Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-02-01
Testimony Given Is Before Senator
Pritchard's Committee Today.
WORKING OF The CIVIL SERVICE LAW
Assistant Secretary Roosevelt Gives
the Result Of His Experience.
OTHERS GAVE EVIDENCE

The Senate committee on civil service
and retrer chTant ne; at the Maltby buid-
ing this morning and continued the inves-
LEGATION into the methods in the civil serv-
ice. Members of the committee present
were Senator Pritcnard, chairman; Senator
Lodge and Senator Harris
General Superintendent James E. White
Of the railway mail service was placed on
the stand. He testified that his experience
of the operation of the civil service law
has been very satisfactory
1--WE find he said, that under the civil
service law we get good class of men,
and that they are quicker in picking up
the Knowledge necessary Tor their work
than men secured by the old methods
They have better moral characters, are
physically stronger and have better powers
OF memory, which is very important
thing with u.s."
Mr. White showed the number OF changes
in the personnel of the railway mail sery-
ice since 1885, and said that great numbers
OF changes operated to the detrimenr of
the service. He said careful record is
made of the number of mistakes in the
handling of packages. When changes were
made frequently one mistake was made in
5000 packages handled. During the last
lew years under the operation of the civil
service law the number of mistakes ha 4 de-
creased so there is now only one mistake
in every 1000 packages handled.
Effect I'm the Navy Yard.
Henry H. Brogden, chief clerk in the
United States navy yard. testified regard
ing the effect Of the civil service law on the
character OF navy yard employees Mr..
Brogden said the effect Of the law on navy
yard employees had been admirable He
thought 1t would be very Injurious to the
navy yards If the law were repealed
MIR. Brogden said under the system at the
navy yard there is a Semi-annual examina-
tion and clerks who do not secure an aver
age rating Of 20 are dropped.
Mr.. Proctor asked If such a system i'm
the departments generally would not do
away with the fear of life tenure in public
office.
Mr.. Brogden said he thought it would. as
1t separated clerks from the service when
they ceased to be efficient So efficient, he
said, were clerks received at the navy ward
through the commission that lately in one
department it had been found possible to
dispense with two clerks and thus save the
government 81 200 annually
Mr.. Proctor ON the Stand.
Civil Service Commissioner Proctor went
on the stand and confnuetf his testimony
of last week. Mr.. Procter argued against
exceptions of classes of government en-
ployes and said he tiDught the law con-
templated the exception Of specific cases
rather than classes. II ths'case of the ex-
ception of plate printers he said he knew
that 1T had resulted III one instance in the
appointment of a mGssenge as a plate
printer, though he continued to do the work
OF messenger and t6 draw the high pay
of skilled plate printer
Mr.. Proctor continued to say that these
excepted cases are usually filed not ac-
c0rding to the wishes oftt the appointing
ences, and he claimed that appointing
officers have more latitude in making Sc
lections, so far assgetsing the character of
men they wish is conesrned,t than they had
under the spois system.
Assistant Secretary Roosevelt Of the
navy arrived at the committee rooms about
this time and Mr. Proeter's examination
might give his testimony. s.
Mr.. RooseveIt's Testimony,
Mr.. Roosevelt was asked what difficulty
the commission had when he was its presi-
dent Immediately upon the classification of
a branch of the public service Mr. Roose-
welt said that invariably there were en-
barrassments in getting full quotas to sup
ply such places. He said there were al
ways bitches and troubles at first but it
frequently happened that in branches of
the service in which the most trouble was
experienced upon Its classified ton would be
found to work admirably after it had been
under the commission for a short time
Mr.. Roosevelt spoke of his experience
with the civil service law, both as civil
service commissioner for six years as po-
lice commissioner in New York for two
years and as assistant secretary of the
navy during the present administration He
said that civil service reform in the Navy
Department had worked a great improve
ment and II was now practically indis-
pensble If really good work was to be Sc
cured in that department. He said that
II the civil service reform law were to be
abolished the Navy Department would
have to establish it in relation to it's own