The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-10-27
HI CIVIL SERVICE
IT'S EXTENSION ADVOCATED BY CON-
MISSIONER ROOOsEyELT.
The matchmaking of Government EN-
ployes for Political Purposes De-
nounced in strong Terms.

WASHINGTON, OCT. Zb.-Ine extension OF
the civil service and the general political
assessment cases were discussed to-day by
Civil-service Commissioner Roosevelt in an
interview with a reporter. Mr.. Roosevelt
said: Every fall, as the election comes,
the need of radical and sweeping extension
of the classified service becomes more and
more apparent. All OF the government SER
vice not under the present civil-service law
forms a vast bribery chest. by means of
which is gained an unhealthy stimulus to
political activity of that very class in a
community which we should be most sorry
TO see interested in politics. The enormous
bulk Of officers have really no connection
whatever Will politics. Their duties are in
no respect political, and they should be APP
pointed wholly without regard to political
situations and kept just as long as they
do their duty Well. 1t is mere nonsense,
and dishonest nonsense, to say that better
service can be obtained by h wing in srbor-
dinate positions men who ale of the same
political party as the head Of an admins
tration. The railway mail service can be
cited as proof of this. Nc department of
the government gives greater satisfaction
to the public at large. yet the great bulk
of railway mail employees now are men who
were appointed during Mr.. Harrison's pres
fdency or in Mr.. Cleveland's first term. All
those appointed by the present administra-
ton were drawn from our last list, as has
been the case for the past five years. Those
entering the service under the civii-service
law, including Republicans, Democrats,
Prohibitionists, Populists and rlugwumps,
do so wholly without regard Of politics.
efficient service. 1t is not OF he least con-
sequence which of the employees believe in
for free coinage and which against Tree
coinage OF sIlver.s As a matter of fact, no.
body can tel anything about their views
their duties no one could tell a Republican
rom a democrat This rigid enforcement
oh tbor the ciVil-service law is The reason why
vice In the changes of administration
The rest OF the government service
Not only the postoffice employees but post
masters themselves should be aIpo.nted
without the least regard to politics. Inc
inlsrnaI revenue office should 5e classified
ana all ite men appointed regardless of pol
ltics. The Indian school service is another
ooJect lesson OF nonpartisan service. Hitb-
erto after every adminis.ra.ion change
there have. been sweeping changes in the
scnool service at Indian agencies Tor purely
been 50 in the last ten years. because the
clvli,service law has been enforced in that
administered by superintendent Heilmsn
as the letter. v"
Pittsburg shows the iniquity of the spoiIs
system. Ihere one of the congressional
candidates has actually sought 10 lew =
political assessment. AMOUNTING to- q
months salary on the employees of the in
serlal revenue Office. Similar efforts have
Dsen made to assess postoffice employees.
The money was sought wholly without re-.
gard TO the political affiliations of emplcses.
~ is a mere piece of blackmaii, and lust as
II gained by knocking down clerks on the
highway. 1t seems hard to understand
a Mee se s am ina sn sH, community will toler-
ateiy plumbers a set of public servants
b 5nat ne sot may get get funds wherewith to de,
before II the case Of the recorder of deeds
nayior' ana during the investigation it was
did not obtain in Washington a condition
OF actual terror existed in the public service.
anu tnaI Janitors. porters ana all other en-
places and pay TO retain them. Anything
more degrading. more servile, more Vicious
cannot be imagined
We have had a great many public men
attack the merit system, but there has been
itor YET any argument advanced against
both honest and intelligent. There are hon
est me wn4 are yet prejudiced, too ignorant
or 100 unobserving TO understand the fruit
ful evils OF a corrupt public service admin
l Tbere a IN a spirit of base partisanship.
both shrewd and unprincipled. who for Their
own base ends clamor against the merit
system and seek to excite prejudice against
honestly desiring the welfare of the coun,
Try, who can look for a moment at the two
~ aAiQ COISlQtI the DIlnClnlQS for
which they stand without becoming a
hearty ally of and believer in the new
1.-THE law is steadily making headwav. tho
CLASSIFIED service is extending all the time.
The commission, however. is necessarily re-
CURED to be active in supervising the extern
sion of the law. This is notably the case in
the newly-classified postoffices, where there
Is always a hitch, 1t being difficult to get
the law well observed at the outset. Take
Indiana. for instance. indianapolis has been
classlfied Tor many years. There was a
practical failure in having the law absolute
ly enforced during Mr.. Cleveland's first adj
minlStration. At the beginning of MIR. Har-
rison,s administration a rigid observance o.
the law mad been accomplished. On the
other hand, during the present administra-
ton there has been great difficulty In a
NUMBER OF smaller Indiana postofices in
which postmasters have made every effort.
sometimes successfully. to evade and nullify
the law. Several OF these cases are now un-
der consideration. The commission is not
only now investigating what is being done
IN some of these offices. but it is also keep
matters. The law, unfortunately. is MOI
strong enough 1t ought to be strengthened
political contribution to a government Off
cial. The latter would then be left free
to contribute entirely of their own accord.
important committees are often compiled
with by clerks because they know these
with their own inferior officers.
The commission has some amusing eX-
periences with certain chronic opponents
There are certain men in the Senate and
lower House who delight in making
charges when there is no chance to answer
but who never take up any challenge of
the commission when 1t convicts them of
misstatements, and who when making
misstatements avoid the issue by simply
falling to respond to any letter OF correction
from the commission"
The Civil Service Commission has re-
ceived from a postmaster in Washington
State a copy OF a circular from the Dem
ocratic committee levying an assessment OF
s. on each postmaster. II has the heading
OF the committee and is signed by Charles
De France. secretary. IL states that THE
having had under consid-
GRAFTON the necessity ana ways and
means Of raising funds for the
campaign, has concluded that those
VINO are enjoying the benefits OF
Democratic success in the past should con-
tribute to the expenses OF the present cam
paign. The mmit has, therefore, as
sessed you So
Doors Wide Open to Fraud.
WASHINGTON. Oct. 2s.-Attorney-gen-
eral Olney. speaking to-day Of the state
ment OF the assistant district attorney at
Kansas City that there was no law by
which election frauds could be punished in
United States courts. said that. without
speaking as authoritatively as he would on
a careful examination OF the statutes, he
was of the opinion that the Kansas City
attorney was correct. BY the act passed
by Congress last February repeating the
federal election law Congress had done
away with all election paraphernalia so far