Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-12-20
THE PENSION OFFICE
Commissioner Evans Plan to Improve
the Service.
FORCED TOKEEP INCOMPETENT CLERKS
Hampered by the Commissioners
and Congressional importantly.
EXEMPTION OF EXAMINERS

The Senate committee on civil service AMI
retrenchment resumed its Investigations
into the operation of the civil service this
morning. Commissioner Evans of the pen-
sion Office appeared before the committee
and was questioned in detail regarding the
work of his force of 500 employees in reIa-
tion to the civil service law
There were present Senator Pritchard,
chairman Of the committee; Senator Lodge,
Civil Service Commissioner Proctor. Mr. C.
K. Wales of the civil service commission,
and Representative Baker of New
Hampshire, who was present I'm behalf of
the Anti-Civil Service League. The exami-
nation Of Mr.. Evans was opened by Mr.,
Lodge. who asked the commissioner how he
looked upon the civil service law as applied
to the clerks under him.
Mr.. Lodge: do you think it would be a
good thing to abolish the law so far as 1t
applies to clerks?"
Mr.. Evans: No. sir. I don't think IL
would be a good thing to limit the law. /
was civil service reformer so called but
1t is a good deal like free trade to me. 1t
don't work out. The best men ] have I'm
my bureau are the men who came in
through what is called the spoils system
these men have no one behind them. They
do their duty and never appeal to the civil
service and expect to hold their positions
by doing their duty I'm the bureau
Medical Examining Bonrds
Mr.. Lodge questioned the commissioner
in regard to the organization of medical
boards of the pension bureau.
Il suppose you have complaints that L
have been violating the civil service law
L hear 1t SO stated. l have not. In COM
ing INTO the pension bureau i found that
soldiers complained against the bureau
pelnS dissatisfied with the pension boards
that had examined them. In some of these
cases L have appointed a second pension
board"
Mr.. Evans continued to explain that by
giving the soldiers an opportunity to go
before board composed of medical men in
whom they had confidence the soldiers
We're satisfied with their examination,
otherwise they would apply for re-eNam-
ination, which involved additional expense
TO the government. He had not discontin-
ued any boards. but had merely appoinfed
additional boards, so that the soldiers could
go before men in whom they had conf
oonce. These boards had been covered into
the service without examination. The men
appointed to these boards were generally
army surgeons accustomed to making am
rLtations on the fed. and they would
not go before the civil service commission
for examination because they would be
Brought into competition with young men
just out of college ana UP to date in new
medical terms. The consequence is, the
hlling Of these places by examination
would deprive the bureau of the services OF
these surgeons with long experience and
special knowledge.
In reply to a question by Senator Pritch.
ard, Mr.. Evans said that about $50 medical
boards had been affected by his order to
appoint them explained. That was out
of a whole number of 1, 300 or / 400 boards.
These boards appointed without examina-
ton were not in the classified service, so
that there was a lack of uniformity IN such
boards, the old ones being classified. and re-
mONalS could be made from them OnlV
through charges being preferred
Mr.. Lodge-"Would il not be better to
have every medical board examined and ap-
pointed anew, to have them all under a
uniform system?'
Mr.. Evans-"It would. The system is
wrong; wrong from the start
Clerks That Could BE Dropped.
Mr.. Lodge-"Are there many clerks who
could be dropped from the rolls of the
pension Office without impairing the elicien.
cy of the service?"
Mr.. Evans-"There are quite a number
that could be dropped without impairing
the efficiency at ALL
Mr.. Lodge-"Why are they not dropped?"
Mr.. Evans-"1 have dropped some of
them, tut / always get into trouble over II,
and now / could not we'll drop anybody
without court-martial, as they will appeal
to the civil service commission and bring
them down Oh me"
Mr.. Lodge-"The civil service, I take 1t.
uOtS not interfere IN cases In which clerks
are dropped from ineffciency."
Mr.. Evans-"No. L don't think they do.
Nevertheless, the clerks complain to the
commission and they correspond TO know
why 1t was done. But 1 contend that a
head Of a bureau, IL he attends to his bus
iness, should know who the most efficient
clerks are. When i became commissioner
OF pensions 1 undertook to reorganize my
bureau. to get more work out OF the force.
The records will show 1 have adjudicated-
30 per cent more claims than were adjudi-@
Gated during each of the last three years
As we get further from the war the claims
are harder &c adJudlcate. 1 believe the re-
suits Of my efforts have proven to be along
the right line"
Mr.. Lodge: TT has been stated lately
that In d great many of the departments
IN Washington there is q considerable
number of clerks who are practically use-
less; that they have become inefficient
ard remain in office drawing the pay they
have received for years. but really doing
no work Are there any cases of that
kind IN our bureau?"
MIR. Evans: II have such cases in my
bureau. The appropriations committee
made inquiries in thar line, and i submit
ted a proposition that il they allow the
to reduce his force he could
drop 100 clerks without interfering with
its efficiency. if he could do it untram-
melled and uninf1uenced."
Mr.. Lodge: "Uninhuenced by whom
Mr.. Evans: Senators, representatives,
the civil service commission and others"
Mr.. Lodge-"1f you submit to the civil
service commission that a clerk has been
dropped for inefficiency, could you have in
reference from them?'
Mr.. Evans-"They would not interfere,
but senators and representatives will COM
plain to the civil service commission that
A clerk has been dropped. and then the
commission write letters to know why IL
was done. / am absolutely opposed to pre-
ferring charges against a man in a way to
hurt him in the future. II he is in my
bureau and of no account i want him
dropped, with the mere statement that his
services are no longer required. but, how
=ver inefficient he may be he claims he is
3ne of the best clerks In the bureau and
brings senators and representatives to me
20 prove it,
influence From the Hill.
Mr.. Lodge-"If senators and representa-
tfves would not interfere at all could you
not reduce your force and retain the same
Mr.. Evans-'1 have agreed to reduce it by
100 clerks"