Evening star., 1898-02-03
MRS. ROBERTS CASE
There Were No Charges Against Her
on File.
ANOTHER CIVIL SERVICE HEARING
Commissioner Proctor Resumes His
Testimony.
INEFFICIENCY--INFL

IN NEFFICIEN ENCY--INFLUENCE
Prior to the resumption Of the fnvesti-
cation into the methods in the civil SER
vice by the Senate committee on civil ser
vice and retrenchment this morning a
short session of the committee was held, at
which were present Senator Pritchard
chairman; Senator Harris of Kansas and
Senator Allen of Nebraska. Senator Al
| len was present to see the reply of the
Secretary of the Interior to request by
Mr. Pritchard for copy of charges against
Mrs. M. Z. Roberts. who was dismissed
from the pension Office last May. A letter
from Commissioner Evans of the pension
bureau. and approved by Secretary Bliss,
was read. which stated that there were no
| charges against Mrs. Roberts. This will
probably end the consideration of the case
of Mrs. Roberts, as in view of this report
Senator Allen will take no further action
in the Senate in regard to it,
In ONCE Through Political Influence.
Senator Lodge was present when the in
vestigation was resumed, and Commission
er Proctor, president of the civil service
commission. took the stand and resumed
his testimony. Mr.. Proctor began by an
swering complaints regarding life tenure in
public Office He said that superannuated
employees in the departments did not come
into the service through the civil service
commission, but were placed there by po-
liticai influence, the average age of people
entering the service during the fourteen
years Of the existence of the commission
being little less than twenty-eight years.
Many Of the clerks coming into the service
through political influence were among the
most efficient of the clerks in the depart
ments. and are retained there because Of
their efficiency; others have been retained
through political influence. The bills pend
ing before Congress. he said. will not cure
the evil by making tenure of office of a
period of four five years.
IL such measure were to pass giving
authority to heads of departments to re-
commission those they thought desirable
the result would be that those who could
bring to bear strong political pressure
would te retained. 1t had been testified
to by various ones. he said. that the most
Inefficient clerks are the ones who have
the strongest political influence, and the
result would be to retain such to the detri-
ment OF the service.
The Post Office Agricultural and Navy
departments, MIR. Proctor said, had adopt
ed promotion rules which. IL enforced
properly, would get rid Of superannuated
employees Of the government. He did not
think these promotion rules are observed
In any department as strictly as they are
in the Navy Department But he hoped
these rules would be approved and promul-
gated in all the departments and their en-
1OTCemSnl WOulQ result getting rio OF
inefficient clerks.
Power of the President to Exempt.
There was considerable discussion re-
gardtng the power Of the President to
|. . take places out of the classified service
Mr. Proctor said the President had full
| power to except any place he saw fit from
examina ton. Senators Pritchard, Lodge
and Harris all expressed their opinion that
the President could undo any of his own
| acts in the classification of places in the
| public service Mr.. Proctor said that no
President had ever desired to undo a classi-
|: featon., having ample power to except
l. from examination about which there had
been no question.
| Mr. Proctor referred to the case of Mr.
| Albert Baker. who was private secretary
under Public Printer Benedict, and wh6
| was transferred to the Treasury Depart
| ment and then detailed as a clerk in the
offices of the civil service commission. He
| spoke of statements made by Mr.. Lands
regarding Mr.. Baker as the head man Of
| the government printing office and quoted
| from speech made In the House of Rep
| resentatives by Mr.. Mcguire which refuted
these statements.
Mr.. Pritchard: WAS not one woman re-
! fused appointment because she lived with
her huSband?'
| Mr.. Proctor replied that such memor-
andum was placed opposite the name of
| one woman, but it was put there and oper-
ated against her reinstatement simply as
should not be preferred over other deserv-
| ing and poor women who were without
| support:
been transferred to the Treasury Depart
ment upon the request of Senator Elkins.
| Inemciency and influence.
Senator Harris asked Mr.. Proctor why he
| said the most inefficient clerks have the
! most political influence. Mr.. Harris thought
this was not really the case, but that the
efficient and inefficient government en-
ployes probably had about the same infiu-
| ence. and that when clerk through inef-
ficiency or from other causes met difficulty
| he simply brought his influence to bear but
| this. he thought, did not indicate that the
inefficient ones really had the most infiu-
ence.
| Mr.. Proctor said that examinations for
promotion In the departments showed that
men who came in through political influence
Cid not show up as well others who had
come In through the merit system. Further
| Mr.. Proctor referred to the operation of the
civil service system in England. and said
that there entrance into the public service
was wholly upon merit. and influence had
nothing to do with their preferment. Tho
son of the poor farmer had the same chance
as The son of the most powerful lord.
Mr.. Harris-"Is that not an iridescent
dream?''
Mr.. Procter-""That is an absolute fact
and not an iridescent dream"
Appointments to the Congressional Lii
brary were referred to- Mr.. Proctor said
the tests prescribed by Librarian Young
were excellent. but the system of making
appointments there excluded all those who
could not come to Washington. The civil
service commission, he said is simply big
employment bureau. and II the employees
for the new library had been chosen
through It people In all parts Of the country
would have had an equal opportunity to
compete for appointment. Not only could
only those in Washington submit them
selves to these tests, said Mr.. Proctor, but
the successful ones were the ones that had
friends to look out for them.
|. Senator Harris-s.I take melancholy
pleasure in testifying that senatorial influ-
ence was not worth a cent in getting places
in the library"
Mr. Proctor reviewed the testimony of
several witnesses had c0yne heforc ho