The evening times., 1897-03-31
SEYMOUR AS A REFORMER
He Republistes Parts of His Report
for January.
The Patent Office Clerks and Attor-
news Refuse to Believe In the
commissioners sincerity.

John s. Seymour. Commissioner OF Pat
ents. in the current number Of the Official
Gazette of the Patent Office, republishes
parts of the report which he submitted to
Congress on January 81.
This publication was designed apparent
" TO emphasize the Commissioners stand
a. a champion OF civil service reform, ana
it is Just this feature of the paper which
has aroused the ire of these Patent ofiice
clerks and patent attorneys, who refuse 10
beIieye in the sincerity of Commissioner
Seymour, when he protests that he IS
civil service reforIner.
rhe Commissioner sets forth in ope sec
ton that in no case have political consid-
erations entered into the question OF ap-
pointments or promotions, and, except IN
three cases. the political preferences OF
the candidates have not been known lie
says:
II think il may be said without ostenta-
tioD and without mental reservation that
the civil service law and the rules under IL
and the practice grounded upon both have
been sincerely applied both in the letter
and in the spirit"
Then. in the following sections the Com
missioner proceeds to show wGnderiui
understanding of the politics OF the people
under him. He sets forth that the best ie-
sults of the civil service cannot be realized
until the office IS fairly representative OF
political parties
This a, present" continues Mr.. Seymour,
lis not the case. Although the civil service
act has been in operation for twelve years,
and though eight of those years have been
under Democratic administrations, the per-
sonnel OF the Pateat Office is probably t our
fifths Republican today
He proceeds tn detail the political pref
arencps Of his subordinates as follows:
..Or the eXarniners-in-chief, two are Re
nphlicans and one Democrat, two having
been appointed under the present Admins
tration. OF the primary examiners lnciud-
ing the examiner of interferences, twenty
six are Republicans and seven are Demo-
Gratis. or the three chiefs OK DIVISIONS, Two
are Democrats and one Republican oI the
three assistant chiefs of division, all are
Republicans. The librarian, the machnist
and the finan cial clerk are all Republicans.
.,Of the force in the -four rooms or the
Commissioner and assistant commissioner,
seven in number, five are Republicans and
two are Democrats OF the five 1,S0O
clerks, which include the application clerk
and the clerk of interference ana appear
records, all are Republicans. or the slN
clerks at ST 500, all are Republicans VI
the fourteen clerks at 81 400, cannot
speak so positively, but nearly all are he
publicans and of the remainder of the
force | arxnot able to speak so positively,
nor is Unnecessary.
1.-The total result is that body or opinion
is formed with a distinct political bias,
not outspoken but real, and not always
friendly. One result is unusual profess
sions of LOYALTY during the early stages OF
an administration, not always 1olioWeu
nv acts a nd expressions entirely consistent
Herewith.
Commissioner Seymour states that dhder
tho last Administration sixty-four
original appointments have been mace IN
the examiners corps in the lowest grace
strictly upon competitive examinations
conducted under the direction OF the Clyii
Service Commission, and three appoint
meDts were made by transfers from other
bureaus IN the lowest grades
The critics of Commissioner Seymour In
the department cite particularly the case
of one man, Georgia Democrat, who, al
though his standing in competitive eX-
amipations has been very low, has been
advanced from 81 200 to $4,000, then TO
So .25O, and recently TO the post OF prln-
cipal examiner at a salary of So 300. Ihey
charge that, as Commissioners seymour
was a political appointee, so, too, have
his appointments and promotions been
Ia rs-eI v r,olitical