Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-07-13
Investigation Of Civil S
Methods.
!. v. OYSTER AGAIN ON THE STAND
Efficiency of the Printing Office
Force impaired.
REASONS FOR DISMISSALS


of the civil service law which has becn in
morning by the Senate committee on civil
service i'll the committee room at the
Maltpy building TIE meeting of the com,
nlittea today was attended by Senator Nor
Till of Vermont
Mr.. E. W. Oyster, foreman at the gov
ernment printing office, continued his tes-
tlmony in favor of the operation of civil
service rules in the printing office. Just
before the close of the last meeting Mr
oyster made statement about the con-
Guct of the printing office, which was
briefly referred to In The Stars repor- of
that meeting. Mr.. Oysters statement in
full. as shown by the stenographer's re-
pCrt, was as follows:
Il have a statement here which shows
that from 1861 to 1897, since the est ab-
lishment of the government printing ofti.e
there have been about $Si.Jo.s;o expended
Tor public printing; that is, through the
public printer alone, and about 6,j per cent
of the total amount of money is paid out
oirect 10 labor; that is. paid out to en-
pioyes OF ire office for labor-from G3 to Is
Fer cent i put ii at 6G per cent, and tha,
would be $15.I10.s0 for wages.
put at 10 per cent only what. 1 con-
Slder loss to the government although I
am satisfied that the loss to the govern
ment Is very much greater than that BY
not conducting the office on Il business
basis, but through political influence and
as a political machine. Ten per cent OF
that would be $J.J1I ,sO The amount left
then to have been expended for ma ,erial
would have been s2s, 1::;Otss, and up TO
very recent yvars-up to the time when
MI Benedlct came in the first time-they
paid the full market rate for material in
the office; that is. they did not get the dis.
count which cane to private parties when
nuEinS material Although the government
bouSht ten or twenty times as much as a
private office. they got no discount while
the private office would get 10, Il, 20 and
as hisn as ~ per cent discount
calculated 10 per cent CT loss to the
government on material by Eot having
proper business methods. and putting the
two together there would be S. 40 fsp)
which the government has sunk by con-
Quoting that Office. not on business prin-
Cipies, but as political machine
Discharges for Political Reasons.
Today Mr.. Oyster resumed the thread OF
his argument. He said large discharges
had been made in every administration
He gave figures showing tte changes in
the division over which he presides. Dur
ing Mr. Bei;edict's administration from May
IL TO September y, three-fourths of his
discharges We're of republicans Some OF
those dropped were among the most etii-
Gent men in the office. and they lost their
offices on account of their politics. Tne
between 1S>:, and 1891. In his division
siX:y-nine men We're discharged ard thirty
two resigned Fully three-fcurths of these
Were opposed to Mr.. Palmer politically
From this Data Mr.. Oyster felt assured tina I
the great majority of disc harges made dur
Ing each administration were for political
reasons.
He believed that this system was detrl-
ms ntal 10 tn public service and the merit
system was better.
DID you secure your employment through
the merit SYSTEM asked Senator Pritch-
ard.
Mr.. Oyster replied that he obtained his
place through the only method in vogue at
the Tune He was appointed by request
OF the late Senator Simon Cameron The
merit system had not then been adopted
Senator Pritchard asked him if the eff
clent men. who were dropped for political
reasons. should stand a civil service ex-
animation before reinstatement in view
of the fact that there are low men in the
once who d1d not come in under the civil
service.
Mr. Oyster said If the record showed
them TO be efficient he would personally
have no objection to their reinstate rnent
In such manner. Continuing he said he
recommended 10 Public Printer Benedict
two days before the office was placed I'M
uer the civil service laW to reinstate TWEEN
ty-four out of the thirty-SiX men who had
heen- DROPPED and who were efficient men
Mr.. Benedict had refused to do this on the
ground that he had refused the entreaties
would not 90 anything TO nuIlify the civil
service Law.
AZ this point in the hearing President
Procter of the civil service commission
brought otit an official statement showing
when and by whom the persons employeti
IN the government printing office al the
time OF lis classification, August l. 1Sgl
were appointed" The statement was as
Io..ows. , lotfi number classified August l.
l>!.,. 2'lo: number appointed prior to Nav
.. 1879 'oeglniiinG of Mr.. Palmer's first adj
rulnlstrdtioH). 60. number appointed by Mr.
Palmer during his first term from Nav =
~, 20 NAY =. 1871. 2G:: number in office
May !? lhd d->Snd of Mr.. Palrner's FIRST
term. being ~ per cent of the total num-
Der CLASSIFIED. ISIS: number appointed h.,
MIR benedict from May o. 1884 (beeinnin-
=, ,i,,, h's See"md terml to date of elassica-
OF classification to April l. 1897 313
10 you KNOW whether the civil service
commission was requested by the Typo
eitaI '-.',@i le-a,i;, mon TO recommend extending
lN-l elN-l seFF!ce rules 10 the government print
ing ONCE? asked President Proctor
AT oyster said he knew that committees
Were appointed for that purbose ard the
project vas favored by the TvporranbicaI
Mon Mr. Oyster, at the rec;ucsf of ,p,..ss
Gent Procter, submitted extracts from I,a-
r!oIs reports of Congress upon the evils ,f
tile oid system OF appointments in the gov
eEnnieht printing Office.
Labor for the Merit sy,,cn
Hi4. oyster referred 20 resolutions passa5
at different times by various labor organ
iziiions condernninS partisanshi2 in IN.
government printing Office.
IN the Fifty-second Congress the 1ooa,
feceration of Labor indorsed a bill TO ex-
cli''ie craftsmanship in the sovernman,
printing office. Mr.. oyster favored nlao.
lns the laoorers under The classified serv-
ice SCI
DO You think that the civil service svs-
TEN as at present applied protects efitient
nien IN their places" asked Senator Har-
us. 'i
Ne, sir, ] do rot. That is the defas.
OF the present system" replied MIR. Oyster
Is II the-fault OF the system or The wa :,
II Is applied?' asked Senator Harris
III is probably the law itself The old
system was three-fourths bad. The pres-
ent one Is one-fourth bad. and its defect
iies IN that very matter of the ability OF
officials TO discharge employees without
stating the reason"
You think then. that good reasons
should he assigned for dismissals?'
Il think that man should be dis
charged without the real cause therefor
being assigned and sustained on the rec.
o-ds Of the Office
That is lot the case now?'
I'm my Judgment IL is not"
Mr. Oyster concluded his testimony with