Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-02-16
Complaints Against the Chief Of the En-
craving Bureau.
The Civil Service Commission Takes
Up the Mntter-Mr. johnson Denies
the Charge Of Discrimination.


did under the other system. This was
Illustrated in the case of appointments of
printers assistants at the bureau Of en-
craving and printing. and it is in this class
of appointments that Chief Johnson has,
it is charged, been violating the spirit of
the law.
The discovery that there was pleasant
and profitable employment for them in the
bureau was made by the colored people
during the term of Chief Meredith, under
the last administration. A colored girl
came from New York to Washington and
took the civil service examination for APP
pointment as plate printers assistant. She
returned to New York after passing very
good examination, and presently the bu-
reaa officers sent her a notification to come
to Washington and take place in the
bureau. They did not know that she was
coiored. They knew her only as Florence
Flood" an applicant under civil service
rules, who had passed an excellent exami-
ration. When she walked into Capt. Mere
dith's office and introduced herself there
was general surprise and some consterna-
ton. Capt. Meredith knew, of course that
there would be objection on the part of the
printers to having a colored girl for assist
ant. But he did not see what he could do
in the case except put her on one Of the
Friday, and was ordered to report for duty
Monday Of the following week. The next
day the news Of her appointment was
noised about the bureau. and a delegation
OF the plate printers waited on Capt. Mer-
edith and protested against the assignment.
The captain said that he could do nothing.
They threatened to appeal to the Secretary
Of the Treasury to have his action re-
versed You may do that If you please"
said the chief, but advise you not to do
1t. There are a great many colored people
In this city who have no idea that they
eligible for these places. II you give pub
licity to he matter you will have this bu-
reau full of them within year" There
was long and bitter controversy, but
within two years there were eighty colored
women working for the bureau as plate
printers assistants So great was the in
crease In the applications Of the colored
women for these places that where only
one had applied in 1889 the number of ap-
pliclntS in 1898 was ore-third Of the total
number who applied.
When Capt Meredith went out Of Office
there Were eighty colored women working
at the presses. That was June so, 1893. In
the nineteen months which have elapsed
since Capt Meredith went out the number
1t is said. has been reduced to ten.
Complaints to the Civil Service COM
mission.
The subject was brought to the attention
Of the commission by complaints made
by Mr.. johnson. These complaints were
summed up In a letter written to the Sec
rotary of the Treasury by the commission
recently. In this letter it was stated that,
so far as known, no reason had been as
signed for the removal of the women, and
that III the case of one of them (whose
name is given the discharged woman's
mother sent to Mr.. Johnson, and he stated
to her that there was no cause for the dis
charge of her daughter. Moreover. the
commission charges in this letter to the
Secretary of the Treasury, the apparent
discrimination extends to the certifications
made from the list of eliSibles for appoint
nlent to vacancies. In the year ended
June 30 1894, forty-fiye women were
passed ever on certification. and of these
ten at least We're colored women. The COM
mission calls attention to the fact that in
the first year of Capt. Meredith's term in
office only eleven women were passed over
on certifcation, and of these three were
not appointed because it was the practice
of the bureau not to appoint to place wo-
man having q sister In the service. or the
SIS appointments made by the commission
under Capt. Meredith. only ~ were passed
over on certihcation: while under Chief
Johnson IN one year 10 out OF lib certified
as eligible We're passed over. The commits
sion also finds that under Capt. Meredith,
with IS persons employed In the bureau,
only is were dismissed Iii four years. while
under Chief Johnson. with 53i persons
employed. there have been ~ d1smlssais IN
Ni"i'i'SStH
by Mr.. Johnson. twelve white women and
one colored woman were reinstated.
The commission in its letter refers es-
pecially to the case of the young colored
woman whose mother went to the chief
of the bureau and learned that there was
no cause for the dismissal of her daughter
This young woman was in the bureau from
November %. 1891, to February 20. 1891,
and since her dismissal her name has
been sent to the bureau three times In
the list of eligibles and three times mas
been passed over by the bureau chief. The
commission calls attention to the fact that
MANY of the women dismissed were grad
yates of the Washington High School and
Of an unusual order of intelligence.
The complaint Of the commission was
referred by Secretary Carlisle to Chief
Johnson, and he replied. stating that the
statistics of the commission might be cor
rect. but he denied the correctness CT the
mate against colored people. Every ss'ec-
ton for appointment and recommendation
for removal made by me- he says. has
been made in the discretion vested IN me
nv law and solely in the interest OF the
nuhIic service" The reason the woman
particularly named was not selected when
certified recently, he said. was that from
her prior experience as an employe Of the
bureau he believed. after conversation
with other eligibles. that they were more
efficient and more desirable. The sister or
the girl is now in the employ OF tne
mission by Secretary Carlisle with
formal note of transmittal. The Secretary,
therefore sustains the chief of the bureau.
Regulating Removals.
'"The power of the civil service commits
sion in most cases stops with the appoint
ments to place." said Mr.. Theodore Roose-
welt Of the commission, discussing the case
of the colored women in the bureau of
engraving, though we hold that dismissals
are illegal while it can be shown that they
were made for political reasons. but the
Secretary of the Treasury questions our
right even to go as far as this. The theory
has been that If the appointing power had
no means Of obtaining the appointment OF
certain persons of political or personal In
fluence to vacancy there would be no
object in creating a vacancy. In general,
this has worked very well. In large offices
particularly, where there are many appil-
carts for appointment, the law makes the
clerks reasonably secure in their places.
In small post offices, for example, 1t does
not work 50 well, for where there are only
four or five letter carriers to appoint the
postmaster sometimes makes a clean
sweep and succeeds in finding in the list of
eIigibles four of his friends to take the
places made vacant. But there is no law
which guarantees a clerk permanency OF
position in the civil service, and except by
Implication there is no prohibition OF the
dismissal of clerk or a laborer because
IN, or she is cOlored The commission has