Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-08-31
ZACH IN HIS Pu e
Classified Employees Will Not Be Put at
Menial Work
Nor Can Unclassifcd Employees BE
Set to DO the Work Of
Clerks.

The Treasury Department has found it
necessary to take unusual mears to pre-
vent the employment of men and wom.1
rated as laborers as clerks of the classified
service. The law has long kept the en-
ployes of the classified and unclassfie1
services apart in theory. but in fact there
have been many instances in which the
GrcIassfied service has been used as n
means for placing men and women in cleri-
cal positions the work Of which should be
done by men appointed through the civil
service. In order to emphasize the neces-
s.ty for complying with the law in this
respect Assistant Secretary Curtis has is
sued a circular as follows:
department circular No. 126, Jaly "a,
1896. is amended so as to read as follows
You are hereby directed not to permit
employees under your control and direction
who, under the law, are not in the classi-
fled service to perform the duties of offices
or places which are in the classified seTv-
ice, nor to permit employees under your
control and direction who are in the classi-
fled service to perform the duties of Of
fees or places which are not in the classi-
fled service. except in addition TO, but no:
In lieu of, their regular duties.
provided, however, that persons who
prior to May g, 1896 were not included in
the classified service, but prior to that
date. and also on June b. 1886. were regu-
larly assigned 10 work of tie same grade
as that performed by classified employees.
may he continued upon such work.
IF these instructions are not rigidly
observed II may become necessary to dis
ccrlnue all offices not in the classified
service"
Why II Wns Done.
An official OF the Treasury Department,
speaking of the above circular. said to a
Star reporter today:
The violations of this order are not in
territorial on the part of chiefs of bureauX.
but they come about in the most natural
way possible For instance, a young man
occupying position of chief of a bureau
may have assigned to him a man old
enough to be his father, who has splendid
education and who has occupied important
and responsible positions. That man may
be rated as laborer, and it may be his
service is needed in performing higher
duties which he is thoroughly competent
to fill But under the law he cannot he
SO employed
1T is surprising to see the character of
the men and women who apply to the de-
partmcntS fer positions as laborerS, or
anything they can get.
only last week there was an application
for q place as laborer by a man who was
for a number of years chief Justice CT
western state, and who for a considerable
time was acting governor of his state. a
short time before man. who for many
years had sat as judge of circuit court
pressed his case for a place as laborer.
Such Instances are very common in all the
departments here. 1t Is quite natural that
such men, when appointed, should be cali
ed On for work above the grade of laborer
not only because their chiefs symplthize
with them and do not like 10 see them per-
forming laboring work, but because they
are frequently excaedirsly valuable and
needed in work of a higher grade The
warning contained in the circular lust
issued, in effect that further violations OF
the order will result in the disconl inuance
Of the unclassihed service, VIII probably
do more than anything else to secure it's
enforce ment, because such employees will
fear their dismissal will be the result of
their employment for work of the classified
service and they will urge their chiefs to
allow them to do work for which ,hey were
appointed"