The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-02-08
POOR CIVIL SERVICE
Messrs. FOulke and Swift Make a
Report on the Fort Wayne Case.
They Found that the Democratic Post
master Had Little Trouble i'm Re-
moving Efficient Republicans.

The executive of the Indiana
Civil-service Reform Association met last
night in a Denison House parlor TO hear
the report OF Messrs. Foulke and Swift
the abuses of the civil-service
law in the conduct Of the Fort Wayne post
office under the present Democratic admin
istration of the office by Postmaster Rock
hill. There were present William Dudley
president OF the association. Lucius
B. Swift. editor OF the Civil Service Chron-
icle, Louis Rowland. Evans Wooden, Rev.
+. E. Dewhurst and others. The report
was preceded by an account In detail of
the evidence taken during the investiga-
ton, this being the basis OF the report The
latter, as read, amended and adopted. was
sent to the President of the United
States. to the Postmaster-general and 10
the president Of the Civil-service Commits
sion 1t is as follows:
ITO the executive committee Of the Indiana
Civil-service Reform Association:
Various complaints having been received
both from Fort Wayne and from other
places Of the discharge of a large number of
employees by Postmaster Rockhill. of the FIT.
Wayne postof1ce. for political reasons, the
following is the report of the committee
Civil-service Reform Association. under
the authority granted In its constitution, to
visit Fort Wayne and investigate the condi-
ION Feb. / and 2 this committee took the
written statements of William NJ. Slater,
George l.. Ashley. Frederick w. GalImeir,
Clarence Scott Swan, Hervey G.. Niedham-
mer. Frank NJ. Morgan. John \. Soliday,
Norval William Wright, John r. Reitze:
Claude Bower, Peter F. Poirson, discharged
employees; Paul Richter. Amos K. Mehl.
James y: Greer and Frank Horstman, en-
ployes still in the postofflce; G. II. Higgins,
former postmaster, Rev. II. c.. Sauer. Mr..
Ionnh - Ghn I- W. w a~I
Mr.. w. ID. Page, citizens of Fort Wayne.
They also submitted and read these state
ments to the present postmaster Mr. Rock,
regard TO each of the matters as he deemed
hest. The written statements. together with
annexed and made part OF this report. The
postotfice Of Fort Wayne was classified and
the first examination held on May 8, 1892
THE FIRST EXAMINATION.
Sc. K. Higgins, a Republican. was then
postmaster. The local board consisted of
George ID. Adams, money order clerk. pres
ident; William NJ. Slater. letter carrier. sec
rotary, and r. j. Drake, a clerk, who
had been in the postal service under sew
eral administrations. There were about
forty-five applicants at the first examina-
ton. and thirteen passed Another examin-
alton was he'd on Aug. 5. with about forty
applicants, OF whom about fifteen passed.
Mr.. w ID. Rockhill, the present postmaster,
was appointed by the President and succeed
ed Mr.. Higgins and took possession of the
piOyes, an assistant postmaster, nine clerks,
two special delivery messengers. a city dis
tributor and twenty-one carriers and sub
stitutes. The employees exempted from
money order clerk, registry clerk, stamp
clerk, assistant money ordsr clerk, special
Republicans had been dismissed and Demo-
Gratis put In their places, with the excep-
ton of George Craw, the registry clerk, a
nephew of the postmaster, who is a Re
publican. In the classified service, consisting
of twenty-seven employees, ten have been
dismissed. These men were all Republic
publicans under Mr.. Higgins. Their places
have been filled with Democrats with the
exception Of James "A Gear. who is a
Republican. In regard to the appoint
ments made, they appear to have been all
made from the list certified by the
Civil-service Commission. except one Keep
without examination, and who was re-
moved by the postmaster when Informed
Civil-service Commission. that the appoint
ment was illegal, and Mr.. Worden, from
the certified list, was appointed in his
master, Mr.. Rockhill, appointed the men
who stood first on the certified list. and
in some he did not. The reason why so
many Democrats were selected appears TO
have been because among the applicants
at the civil-service examination and among
those who passed the Democrats largely
The only instance in which a Repub-
lican who stood high upon the list was
passed over was a man named Bowser,
who was three times certified and re-
jected; twice when certified he stood high
est on the list. This man had been Repub-
lfcan postmaster at a small country post
office in the neighborhood, and Mr.. Rock
hill states as his objection that Bowser
make make s q goed c HR on e th esth 5 Se9 sa wSu he did did
not now him. had never seen him, but
knew his father. 1t seemed to us that
there was not sufficient reason for his re-
lection.
cit does not appear that the men APP
pointed were selected on account of any
iected had been appointed as substitutes
by Mr.. Higgins before Rockhill came into
the office. 1t would appear that Repub-
licans had been TO some extent deferred
from applying for examination upon the
belief that they were not to be appointed.
An article in the Fort Wayne Journal, a
part proprietor, referring to the coming
examination in February said bright
examination" 1t does not appear that
Mr.. Rockhill had anything to do with this
article. When asked whether he would
not make a statement that Republicans
should receive equally fair treatment, he
would not promise to do so. The prin-
hill was not that he made improper APP
~pointments, but that he dismissed a con-
siderable Rsn,, number p ';nan E OF men % 6ec aus they
= AktIooAANt'Aef 'Ah1 u NO0ARNf NhcN
the men TO be appointed in their places
were mostly Democrats.
He stated to us (aS well as to otherS)
that the pressure upon him 10 get the Re-
publicans out was very great. When Mr..
slater. the secretary of the local exam
lining board, handed him a blank report
OF the changes in the service to be made
out by him, he filled it out except as to
changes by dismissal. This he said he
would not make: that If the commissioners
wanted it they could write TO him
CHARGES FOLLOWED DISMISSALS.
AS to all the Republicans dismissed. il
appears that i'm no instance. so far as We
could learn. was any statement made to
the men dismissed OF any charge or com
plant against him until after he had been
notified that he was dismissed from the
service. After these men had been dis
missed. In most instances. a request was
made to the Postoffice Department for in
formation as TO the charges. and informa.
ton of some description was generally
given. In some cases, however, no infOrma-
ton of any kind was given. For in
stance, Frank y. Morgan asked Mr.. Rock
said nothing whatever. He wrote TO First
Assistant Postmaster-general Jones. ask
ing II there were any charges. and re-
ceived no reply. wrote again and was in.
sidersd. but heard nothing further. Mr.
Rockhill said to us that he did not know
whether specific charges had been made
against Morgan. but that they could be
made.
Henry c. Niedhammer, mail clerk. was
taken sick with rheumatism on July -
two days after RockhilrS appointment. He
was confined to the house until Aug. 3, on
which day he started to go to work. but
received a letter informing him that an
other man had been aDDOinted i'm his nIaca