The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1897-05-27
CIVIL SERVICE INQUIRY.
The Senate Committee Held Another
Session and Adjourned Sine Die.

| Session and Adjourned Sine Die.
Washington, May 22.-The civil service
| committee of the senate continued its
session today. Several letters were re.
ceiyed from chiefs of bureaus, among
Others one from Mr.. Miller, actmg com
missioner of internal revenue, who sug-
gested the propriety Of amendments to
the civil service rules. He thought the
number of excepted places should be in.
cases include the chief deputy and
cashier of revenue collectors in the
larger districts. He also suggested that
the collector should have control of the
selection of n large number of his sub
Ordinates.
Commissioner Of Patents Butterworth
advocated change permitting heads Of
departments to select their executive
stats regardless of the recommendations
of the civil service commission.
The first witness of the day was Mr..
Almont Barnes of the agricultural de-
partment. Mr.. Barnes said there were
employees in the agricultural department
who came in as temporary per diem en-
ployes and have remained there as
clerks without passing the civil service
examinations.
Albert Baker, who was the private sec
rotary OF Public Printer Benedict dur
ing his term of Office said the civil SER
vice had proved more desirable means
Of securing employees than the old system
of appointments on the advice Of CON
gress. Harold Benedict of the printing
Office, brother of the recent public print
er, also expressed the opinion that the
results under the present system were
80 per cent better than under the
"spoils system"
According to the witness, Public
Printer Palmer had begun making APP
pointments Immediately after Mr.. Cleve-
lands election in 1892, and during the
eighteen months thereafter in which he
held Office had made appointments at
the rate of fifty Il month until the office
was greatly Overcrowded. Four-ffths
of the appointees were democrats, ap
pointed by Mr. Palmer, although he was
republican, to secure the friendship of
democratic congressman.
Senator Elkins was DESTROYS of know
ing how many appointments had been
secured by any one member of congress,
and witness answered that about seventy
five were credited to Representative Rich
ardson of Tennessee. chairman of the
house committee on printing, and about
700 TO Senator German, chairman Of
the senate committee.
Mr.. j. j.. Kennedy, formerly of the
printing Office, explained that Mr.. Palmer
had made many appointments during the
time specified by Mr.. Benedict because
of "the hard times" and it had been
thought better to give employment to
many men part of the time than to a few
men constantly. The civil service law,
he said, failed to protect employees be-
cause IT did not prevent their discharge.
Mr.. Machen, superintendent of the
free delivery service of the postOllice de-
partmnt, appeared to deny statements
recently made by witness, Mr.. Hill,
that the secret service force had been
used as political instrument. He de-
MED that the agents had been assessed
for Governor Campbel's campaign of
iS9o,, asserting that about half of them
had held meeting and agreed to con-
tribute of their own accord.
The committee then adjourned for one
week.