The times., 1898-02-02


continued its hearing yesterday, the
principal witness being Hon. Theodore
! Roosevelt, Assistant Secretary of the
! Navy.
The first witness called was ]. E.
White, head of the railway mail SER
vice. Mr.. White gave testimony to the
beneficial result of civil service in his
| department, pronouncing it entirely
satisfactory in every respect.
In reply TO question from Chair
I man Pritcbard as to whether it was
/ the impression among the clerks in his
/ department that they had a life job,
Mr. White answered that it was not;
that the general impression was that
their continuance in office depended on
their efficiency solely He stated that
| he was in favor of n relief bill for
clerks grown old in the service, the
fund 10 be made up by a. = per cent. as
sessment on the salaries of the clerks.
II. II. Brogden, first clerk in the navy
yard, WAS called and was enthusiastic
in his praise of the present system of
civil service in that department.
After Mr.. Proctor had corrected a
few slight errors in his previous testi-
mony MIR. Roosevelt was sworn, and
proceeded with his testimony.
lie has had much experience in civil
service matters, being a former Civil
Service Commissioner, and also having
served for two years as a New York
police commissioner, thus obtaining
knowledge of the practical workings OF
the system.
He said that in the Navy Department
civil service rules were practically in
dispensable, if really good work was 10
be got out Of this branch of the SER
vice
If the departments were all deprived
Of the civil service regulations said
he, lit would mean that the major por-
ton OF the time of every officer who
ought TO be engaged in public business
would be taken up in trying to recon
cile conflicting claims.
II have a little memorandum" con-
tinued MIR. Roosevelt, which may be
of interest on this point. The old sys-
tenn of appointment for political rea-
sons in the Navy Department was in
vogue when the new navy began to be
built. i want ii distinctly understood
that | do not reflect upon any particu-
lar Secretary. The old system worked
just about the same under any Secre-
tary. 1t gradually grew SO undesirable
that under Secretary Tracy the present
system was introduced 1t produced
speedily an almost complete elimina-
ton of politics in the laboring force.
There had been formerly great abuses
in the way Of employment Of labor in
the navy yard just before an election,
and law was passed prohibiting such
employment, except in cases of ur-
gency.
The law accomplished nothing. Ul'-
gency was declared always.
IN the Presidential election of 1888.
the old system of appointment of labor
for political reasons obtained. In Sep
tember Of that year there We're but /
J. 400 employees in the Brooklyn navy
yards. On November ] there were p
see: by December / the number had [
been reduced again TO less than 140O. (
Over 600 extra men were employed /
during the two months before election, /
and were discharged less than a month !
after election.
Before the time of the next Presi-
Dental campaign the civil service SyS-
tenn was established. and on September
/. 1882. there were 200 men employed
in this yard; on November !, 2,052 men.
Instead of 1,G90 more. there We're 150
less, showing the practical workings of
the system.
i want TO cite another little incident
which came directly under my notice.
When ! first came in / got a bill for
the furniture for the monitor Terror,
which attracted my attention for two
reasons. In the first place, it was a
very old bill. nearly ten years old,
very body had been most reluctant to
pass it. In the next place the amount
,harged was preposterous, at least ten
lines as much as it ought To have been.
The bureaus cost something like S400
apiece. / found on looking up the bill
hat il was perfectly regular, and there
was no alternative; l had to pass it. /
'ound there was considerable hesita-
ion at first on the part of the officers in
telling me about il, as they did not
want to reflect on any former officers.
rhe facts were, however. that before
he election Of 1855 men had been en-
oloyed at the request Of various Sena-
ors and Congressman, and We're utter
Y unfit for the work. and so absolute
Y incompetent that no man would have
hem in his department, but they could
lot be discharged, and in consequence
hey employed them all where thy
would do the least damage,as bureau
-ould break and the vessel still go on,
70 they set them all to making furni-
ure. and with the above result in the
ost."
In answer TO a question from AIr.
oritchard, as 10. the total cost OF this
urniture, Mr.. Roosevelt said that as
lie remembered it was about $4,000
When il should have been $500 or 500.
Since ] have come in continued Mr. /
Roosevelt, Il have personally investi-
ated the employment OF labor In all
he big yards on the Atlantic coast and
" deputy in the Mare Island navy
ard on the Pacific coast have
poken to the various officers and chiefs
f construction, the admirals and cap
aims detailed as captains Of the yards ,
Without a single exception they have
lformed me that the change for the
etter has been beyond belief since the
ayy yard laboring force has been en-
loyed without regard to politics. and
lat the change for the better in the
erical force, which has been recently
assified, is equally marked
They say that they get their work
one quicker and better. They have
wen me instances like this. They will
nd a man has been on an eight-days' I
oree, and viii say to ME, Yes. we can | n
ct rid of him now, but eight years ago O
e would have been back on us with :
three days
Men who now shirk their work can =.
dismissed, while under the old plan = !,
political pull would save them Il
The commander of the New York v
avy yard reported i'm writing that the I
aneral effect of civil service had been [
} reduce the cost during the year +
bout % per cent.
The construction department Of the
ew York yards, said he, had ten 4.
erks who had been appointed for po- i
teal reasons, but by whose aid he
'uld not quite get his work done The q
n were turned out and the five an .
United. and his work is done now"
Mr.. Roosevelt then took up the sub- n
CT of promotion for merit. He stated
at the written reports from the heads
the different departments OF the ma