The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1894-09-07

By Sivii service Gomsni~sson~r Roossvsit
He Dsnognes~ a. Ihorsn< his Vicious
the tnnnm H.ii 10 kein.sats Railway
Mail Clerks aud Other Partisan Meas
ure~ Wants crratsr scope for IN. Com
mA~~fan.

the usnnm H.i 10 Rein.iat. Railway
Mail Clerks and other Partisan Meas
ure~ Wants Gr~atsr scope for the Com
mission.
WAsiIIS@roN. Ang. 30. Before ieav-
ing Washington yesterday ~ invc>ti-
gate the charges against the postmas'
ter at Lancaster. Pa, Civil Service
Commissioner Roosevelt expressed some
eharactcristically vigorous views re-
spccting the work Of the commission.
the practices in the departments ana
the construction of the laws relating
10 the comm s>ion. After giving credit
to senators Cockrell and Lodge for Sc
curing the provision in the appropria-
ton bill which gives the commission
the right toselcct it, own clerks. which
the house struck out of the bill. Mr..
Roosevelt said:
Il want Ia call attention Ia the pas
sage of the Bynum bill in the house.
To rein>tate the democratic railway
mail clerks. who were turned ont pyior
to the classification of the railway
mail service in i>>. IN Is thoroughly
vicious party measure. and | cannot
but express my establishment and re-
greet that not one single democrat in
the house voted against it. III il should
become law il would he precedent
for the enactment of similar measures
whenever change of administration
took place II Is introduced purely in
the interest Of the spoilsmonger. and
is thoroughly vicious bill in every
way.
Then there Is something else. he
went on. 1.-The recent decision of the
attorney general. which permits solicit
tation for political purposes by letter
in government buildings. If this opin-
ion holds the commission must imne-
diately request the passage ~ law to
prohibit such solicitation. The com
mission has always insisted that solicit
tation for political purposes was lille
gal. whether done in person or by let
ter in government building. 1t was
owing To this Interpretation that we
were able 10 very nearly break mp the
practice during the last presidential
campaign. and "a the aftermath of that
campaign we have procured the con
viction Of TWO government officials.
one postmaster in Ohio and the other
deputy internal revenue officer Of
Kentucky. but we have never had i
case tried in the courts where the ac-
cusation was that the solicitation was
by letter.
.-Nine-tenths ~ the good done hy the
law will he vain ii solicitation by let
ter j. allowed. and although the com
mission will. Of course. do all il can to
protect employees IL they are molc>ted
in any way for refusing To contribute.
il i imperative that we should be given
power To prosecute any attempt at po-
litical assessment in government
building. either by letter or otherwise.
THE commission sincerely hope that
there will be great extension Of the
classified service. and that the number
of positions now excepted from exam
ination will be materially reduced.
both in the departments and the post
offices and in customhouse> through
out the country. A great many places
are excepted from examination on the
theory that they must be filed by peo-
Pile having confidential relations to
the head of the department or that
they require special qualifications not
to he tested by examination This
j. the theory. In practice these
excepted positions are filled
almost wholly on political
grounds. and are filled as a
rule with men much inferior to those
whom we get through our competitive
examinations. There are places bet.
ter remunerated than Others in the
same Office. and By the filling of these
in this way premium is put on per
nicious partisan activity. a. against a
faithful performance of .heir work by
clerks actually in the service More
4 over the existence of these places l.
a constant temptation to officials Il
change the titles of them SO a
To make them excepted. Several
striking illustrations of this
have occurred in the treasury depart
ment. The post Office department ha
adopted most admirable rule with re
lation to carriers. requiring cause &
be shown for the removal. and givin,
the man a chance TO be heard in hi
own defense. 50 as to prevent the re
moval Of faithful employees for politi
cal reasons only This ruling by tn
present administration Of the post OF
fce department; is in striking contras
to that Of the former administrator
under Mr.. Wanamaker and TO tina
now obtaining in the treasury depart
ment. where public servants may be n
moved without giving them chanc
to be heard in their own defense an
without allowing them to know tn
reasons for their removal"