Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1898-01-27
CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION BuSI.
NESS DEhORALIzED,
NO INTELLIGENT MANAGEMENT.
WORK IN GREAT CONFUSION .xn
LAW OF NECESSITY RULES.
Several of President CIe.eIapd.x An.
pointees ON the Comm ission An.
taSonistic to the Civil Scry.
ice Law and RuIes-Mr.
Pr"cfor's Reply.

washington jan 2.-Rev. Mr.. T.. n
Bailey. chief clerk of the examiners Office.
civil service commission. submitted some
sensational testimony at to-day's session
of the senate civil service investigating
committee 1t was a sequel to the charges
he made Monday of intimidation and inter-
ference by the commission with his testi-
mony. He called attention 10 the bitter at
tack made on him then by President Proc
tor, of the commission. He read a letter h.
had addressed to Theodore Roosevelt the
New York police commissioner. severely
criticising the commission This letter said
in part:
The business of the commission is, in
the greatest confusion, and is becoming
more and more demoraliZed for want OF
intelligent management. acquisitions re-
main unacted on for months, and many
complaints are made by the departments
of delays and annoyances detrimental to
the service. In such cases. temporary ap-
pointments were authorized, and. after
ninety days. made permanent. although no
rule exists permitting such actions These
acquisitions probably cover several hun
dred places"
The letter gave a number of instances in
substantiation of the general statement.
Continuing, the Letter said:
Questionable appointments have been so
numerous that the rules have almost lost
their force, and the alleged law of necessity
Is regnant. a want of uniformity exists in
all the business of the commission. and the
greatest uncertainty prevails. The subor-
dinates cannot do their work with conf
dence because all precedents, practices and
principles are abandoned and new ones sub
Stituted. No reliable policy or line of action
exists which can be relied on, and contra
dictory action is frequent. The force of the
commission has lost confidence in the abil-
nt flsa
than to maintain existing conditions and
await inevitable changes. The action taken
by the commission lacks continuity. and
the minutes of one day contradict those OF
another day. Action is taken, then amend
ed, then revoked.
Under the recent administration. four
of the five officers of the commissioners
We're changed, bringing in new men, who
lacked even the advantage of experience
views were unfavorable to the civil service d.
laws and rules, with theories little less
than M y hostile. and their inexperience and
adopted rules to classify. in one lump. S006o
new offices. and utterly failed to provide
to meet these needs. The present condition
is thoroughly alarming. Disaster can be
averted only by immediate remedial action
and at least three changes in the office
should be made at once, not for politic~l
reasons, but in the interests of the serv-
ice."
Mr. Proctor asked If Mr. Bailey had not
sent copies Of this communication to GER
tain senators.
The witness replied that his wife was. so
far as he knew the only other person who
knew of its existence
About that time your friends sought to
have the president, appoint you civil serv-
.All know is that the papers said Rep
resentative Walker, of Worcester, Mass.
where 1 came from. had presented my name
to the president"
Mr.. Proctar. of the.commission the took
the stand. and at the outset sought 10 show
that the sweeping extension of the classi-
fication of Nav 8, 1896. was not, as has been
alleged, "a leap in the dark, SO far
being equipped for the changed conditions
was concerned.
President Proctor made 4 statement to the
committee regarding the charges that he
and the commission had sought TO intimi-
he had SPOKEN to r Raev sia and dha5 told @
that hitherto no one had been subpoenaed
BY the chairman of the committee except
he had then in his possession duplicate
copy of the communication to Mr.. Roose-
Welt sumbitted to-day.
IL was furnished him by a United States
senator. and he did not know its author
unit, the first testimony of Mr.. Bailey.
when he suspected him. He had known for
among senator's and made the basis of an
attack on the civil service. He told Mr..
Bailey that he supposed the latter had
been subpoenaed at the instance of soma
senator who had seen the paper and that
after the complaints were in, he would
ask the committee to summon people who
had long experience in important positions
i'll relation to the operation of the civil
service, not persons who had been de-
moted or remoted or disappointed. hut
those who could speak of the broader
principles of law. He had stated that hs
wished anyone having knowledge of
wrcrgdoinS in the commission would state
all the facts. but there was line to be
crawn between that and a subordinate
criticising the administration of the COM
mission, the departments and the presi-
dent, and making suggestions.