Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-01-29
Resumption Of the Civil Service
Investigation.
SESSION OF TEE SENATE COMMITTEE
Classification Made by Heads Of
Departments.
MIR. PROCTER TESTIFIES

law this morning in the committee room
in the Maltby building. Senator Prftchard,
chairman, and Senator Lodge were pres
ent.
Will H. Lyon of Bellevue, Campbell coun-
ty. KY, was the first witness examined.
Mr.. Lyon stated that he Is the secretary
Of Senator DebOe. For twenty months he
had been a gauger in the internal revenue
service, and he remained there until he
resigned tO become candidate for the
legislature, to which he was elected. He
took Il civil service examination at Coving-
ton, KY, for the position of gauger, and
although he bad been successful gauger
for twenty months, he failed to pass the
civil service examination, which, he claim
ed, was not practical. He had been mark
ed down, he said, for failing to answer re-
quirements which did not exist in the serv-
ice for which the examination was held
He was he said, marked down to 10 per
cent for failure to make an exact copy of
a plainly written letter because he changed
the punctuation.
Commissioner Proctor said the examiua-
ton for gauger had been dictated by the
internal revenue bureau and was expected
to secure candidates who would possess
just the requirements that were necessary
in doing their work.
Commissioner Proctor then went on the
stand and continued his testimony regard
ing the application of the civil service rules
to the internal revenue service. He quoted
from government officials to show that
prior to the days of civil service reform the
work of collecting the revenues was very
expensive. He referred to the whisky
frauds, which ne said had caused the gov
ernmert loss of s7jO0O,OOO. Mr.. Proctor
hot ,ff int, oil n
told him that they had been forced to APP
point incompetent men as their deputies
because of the pressure brought upon them.
Mr.. Pritchard asked Mr.. Proctor wheth-
er the commissioner of internal revenue
was not now of the opinion that deputy
collectors should be exempted from exam
iEatiOn.
Senator Pritchard-Does he not say it is
almost impossible to execute the law ow-
ing to the fact that they are hampered by
the civil service law?
Mr.. Procter-We understand there is no
difficulty in executing the law except where.
the appointing officer wishes to get his
own men, regardless of the rules.
Senator Pritchard-But that is not an
swering my question. Does the collector
not say he finds great difficulty in execut-
ing the law because he Is hampered by
civil service rules?
Mr.. Procter-I think he does claim.
This comes from the fact that the new
collectors being of opposite politics from
the force. they wish a change in the COM
pleXion of the force.
Mr.. Proctor said when the internal reve-
nue. force was classified, December II.
1894, the commissioner at the head of it
approved of the action and believed it
would greatly benefit the service.
Speaking of the classification of watch
men and messengers in the departments,
Mr. Proctor said that prior to that classi-
as watchmen and messengers, although
they never did such work.
Government Printing Office.
Referring to the classification of the en-
ployes of the government printing office,
Mr.. Proctor said the necessity for divorc-
ing that Office from the spoils system had
been shown many years before the action
was taken. He quoted utterances of SEN
ators,- representatives and government Off
cfals advocating taking that Office out of
the spoils system at various times since
1850. He quoted Senator GaIlinger to tbs.
effect that the government printing office
was merely big work shop and no place
for politics, and that political considera-
tons should have no influence whatever in
the matter of appointments and dismissals
in that branch of the government"
MIR. Proctor also referred to the acts of
trades unions which had sought to place
the government printing office in the classf-
ned service. He thought the time of classi-
lying the employees of the government
have been selected.
In reply to questions, Mr.. Proctor said
that so FAR as he could judge from the
testimony of printers and others when Mr.
Palmer became public printer last spring
ABOUT 10 per cent of the employees there
were republicans and IS per cent were dem
ocrats. He did not think the statement
was correct that of the 5000 persons en-
ployed there at that time $500 were demo-
Gratis. He understood that In making up
that estimate all the women were counted
as democrats.
Mr.. Pritchard asked if the rule for giving
each state its quota of appointments had
been followed in the government printing
Office.
Mr.. Proctor said that had not been done.
but he thought it should be. and the COM.
mission should equalize the quota of vari-
Gus states as far as POSSIBLE.
Classifying the Employees.
Senator Lodge read the list Of skilled
laborers' classified in the government
printing office, and asked Mr. Proctor
whether he thought assistant doorkeep-
ers and floor helpers could be called skill
ed laborers.
Mr.. Proctor said that was not a ques-
ton the commission could decide
Mr.. Lodge-Who makes the classifica-
ton?
Mr.. Procter-The head of the DEPART
Eient, under the order Of the President,
ana the commission simply accepts the
classification made.
Mr.. Lodge-Is the commission bound to
accept the classification of head of a de-
partment?
Mr.. Procter-UInless violation of law is
shown, and then 1t would be the duty of
the commission to call the attention of the
President to such violation.
When further questioned, Mr.. Proctor
said he thought possibly some of the places
In the government printing Office were not
properly classified as skilled Iaborers."
Senator Lodge said he thought 1t was
very apparent that such was the case
Senator Lodge asked the witness q num-
Der OF questions regarding the classifica-
tion of the public service generally
Mr.. Proctor said the average age of ap-
pointees under the civil service law has
been between twenty-eight and twenty
nine wears.
Those boys have been out of school soms
time" remarked Senator Lodge referring
to the charge that the civil service law
secures only school boys for the public SER
vice.
Senator Lodge asked II many appofntees
were dropped after the probationary period.
Mr.. Proctor replied that in one year only
twelve men appointed to the railway mail
service were rejected after the probation
ary period, and that service was conducted