The sun., 1897-12-04
Secretary Terry to Join the Gang.

One feature OF the change from an ire
sponsible "reform" city administration Of
the affairs of the city of New York to a
responsible and practicable administration
on Jan. will be the sweeping out of
Office, at the new Mayors pleasure, Of the
present Civil Service Commissioners, and
the appointment Of other persons.
The right to make such appointments is
provided by the new charter, and the neces-
sity and urgency of a prompt change is
illustrated in the case of TERRY, the Dock
Board Secretary, under the circumstances
here stated:
For q number of years the pay of the
Dock Commissioners of this town was
$4,000 annually. There was a provision
of law which restricted the payment of the
Secretary to an amount not larger than his
superiors, the Commissioners, received.
The Secretary, therefore. got $4,000. In
the year 1890, the post of Secretary being
then held by an incumbent who had pre-
viously been Register of the county of New
York, his salary was raised to $4 800. In
order that the provisions of the law should
be complied with, the salaries Of the Com
missioners were raised to $4,000, the pres
ent rate of compensation for these Commits
sioners, of whom Mr.. O'BR1EN of Platts-
burg is one and Mr.. E1NsTEIN another.
Under the provisions of the Greater New
York charter, the same rate of compensa-
tion of the Commissioners Is reta ined, ex-
cept that the President of the Board is to
receive $4,000. There is Secretary of the
Reform Board of Dock Commissioners
whose name is TERRY. Though mani
festly to every one but civil service re-
former the duties OF q secretary are pecu-
liarly those of confidential character,
presupposing on the part Of the incumbent
such friendly relations with his superiors
as would make desirable his selection by
the Dock Commissioners and not by the
Civil Service Commissioners, this commu-
nication was received by the Civil Service
Lights few days before the recent election:
"Request from tho Dock Board that the position of
Secretary be transferred from the exempt to the
competitive schedule.
"Resolued, That this Commission recommends to
tho Mayor that the of positions in the
Department Of Docks be amended by transferring
the position Of Secretary from Schedule A to
Schedule B."
The A, the B, and, 1t may be added, the G,
OF civil service reform, as applied by the
present Commissioners on the true Mon
Rolian plan, has this underlying and dis
tinctive feature: For those whose re-
tention is desired by the Civil Service
Commissioners, protection in Office and
emoluments. under Schedule B; for
those whose places are desired by new
comers, whether from Astoria or Platts.
burg, from Canada or Canajoharie, Seized.
ule A; that is to say, decapitation, re-
moval. and the substitution of some un-
employed non.partisan reformers.
At the beginning of the present city ad-
ministration, and under the present Board
of Civil Service Commissioners, of which
LARRY" GoDKIN was a member until
May, 1896, there was considerable "Sched-
ule A" business till all the more desirable
posts were filled by reformers. Then
Schedule B" went into effect quite extern
sively; and now it is proposed to extend it
yet further, breaking even the unwritten,
fundamental Civil Service law of rigid
classification, in order that TERRY, the Dock
Board TERRY. may join the reform gang of
holdovers while less favored individuals
are hustled out of place, to make way for
Tammany spoilsmen, as the Erening Post
describes them.