Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-03-01
The Civil Service Commission Makes
a Report to the Senate
CRIHICISING THE APPOINTING POWERS
Removals Made on Account OF
Politics.
TO THE PRESIDENT


commission to the Senate resolution of
January %. 1894. calling for a statement
of Investigations made by the commission
March 4. 1889. Of various alleged violations
of the civil service law and rules by the
head of any one of the executive depart
ments or bureaus or by any officer of the
United States whose appointment is subject
to confirmation by the Senate, was trans
mitted to the Senate today.
The cases covered include most of those
of importance undertaken by the commits
sion A number of cases of investigation
were begun and abandoned because Of the
evident worthlessness OF the evidence pre-
ferred or because of q failure of all evil
dence. A number of cases of violations of
the civil service law have been Investigated
during the period indicated which do rot
come within the scope of the resolution
These cases deal for The most part in refer
ence to efforts to collect political assess
ments by persons not in the government
service.
There are certain cases." says the re-
port. (which the commission is In doubt
whether 1t should or should not submit
Many Of the cases of political assessments
are Of this kind In most Of these cases
only persons not in the government service
are implicated, but in some of them govern
ment employees were concerned. In cases
Of this latter kind the commission feels that
whether the courts act or not he head of
the department should himself remove the
offending subordinate" Under the head Of
political assessments the report states that
during the period from March 1, 1889, to
the present there has been only one case
of political assessment coming clearly with
in the scope of the resolution.
This occurred amoag the employees Of the
internal revenue service in the second and
fifth districts of Kentucky. The charges
were against Collectors Scott and Feland
and certain of their subordinates. 1t was
charged that they had systematically bla ok
mailed government employees for political
purposes on a most extensive scale, and lad
also used their offices in contesting rhe Cen
troll Of the primaries and nominating con-
ventions of their districts The cases were
turned over to Geo. w. jolly, United States
district attorney for Kentucky. who prose-
cuted them with such zeal as to entitle him
government. five convictions resulting; but
1t is understood that a new trial has been
granted in two of The cases."
Collecting Political Assessments.
The cases presented in the report where
subordinates In the departments were i'm
plicated in an effort to collect political as
sessments. where the attention of the head
Of the department was called to the fact.
but where no action was taken so far as
the commission has been informed, were
as follows. The first case presented is that
OF MIR. Daniel n. GroSvenOr of the Treasury
Department. 1t arose in connection with
an investigation made by Commissioners
Roosevelt and Thompson in the fall Of 1890
concerning charges of violations of the
civil service law in making political as
sessments, especially in the Treasury De-
partment. The facts disclosed in the inves-
tigation are presented in the report. Mr.
Grosvenor appeared before Assistant Sec
rotary Nettleton and Commissioner Roose-
welt and stated that there was a political
and social club entitled the Ohio Republican
Association, composed of between 200 and
300 members, all but twenty or thirty of
whom are in the departmental service that
the club had been in active existence for
number of years, with the eXcep Ion that
its activity had been suspended durin the
greater portion of President Cleveland :. ad-
minstration, but that in 1888, when the
civil service law went into effect the clubs
constitution was carefully revised so as to
be, in the opinion of what the club deemed
competent legal authority, in accordance
with the provisions of the law.
Mr.. GroSvenor stated that this association
had done what it could to procure the send
ing of members and other employees home to
vote, and qualified the statement by adding
that the club never did this as an associa-
ton, but as individuals merely doing the
work In their private capacity. Mr.. Gros-
venor stated that he was a lawyer, fifty
two years old, and he was confident that
there was no violation of the civil service
law. and, furthermore that he was conf
dent that some sections of that law were
unconstitutional In his report on the case
Commissioner Roosevelt says: TT might
or might not be possible to establish Mr.
Grosvenor's guilt in a court of law. The
question of his legal guilt hinges entirely
on the actions of others. He advised and
fnaugurated plan which If conSummate ed
by others would have rendered him guilty
before the law, and it was only the failure
or others to consummate 1t which saves
him, II he has been saved, from the guilt of
law breaking. AS far as his own actions go
the infraction of the law was complete. He
did all he could to bring about breach of
law and to render himself liable as a law
breaker. He advised the commission Of an
illegal act and took the initiatory steps to-
ward it's commission.
AS result Of this letter was written
to the Secretary of the Treasury transmit
ting copy of the report of Commissioners
Roosevelt and Thompson. A copy of the
same was sent to the President, with the
recommendation that he prohibit the or
ganiZation of the employees Of the depart
No action was taken on either Of these let
ters."
Another Club.
A second case of this kind referred to in
the report Is that of ]. j. Verser, an en-
ploye Of the government printing office,
and W. c. Elan and D. ]. Goodwin, en-
ployes of the Interior Department. These
gentlemen, with several outsiders, organ
lied a campaign club in the interests of the
republican party in Virginia. and solicited
various employees in the public service from
virginia for money for political purposes.
Indictments were found against Verser and
Newton, the latter of whom was not an OIL
Ger of the United States. They were pros
ecuted by the Department of Justice, and
the defendants were acquitted, and on this
ground the Secretary of the Interior and
the public printer declined to dismiss Elan,
Goodwin and Verser, though the acquittal
appears to have been purely on technical
grounds.
The report of the commission on the inves-
ugation made in January, 1890, by Com
missioner Roosevelt of certain charges of
political assessment ut the New York Gus
tom house Is Incorporated in the present
report to the Senate. The report on the in
vestigation of charges of political assess
ments had been made at the post Office at
baltimore, and is also transmitted to the
senate. Other investiga lions of similar
charges are reviewed. The report states:
political assessments, under any gujse
are prohibited by law. 1t is the duty of the
commission to see that the provisions of the
law are enforced, and it will employ every
available means to secure prosecution and
punishment of whoever may violate The
commission requests any person having
knowledge of any violation of this law 10
lay the facts before It, and it will at once
take action upon them"
In the Washington Post Office.