The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-01-27
CIVIL SERVICE UNDER FIRE.
CHIEF BAILEY TESTIFiES BEFORE
THE SENATE COMMITTEE.
In Letter tn Roosevelt He Charxe
That the Rules Have Lost ThN'
Force Objectionable Apro"
ments-Proctor Vow ON the srnd.

| WASHINGTON, Jan. S-E. n. saileF.
| chief OF the examiners Office, ciyi sest
! ice commission submitted some sesauosiAa
| testimony az todays session Of I've ssha.e
c,vil service investigating cozrsllsee.
was the sequel 10 the charge ne naao
Monday Of intimidation and .hae'lei ~, :,
Of the commission with his testimony. re
called attention 10 q bitter atack mace va
him then By President Proctr. OF me CON-
mission. He rsaa letter N had aacresssa
10 Theodore Roosevelt. NV YORK poiace
commissioner. severely criieising the coaa-
/ mission. This letter said.n part
THE business OF the commission IS u,
great confusion. and is lecofning t'ici. &stu
more demoralizd for M9n' Oh ,l-.s,.
ed upon for ulsnay f'r nlcflshs. aIll uls.sls -
complaints ar mace hy departments %
delays and aSnoyaTces detFlnlsntdi 70 III, ti,c
service In SIGH c<ses temporary appoint
rnents were authorized. and after ninety
DAYS made pertinent. although 10 rue
exists peraittirg such action. lhese
acquisitions preoaoiy cover SEVERN HaAi-
bred places
The le,tr gave number Of Instances in
s,lt,stantttiou of the general statement.
Continuing, the letter said:
Cheeseman's appointments have been
50 nunarous that the rules have almost
lost thar force. want Of uniformity ex-
ISIS mall the business of the commission.
and re greatest uncertainty prevails. The
suboainates cannot DO their Work with
conf.ence, because all presidents. prac-
tees and principles are abandoned and
nev ones substituted. No reliable policy
Crane of action exists which can he relied
ufsn. and contradictory action IL frequent.
Tse force of the commission has lest con-
5ence in the ability OF the management,
sd can do no more than to maintain eN-
sting conditions and await inevitable
changes. The action taken by the COM
mission lacks continuity. and the minutes
OF one day contradict those OF another
day. Action is taken. then amended. then
revoked. Under the recent administration
four OF the five officers of the commission
were changed. bringing IN new men. who
lacked even the advantage Of experience
views were unfayorabie TO the civil service
laws and rules. with theories little less
than hostile, and their inexperience and
proved disastrous They
adopted rules to classify in one lump 1900
new offices. and utterly failed 10 provide to
meet these needs. The present condition
averted only by immediate remedial ac-
ton, and at least three changes should be
made at once. not for political reasons. but
IN the interests Of the service"
Mr.. Proctor asked If Mr.. Bailey had not
sent copies Of this communication 10 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 did your friends not
ask the president TO appoint you civil SER
vice commissioner
IAN know IS that the papers said Rep
resentative Walker. Of Worcester, Mass.
where | came from, had presented my
name to the president"
Mr. Proctor then took the stand and at
the outset sought to show that the sweep
ing extension Of the classification of May
s. 1896. was not as has been alleged. "a
leap in the dark SO far as being eauiuped
for the changed conditions was concerned.