Evening star., 1897-05-08
SPECIAL P. @. AGENTS
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Continued from First Page.)
cooperation of the civil service commission
with the heads Of the several departments
Is necessary in order to adopt an efficient
system of examination providing for the
varied wants of the bureaus in the several
departments. The civ8 service has thus
far provided for the needs By general exam
nations, and has been making progress to-
ward perfecting system of special exani-
nations and rules OF promotion.
1t requires much time and patience and
q persistent policy Of p-eperation between
the civil service commission and bureaus Of
the several departments to- determine the
best forms of special examinations and
rules OF promotion, such as will realize In
tne pest manner the object of the law,
ramely, the appointment to public office Of
the httest candidates and promotions on the
ground of faithful service and acquired
skill without partisan favor. The neces-
sary evll OF the first application of civil
service Is the promoting of officials on the
basis OF mere length OF service or mere
mechanical skill. The progress of civil
service from year to year consists in the
introouction OF other tests than length of
time and mechanical perfection In lower
grades of work. -szs =.
discharged for Printing Republican
Paper.
When the examination of witnesses began
Mr.. Thomas Robinson tenax the stand He
said he was appointed in 1873 by COM
petitlve examination to q $1,000 position in
the Treasury Department. He served in
several bureaus and was promoted from
time to time until in 1890 he reached 81 500
in the controllers Office He held this
position until August, 1893, when he was
cropped. Ihere were no charges against
him, and his resignation was accepted.
Ihe reason why he was discharged was be-
cause ne mad printed the only republican
newspaper in Georgia during Grants Sec
onone onu .e,m I'm mere anere was general rejoicing
dismissed. Controller Durham told him
that during the first Cleveland administra-
ton the governor of Georgia and some
senators had demanded his dismissal be-
cause he had many years previously pub
lshed that republican newspaper. Mr..
Durham had refused to discharge him,
however, on that ground. He had made no
effort for reinstatement because the same
people who caused his dismissal remained
IN power up to short time ago.
w. w. Hills Charges.
VIM. w. Hill was then sworn. He said
his charge was directed principally at the
civil service commission because there was
apparent collusion between the commission
and the Post Office Department He said
he was appointed in the Washington city
post Office in 1889, transferred to the Post
Office Department. and in 1888 was pro-
moted to be assistant superintendent of
the free delivery system. This promotion,
he said, was due to the fact that he was
thought to be the best man to take up the
investigation of letter carriers overtime
pay. He worked upon this matter, being
a lawyer, and was engaged in nearly all
the large cities of the country.
He said that in 1894 the department be-
gan to appoint, unlawfully, he asserted, a
large number of spies. special agents, as
they. were called. 1t commenced with
fhron md nit tod
said the civil service commission was cog
nizant Of the appointment of these men
and yet there was no |warrant Of law for
the appointments.
raised from 50 day to>S5- nay. chief
of these men was appointed and for
time his pay reached SIT a. day, Sundays
included He said Sixth Auditor Howard
at first raised strenuous objections to pass
ing these accounts. He did not know how
Mr.. Howard finally became reconciied to
passing the accounts, but that Mr.. Howard,
when he did become reconciied, was there
after allowed at the beginning of each
successive quarter to nominate one OF these
Mr.. Hill said that all Of the appointments
of these special agents were made by the
chief clerk of the PospOmce Department.
At the end of the first year Of the appoint
ment of these men, he said, their salaries
and expenses amounted to *s2,oo ..,, ,l..
alleged Violations In Philadelphia.
He said the Philadelphia post Office fur
tished the most striking case of. the viola
tion of the civil service law. The force was
increased and then decreased in order to
get certain men out Of the office. In the
dismissals none Of the new appointees were
included, but the victims were nearly all
republicans, and many were old soldiers.
The Office added eighty men in October,
1884 and removed 100 shortly afterward.
Mr.. Hill said the salaries of the special
agents. were paid in this way: The post
masters of the offices TO which the agents
were detailed were directed to make re-
mittances to the department in currency.
These envelopes were opened by the chle1'
of the special agents, Mr.. Beiiman, ana
portion of the money was taken out and
sent to a local bank. where 1t was depos-
tied to his credit. Mr.. Hill did not know
what that deposit was used for
Mr. Hill charged that these employees
were assessed for the Ohio campaign Of
1885, and he thought their pay was raised
to IS in order to allow them to make high
er campaign contributions.
A letter was read from one of these en-
ployes in which the writer says he could not
give as much to the Ohio campaign as was
demanded of him because he had made
some private investments.
Mr. Hill said these special agents we've
mAssed at Chicago, and one of the Post
Office Department officials went there to
explain to them regarding the assessments
for the Ohio campaign.
Mr. Hill made some severe structures
upon the character of these special agents.
He Reported Irregularities.
Mr.. Hill said he had told First Assistant
Postmaster General Jones of the irregu-
larit.es going on in this branch of the SER
vice. and that 1t was bringing the admin
istration into disrepute over the country.
Instead of thanking me-" Mr.. Hill tes-
titled, Gen. Jonss told me to mind my own
business and keep my mouth Shut; and 1
suppose 1t would have been much better
for me II had done So
Mr. Hill said that during the friction
which ensued from efforts made by himself,
Mr.. Sullivan and Mr.. Bates, mis- house and
theirs were watched constantly by spies of
the Post Office Department.
Mr. Hill said that the civil service COM
nl,ssion had also been informed of the
Irregularities. He read the cory of AN atii
davit made hy VIM. A. Sullivan 10 the
commission. in which Mr.. Sullivan swore
tha; Mr.. Bellman, chief of the Secret
agents. had levied political contributions
upon employees; that protests had been
made by these employees; that ne himself
had been dismissed from the department
because he had called attention to these