Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1897-10-14

Upholding Civil Service Reform.
Whatever the administration may say
upon one line and do upon another,
with respect to Civil Service Reform,
the cause will be upheld by those to
whom its interests and operations are
entrusted. Tuesday, so Washington
special reports, the Civil Service Com
missioners will send to the Attorney
General a statement concerning the
Civil Service law and regulations, and
their application to deputy collectors
Of internal revenue, a subject which is
OF particular interest in Delaware. For
here, as elsewhere, ruthless removals OF
subordinates have been made by collec-
tors for partisan purposes, on the as
sumption that they have the undoubted
right to remove, at any time, any sub
ordinate who 10 required to give to them
an individual bond for his faithful per.
Torrance of duty.
The statement of the Civil Service
Commissioners deals, ii is understood,
with three auestious First, whether
deputy collectors are officers OF the
United States or merely personal repre-.
sentatives Of ths government; secondly,
whether the collector of internal reve-
nue. can have any power OF appoint
ment, except as an agent of the Secre-
tary Of the Treasury; and thirdly,
whether the deputy collectors we're
properly placed within the classified
Civil Service.
The commissioners cite many authori-
ties of the highest character to prove
their conclusions, which are that
deputy collectors are olficers Of the
government; they receive their
authority direct from the Secretary OF
the Treasury. and they are as much en-
titled 10 protection in Office under the
Civil Service law aud regulations as
twill be shown that during the ad-
ministration of President Lincoln, At.
torney- General Speed decided that
deputy appraisers of internal revenue
were officers of the United States.
Later the appraisers were done away
with and collectors and deputy collec
tors took their places, assuming exactly
the same functions that had formerly
been exercised by the appraisers. The
change was one in name only, and The
ruling which had applied to deputy ap
praisers applied with equal force to III,
deputy collectors.
Another decision cited is that of thu
United States Court at Louisville
which applies directly 10 deputy collec
TORS A deputy collector had been ar
rested for collecting political assess
ments from some of his fellow. employees
His attorneys entered demurrer
alleging that no was not an officer O
tine government, but merely an employ
of the collector. This plea was reiectet
by the court, which declared tina
deputy collectors are oiticera of the gov
eminent, and the decision was affirme
by higher court.
1t will also he shown that the Suprem
Court has affirmed the position take
by the Civil Service Commissioners
and that nearly all the statutes bearin
upon the subject designate the deput
collectors as offers of the government
There are statutes TO punish person
resisting such officers, and others de
filming clearly what their duties are an
the scope Of their authority.
1t is understood further that tn
Civil Service Comm issioners are of til
opinion that all deputy collectors in
properly removed, MS they regard IL
removals made by Collector Parlett
this district and Collector Brady
Virginia, can recover the amount of the
aalaries from tine government by presei
ing their claims to the Court of Claim
At any rate, ii ia evident from th
information that tho Civil Serv;
Commissioners do not propose to 8
inly by without protesting against Ii
numerous and glaring violations Of ii
law with whose enforcement they a
entrusted.