The morning times., 1897-02-21
SENATOR ALLEN ANSWERED
The Civil Service Commissioners
Response to His Resolution.
CANNOT PREVENT REMOVALS
In the Cases Cited by the Senator
From Nebraska No Proof Had
Been Offered to Show That the
Civil service Law Had Been
Violated.


Violated.
The Civil Service Commission has sent
to the Senate its response to Senator
Aliens resolution of the 18th instant,
calling uIon the commissioners TO furnish
the Senate all information and copies of
papers touching the removal Of certain
persons from the Bureau of Animal In
dustry at South Omaha, Neb.
From this response, it appears that the
attention of the commission was first
called TO the matter by its own repre-
sentative Immediately after the removals
We're made, and it then instituted liz
quiry as TO tier cause. Later complaints
were received by the commission from
the persons removed and their attorneys,
charging that they lad been removed purely
for political reasons, and solely because
they had failed to support certain can
didates in the last election. These COM
plants We're acknowledged and the COM
plainants informed that the matter was
beng Investigated. All OF the persons
failed TO accompany their complaints with
evidence or proof substantiating their
charges The commission promptly brought
| the matter TO the attention Of the Secfe-
| tary of Agriculture, and received from
him his positive assertions and the af1i-
! Gayits OF several persons, from which it
| would appear that the lemoyals were due
| solely to the internal discipline of the
service, with which the commission had
no authority to interfere.
Later the Secretary of Agriculture trans
| init ed to the commi ssion copies Of
| several official letters which seemed to
| COR Cborate the evidence previously
| submitted by him, and which seemed to
| show further that one OF the persons re-
| moved had been admonished from time to
time of the Importance of closer attention
| to his duties, and that his final removal
was the mere result OF his failure in this
| respect
The commission then Informed all of the
| persons from whom I had received com
| plants in the matter OF the result Of
| its investigation up to that point, and
! called attention to the provision OF
section of rule 3, which provides:
mo person in the executive civil SER
| vice shall dismiss, or cause to be dis
missed, or make any attempt TO procure
| the dismissal of, or in any manner change
the official rank or compensation Of, any
| other person therein, because of his polit-
| ical or religious opinions or affiliations
Their attention was called TO the fact
that removal not contrary to these
provision is not within the jurisdiction
| of the commission.
In its response the commission takes the
opportunity to set forth the position taken
by it upon the subject OF removals. The
| commission alW ays investigates, SO far as
| possible, whenever offer of proof Is made
that the civil service law has been violated;
| but, before instituting an investigation re-
quir1ng the expenditure of money, the com
mission desires affidavits substantiatng
the charges made, and cannot send per
sonal representative to make investigation
unless such affidavits are furnished The
power and duty of removal are not af-
fected by the civil service act other than
in cases OF removal for political or reli-
gious causes; and the commission has au-
thority to investigate only cases Of re-
moval IN which such cases are alleged
and substantiated.
Up to the time of Senator Aliens resolu-
ton the commission had received TO cvi-
dence whatever or proof of the charges
that the removals We're made for political
reasons. Just before its response TO the
Senate was completed, however, letter
was received from the attorneys OF two of
the complainants. stating that affidavit'
would be furnished in the course of time
which, when received, will, Of course, bt
given proper attention, as the case is still
open.
The commission states in its response thai
these complaints are only few of the very
many which, during its entire history, have
come from all parts of the country, ant
that its Investigations, as shown at length
in its last report, have succeeded in secur
ing reinstatements or removals by The
proper department in most OF the case
in which the facts presented by it SHOW
that the provisions of the civil service at
have not been observed 1t also invite
attention to the following extract from it
thirteenth report
'It was predicted by those who advo
{ | Gated the enactment of the civil servlc
/ | law that the temptation to make unjust re
, movals would gradually disappear wit
the withdra wal of the power to control ap
pointments to positions thus made vacant
= This prediction has been largely fulfilled
. The civil service act did not intend that in
, competent persons should be retained in oi
o flee The authority of removal and it
1 exercise for proper reasons are necessar
, for the discipline and the efficiency Of tn
r public service. The power Of removal
: not affected by the law or the rules furthe
t than that they provide that removals sha
i not be made for political or religious rea
t sons The results under the present systeI
are in every respect more satisfactory tha
= under the old system"