Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-02-01

work as far as possible by departmental
regulations If it was to continue to do good
work.
Mr. Ledge asked the assistant secretary
what the effect would be the time of
heads Of departments If navy yards and
the departments generally were deprived
Of civil service regulations.
Mr.. Roosevelt-"It would mean that
great majority of the time of every officer
who ought to be engaged in the transac-
ton of public business would be taken uD
in trying to reconcile conflicting claims
to appointments Under the old system of
employing laborers in navy yards, which
was in vogue when the new navy was in
its early stages of building land | do net
wish it understood that l reflect upon
any Secretary, because the system worked
about the same way under all Secretaries
great difficulty was experienced. There
We're great abuses in the employment of la
borers In the navy yards just before cleo
ton times, and the law prohibiting such
employment except in cases of emergency
was found to be practically imperative
as an emergency was always pretended
An Example of Both Systems.
Mr.. Roosevelt here produced figures TO
show the number of men taken on just be-
fore the election of 1888 in the Brooklyn
navy yard, and the condition of the force
during the same period in relation to the
election of 1892. In 1885, when the spoils
system prevailed. there was an increase
~ tiS LII &c VI the l1TOOkltn navy ward
Just before the election in November
amounting to 1000 men. When the cleo
ton of 1892 came off there was shown tn
be an actual reduction in the force lust
at that time, when politics could have M
influence In making appointments
MI. Roose, elt here related an experience
nad upon becoming assistant secretary of
the navy. which was direct result of en-
proving so large an extra force shortly he
fore the election in 1888. One of the first
off1cial acts Mr.. Roosevelt was called upon
to perform was the approval of expenses
incurred with providing the monitor Terror
Win furniture. He said the bill was about
ten years old and the cost Of the furniture
was SHOWN to be preposterous, in fact ten
times as much as 1t could have been pur-
chased for A bureau made at the Brook
lyn navy yard, he said, cost $500 In all
the furniture for the Terror cost s6O(M
instead of about 5000, which would have
been more nearly its value. When he in
quired into the reason for this excessive
charge he found that 900 additional men
had been employed in the navy yard before
the election of 1888. The great problem
their employment entailed was to find a
pretext for keeping them busy. They could
not be employed on work which might in
volve the safety of a vessel, SO that great
numbers of them were set to work in the
furniture department. it being argued that
if tie furniture should break down it would
that bureaus cost 500 apiece and other
articles of furniture amounted to similar
eNorbitant prices.
Saving of Money Now.
Mr.. Roosevelt continued to say that he
had personally investigated the employ
ment of labor in all of the big navy yards
on the Atlantic coast with the exception OF
che, which he had investigated by proxy
He had spoken to various officers chiefs of
construction and men in charge of iaborers
and they had uniformly said that the force
had been greatly improved after being
taken out of politics. They said that the
work was done quicker and better than
formerly. The commandant of the New
YORK navy yerd had said that he estimated
saving of % per cent in the cost of labor
to the government in the conduct Of that
yard alone. Previously Mr.. Roosevelt said
when man went on a spree for several
DAYS or slept lumber of hours in a boiler
when he was supposed to be at work his
discharge was soon followed by his rein
statement, the result of political influence,
hut now the men know that such action
Will cause their permanent separation from
government employ. and the effect has been
excellent. The paymaster in the Brook
lyn navy yard formerly had ten clerks ap-
pointed for political reasons. He had de-
ciared his belief that il he could have five
clerks selected under rigid merit system
his work could be well done whereas it
was performed in an unsatisfactory way.
The change had come. he now has five in
stead OF ten clerks and his work is well
"oAS' WI AAooSCNcit Sdiu tndl Wnen Sec
rotary Herbert came in the clerks in the
navy yards had been turned out and new
ones put In their places as had been the case
formerly upon change of administration,
and great "eerie'' gentlemen came I'm,
too. said Mr.. Roosevelt He said that a
good many of these ''eerie" gentlemen were
icing weeded out and the force was great
ly improved.
Mr.. Roosevelt remarked that when a man
IS discharged now his friends usually al
lege that it Is for political or religious rea-
sons. He instanced one case in which
three men were discharged, one Catholic
another Protestant and a third a Hebrew.
In each OF these cases letters were sent to
the department alleging that the discharge
was for religious reasons
Mr.. Roosevelt created considerable amuse-
ment in telling of his experience with civil
service reform while police commissioner
OF New York city. 1t was to illustrate the
purpose of a general educational test On
applicants for positions as policemen. APP
piicants were asked to give brief state
ment Of the life of Abraham Lincoln. Out
Of some hundreds oil applicants. ten said
that Abraham Lincoln was president of
the southern confederacy. one said ne was