Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-12-13
OF DEPUTIES
Hearing Before the Senate Civil Serv-
ice Committee.
RESUMING TIE INVESTIGATION
"Home Rule" Sentiment a Factor
in Appointments.
F. T. WALSER'S TESTIMONY

The investigation into the workings OF
the civil service commission, which was
carried on during the extra session Of Con-
gress by the Senate committee on civil
service ard retrenchment, was resumed this
morning by the committee.
Senator Pritchard called the committee
to order at 1890 o'clock, there being pres
cnt Senators Lodge of Massachusetts and
Harris of Kansas. There were also pres
ent Commissioner Proctor and Mr.. Wales
of the civil! service commission. Commits
sioners Harlow and Rice visited the COM
mittee room early in the morning, but did
not remain through the proceedings. AS was
the custom during the investigation in the
extra session the proceedings were stene-
graphically recorded. so that when they
are over there will be a complete record OF
all testimony.
Classifying Deputy Collectors.
The only witness examined was Freder-
lex T. Walser of Asheville N. c., deputy
collector of the internal revenue of the fifth
district of North Carolina Mr.. Walser
said he had been in the internal revenue
service since August. 1875 and had filled
every position in that service up to acting
collector.
Senator Pritchard requested the witness
TO make any statement he wished to bring
before the committee.
In opening his testimony Mr.. Walser said
he dlL not think il was practicable to put
deputy collectors under the civil service
law, owing to the character of the rela-
lions that should exist between collectors
and their deputies. In sections like North
Carolina, he said and perhaps in every
state it is impossible to eliminate politics
from the relations of these officers and
there will be conflicts between deputy col
lsctors and storekeepers and gaugers and
The collectors if not of the same politics.
The republican storekeeper dislikes to
serve under q democrat and vice versa
and disti1lers always greatly prefer that
deputy collectors, storekecpers and gaug-
ers should be of the same politics as the
administration
Examination Required.
In reply to question by Mr.. Lodge,
the witness said the examination reQuir-
ed by the civil service commission for
storekcepers and gaugers included SPELL
ing, the writing of letter on a subject
given by the commission, copying, five
examples in arithmetic and five questions
in physics pertaining to gauging.
~ here comes in the imoracticability of
the examination" said the witness when
a man passes the examination he knows
70 more about the duties he is to per-
orm than he did before"
Mr.. Lodge-"Do you think a knowledge Of
spelling, letter writing and arithmetic dis
qualities man from being a gauger?"
Mr.. Walser-"NO, sir; but it does not
make him better gauger."
The witness continued to explain that
those who could pass the examination were
generally young men living around the
towns where there were diStilleries and
there were no eligibles from the country
districts where the distileries are in opera
ton. He said it was impracticable to send
i-fr tnff TO-
Mr. Pritchard-"Do l understand that
your chief objection is that the class of
men who get on the eligible lists refuse to
go to another county from the one in which
they live to serve at 81 day."
The Witness-"Yes, SIR" The witness
continued to say that before the civil serv-
ice law was applied to those places it had
been customary for internal revenue Off
GERS TO instruct new appointees as to their
duties.
In regard to a statement of the witness
in effect that distiIers preferred having
deputies stOrekeepers and gaugers of the
same politics with the administration, Mr..
Harris asked II 1t was not easier for the
distiller TO manipulate things to his ad-
vantage when all the officers are of the
same political party.
The witness replied that he thought lot.
The "Home RULE Sentiment.
Mr.. Harris: You SAID it was better to
secure storekeepers and gaugers from the
immediate vicinity of the distilleries. Would
1t not be better to take them from remote
places where they have no acquaintance
with the distilers?'
The Witness: There is one view of the
matter that would make 1t appear to be
best. But the home rule sentiment is very
strong in those distilers. The distillers
say they furnish the capital to carry on
their distillery and they think they are
entitled to have their own people as Off
GERS"
Mr.. Harris: Should the distller have
anything to say about who the government
should have to watch it's interests?'
The witness said that distilers did not
care who was appointed, so they should be
people living in the vicinity.
Mr.. Pritchard-'What is the sentiment
Of the people generally? Are they in favor
of having officers sent from without the
d.strfct?'
The witness-"No, sir. They are bitterly
opposed to it. man went into district
the other day and they ran him away. He
was appointed through the civil service
commission
Mr.. Harris-"He was not run away be-
cause he could pass the examination, was
he?"
Mr.. Lodge-"Not run away because he
could spell?'
The witness-"No SIR"
Mr. LOOSe-'He was run OF because he
came from another part of the state? That
Is what the distillers objected to-"
The wftness-"Yes, SIR"
Commissioner Proctor asked the wit
ness a number Of questions. He wanted
to know II the internal revenue service
could not be run successfully by the same
business methods that were used in the
customs service and the railway mail
service.
The Only Republican Deputy.
The witness said it might be II it were
the same kind OF service, but it was not.
He explained that there were many small
stills using but three bushels of grain a
day in the western part of North Carolina
and the gaugers were not employed regu-
larly, and when they were they received
only 81 day. The dstilleries operated
very irregularly. The service was very diff.
ferent from the services Mr.. Proctor re-
ferred to-
A question by the commissioner brought
out the fact that Mr.. Walser was ,..e only
republican deputy collector retained
through the last administration and SEN
ator Pritchard remarked that Mr. Walser
was regarded as the best deputy collector
in the service in North Carolina and so in
dispensable that he was retained, though
reduced nv the last az mi or