Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-01-27
CIVIL-SERVICE BOMB.
SENSATIONAL LETTER FROM
CLERK BAILEY.
FROM
SEQUEL TO vnAnuE, MADE MONDAY.
severe Criticism of the Commits
sion's Administration of Affairs
"Business OF the bureau In the
Greatest Confusion" a

WASHINGTON. ID. c., January 90
Rev. Il. ID. Bailey, chief clerk of the Elk
aminers' Office, Civil-Service Commission
| and for many years connected with that
body. frequently acting as chief examiner.
submitted some sensational testimony at
| to-day's session of the Civil-Service In
vestigating Committee.
| IL was a sequel to the charges he made
Monday OF intimidation and interference
| by the commission with his testimony.
| He called attention TO the bitter attack
made on him then by President Proctor,
of the commission.
In letter which he made public at the
| instance of the commission. addressed
to Theodore Roosevelt, then New York
Police Commissioner, now Assistant Secre-
tary Of the Navy, the commission was
severely criticised. In an accompanying
personal letter he expressed the hope that
In any reorganization the President might
deem desirable to make Mr.. Proctor
might be retained In his position. This
communication, making startling charges.
and which created a sensation, follows in
brief:
1.-The business of the commission is in
the greatest confusion, and is becoming
more and more demoralized for want of
intelligent management. acquisitions are
not acted on for months, and many COM
plants are made by the departments OF
delays and annoyances detrimental to
the service. In such cases temporary APP
pointments were authorized, and after
ninety days made permanent although
no rule exists permitting such action.
These acquisitions probably cover several
hundred places. In one batch thrty-two
appointments in the Marine Hospital Ser
vice were reported for which no authority
existed, and the only excuse was the
failure of the commission to provide regis
ters. The Navy Department recently
appointed fifteen steel inspectors without
examination or certifcation ly the COM
mission, and the department has request
ed the commission to make the appoint
ments regular by issuing certifcations.
No action on these has yet been taken.
The engineer service at large has made
acquisitions to fill hundreds of places.
and no provision has yet been made to
meet the demands. A number of APP
pointments in the Sub-Treasury at New
York have been made since the classih
cation, without extension. No attempt
has been made to meet the needs of the
Ordnance Department, and irregularities
and questionable appointments have been
so numerous that the rules have almost
lost their force, and the alleged law Of
necessity is regnant.
THE GREATEST UNCERTAINTY.
"a want of uniformity exists in all the
business of the commission, and the
greatest uncertainty prevails. The SUBJ
ordinates cannot do their work with con-
fidence, because all precedents, practices,
and principles are abandoned, and new
ones substituted. No reliable policy or
line of action exists which can be re-
lied on, and contradictory action is fire.
quent. The force of the commission has
lost confidence IN the ability of the man.
agement, and can do no more than main
tain existing conditions and await inevi-
table changes. The action taken by the
commission lacks continuity, and the
minutes Of one day contradict those Of
another day. The action taken is then
amended or revoked.
Under the recent administration, four
of the five officers of the commission were
changed, bringing in new men. who lack
ed even the advantage of experience in
the departmental service; some whose
views were unfavorable to the civil SER
vice law and rules, and with theories lit
tie less than hostile thereto. and their
inexperience and unfamiliarity proved
disastrous.
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 political reasons,
but in the interests of the service"
STATEMENT FROM PROCTOR.
President Proctor, of the commission. |
made a statement to the committee re-
garding the charge that he and the COM
mission had sought to intimdate Witness |
Bailey. He said that when he spoke TO |
Mr.. Bailey and told him that hitherto |
no one had been subpOenaed by the chair
man of the committee. except those who !
were antagonistic 10 the commission, he /
had then in his possession a duplicate
copy OF the communication 10 Mr.. RoOse- |
welt submitted to-day. 1t was furnished |
him by a United States Senator, and he
did not know its author until the first
testimony of Mr.. Bailey, when he sus-
pected him. He had known for some
time that the paper had been passed |
among senator's and made the basis OF
an attack on the OWL service. He told |
Mr.. Bailey that he supposed that he had
been subpoenaed at the instance Of some
senator who had seen the paper, and
that after the complaints were all in
he would ask the committee TO summon
people who had long experience in i'm
portant positions in relation to the opera
ton of the civil service.
He had stated that he wished that any
one having a knowledge Of wrong-doing
in the commission would state all the
facts. but there was line 10 be drawn
between that and a subordinate criticising
the administration of the commission, the
departments, and the President, and
.-t,.rrroufinrc |