had been
advised by the Department of Justice that
| the law did not apply to contributions
| for political primary purposes or had
be fairly defended his belief thai
| the men were in ignorance of it's provisions,
| or were he invested with discretionary
power not to execute the laws. and had he
| exercised his discretion in refusing to re
| move these men there might have beer
| some excuse for his failure to do so, but on
the ground stated oy him his action iudi-
Gated either determination not to enforce
| the law or negligence therein to the last de-
! gree.
The report concludes as follows: "Wt
| therefore find that the report of the civi
service recommending the removal of certain
employees in tho postoffice at Baltimore wa
| well founded; that the postmaste
| at Baltimore has not removed an,
of these parties substantially b,
| direction OF the postmaster general
| that the report of the, inspectors upon whicl
| they were retained Is unsupported by Lh
| evidence taken by themselves, and indicate
| either complete ignorance of the provision
of the civil servicc law or determinatio
that in this particular case their violation
| should not be punished.'
| The secretary OF The treasury frankly ad
| mitted his attention had not been called t
i report of the civil service commission unit
the report on which tzthis investigation !
| made was adopted and that he had construe
the recommendation Of the civil service com
mission in regard to the men IN the custor
service as not requiring their dismissal an
that reprimand was sufficient punishment