Evening star., 1897-05-01
THE CIVIL SERVICE
Investigation Into the Operations of
the Law.
EVIDENCE BEFORE SENATE COMMITTEE
Letters Received From Several
Government Officials.
THE FREEDMEN'S HOSPITAL

| The Senate committee on civil service
| and retrenchment, through its subcommit-
| tee, resumed its Investigations this morn
| ing into the methods of the last admins
tration in constituting the civil service law.
! The work of the committee has aroused q
| great deal of interest, and more than fifty
applications for a hearing have been re-
ceived from people who desire to testify.
Senator Pritchlrd of North Carolina
Senator Chiffon of Texas and Senator
Lodge of Massachusetts, comprised the
subcommittee at today's hearing, and Mr.
| Proctor of the civil service commission was
1 present.
| Senator Pritchard read to the committee
| letter from the Secretary of the Navy,
| setting forth the classes of employees at
navy yards who are row included under
| the civil service law. In closing his COM
| mrncation, the Secretary says:
| Il have not familiarized myself with all
the existing rules of the civil service, and
! carnot therefore express any except the
! general opinion that while they no doubt
need modification as time goes and as
| circumstances change, 1 cannot specify
what particular modification is necessary.
Il am strongly of opinion that the civil
service law should be continued and not
be found for amendments from time to
| time
An obstruction Rather Than an Aid.
| The public printer, in a letter to the COM
mittee, said:
LAS applied to this Office, which is simply
| great manufacturing plant, involving
varied branches of skilled labor of high
| grade, the civil service rules are in my
| judgment, an obstruction rather than an
aid to- efficiency and economy. In my
opinion the civil service rules as promul-
gated for enforcement here should be modi-
| fled radically, suspended or repealed
A letter from the Postmaster General
said:
Il am in favor of a civil service law
properly constructed, by which 1 mean a
civil service law which will secure recogni-
| ticn of merit and the promotion of per-
sons specially qualified for public office.
/ cannot at this time say In detail what
\ Charges or notifications would be most
| desirable in my opinion, but by way of
categorical answer tc the question SUBJ
| mitted / will express as my opinion that
the law should be amended and continued"
| Mr.. HOlmnn's Testimony.
Mr.. Solomon E. Holman of TO d street
! northwest, a former assistant messenger
of the redemption division of the Treasury
| Department, was the first witness. He
said that in September 1894, the chief of
| stating that there were no charges against
him. He YVES discharged on account OF
politics. He was not an offensive partisan,
but usually went home in the fall to vote.
| The chief of the division tried TO get him
| reinstated, but the Secretary had replied,
| He has been there long enough; he had
better So" Other efforts for rcinstate-
| ment had failed Mr. Holman is an ex-
| Union soldier, having served over thrce
years and lost an arm. Messengers were
| not under the classified service when he
was discharged, but they were put under
| the classified service within a short time
after he was discharged. Mr. Holman was
| distinctly told that he was discharged on
account of being a republican.
Mr.. Morton a Witness.
| Mr.. John T. Morton of Atchison, Kan,
Was then sworn.
Il am the man. said Mr.. Morton, who
was appointed clerk in the Post Office
! Department in Mr.. Clevelands first term
under the impression that / was a white
man and turned out to be a colored man,
| which caused a commotion at the time, as
you may remember" He said that for
| nir.e years he was a painstaking clerk, but
| in 1894 he was reduced to 500. He was
| then sent to the dead letter gallery. then
sent below. His duties were changed. They
\ were no longer clerical, but he was put 10
| wait upon other clerks. His resignation was
| demanded in May 1, 1894, and he was told
| # he did not resign he would be dismissed.
He appealed to the civil service commission
| for redress, and the commission promised
| to Investigate his case. He never heard
| anything from 1t, however.
Mr.. Morton said the records would show
that he had been an efficient clerk for nine
years, and had filled positions where ac-
curacy was necessary. Mr.. Morton said
! the course pursued by the department led
him to believe that his dismissal was on
| account of his color. For a long time he
| the only colored clerk in the Post
Office Department.
Mr.. Morton said that upon his first days
| service in the dead letter office his chief
| was very nice to him, and complimented
| him upon his work. The next day the
chiefs manner changed, and, with vim
egary aspect" the chief told him he must
| go down below. That was when his work
was changed from clerical to mechanical
| duties.
Why Dr. Purvis Was Removed.
DIR. Chas. B. Purvis of this city was then
| sworn. He said that for a number of years
| he was surgeon-in-chief of the Freedmen's
Hospital. In 1893 he learned that an ef--
| fort was being made by number of ne
gro democrats to have him removed. His
| frierds then learned from Secretary Hoke
Smith of the Interior Department that it
was his intention to remove DR.. Purvis, for
the reason that I'r. Purvis was offensive.
politioa ally. He went to see Secretary Smith
| in person and was told there was nothing
against him, except that he had made a
sreech at church in Washington favor
| ing the passage of the federal election
laws, and that he intended to remove him
| as soon as he could find a colored demo-
| crat who could fill the place.
| DR.. Purvis said he was in the army and
| served as an assistant surgeon for about
| three years. The Freedmen's Hospital is
now under the classified service, and he
had made application for reinstatement.
DR.. Purvis said that to have the employees
| of the hospital tied up by civil service
| rule was ridiculous. He said the institu-
| tion should be kept out of politics, how
| ever, as It is on about the same footing as
the public schools.
| In answer to questions by Senator Lodge
| DR.. Purvis said that politics had never be-
| fore figured in the selection Of employees
or officers of the hospital.
| DIR. Williams' Evidence.
| DR.. D. H. Williams, the present surgeon
in-chief of the Freedmen's Hospital, was
then sworn. He said he did not come to
his position through politics. He had been
lifelong republican and had never voted
the democratic ticket up to that time. He
Had distinctly told Secretary Smith that he
would not come In any political connection
/ and aan,aF,e<1 hy rv fSvuf<h t1.ne