Evening star., 1898-08-19


1t was expected the commission would
take some action on Mr. Baiey's case to-
day, but Mr. Brewer being away from the
city, the matter was not considered, but it
will come up tomorrow morning, when the
commission will probably dispose of 1t.
The correspondence referred to follows:
The COmmission's Letter.
August 10, 1898
Mr.. Edwin D. Bailey.
Sir: You will please take notice that he
commission has under contemplation your
| dismissal from the position you occupy, and
from all other service under the commits
SIGN, and it hereby gives you the reasons
and charges upon which it will base its ac-
| tion should such dismissal take place.
The commission charges that you, on or
about the 18th day of July last, did, in an
interview with one Mr.. Jones, a CORES
| pondent of The Evening Star, newspaper
published in the city OF Washington, DIS
trict of Columbia, utter words and use Ian
guage for the purpose of the same being
| published in said newspaper, with the in
| tent and desire on your part of bringing
| disrepute and casting reproach upon the
commission and the members thereof, and,
by implication at least, charged the COM
| mission with a dishonorable act in the per-
fcrmance of it's official duties. To be more
specific, the commission here gives you a
full and complete statement touching the
matters referred to, in order that you may
| have the advantage of the same should you
see fit to answer the charges and COM
plants here made by the commission
| against you.
| Some time prior to July last the commits
sion directed the heads of the several d.
visions under the commission to make up
| the efficiency ratings of each of the en-
ployes under the commission. and on or
| about the 10th of July the heads of the
| several divisions made their report to the
| commission as directed. Such efficiency
| rating report was made in accordance with
1 he lat W
| under the commission for more than a year
| then last past. Such report was afterward,
on or about July %, 1898, approved by the
| commission, and on July 2S the commission
| made and caused to be entered in its min
ute book the following order or minute,
| and on July % said Jones permit ed
| to copy such order and did copy the same,
and thereafter, on the same day, he read a
copy of such order or minute to you, and
thereupon, after having heard the same
| read, you dictated and uttered the language
| and words mentioned and given in your in
terView which was published in The Even
| ing Star on July % last, and on the same
| day a copy of such minute was mailed 20
you. Copy Of such order or minute read to
| you and the interview referred to having
been published in The Star aforesaid are
| here given as they appeared in said paper:
THE civil service commission today re-
duced Mr.. E. d. Bailey, clerk of class 4,
| to the grade of class 3, and promoted Mr..
G. r. Wales to the vacancy.
| Mr.. Bailey is the official of the civil
| service commission who testified before the
Senate investigating committee which was
| looking into the affairs of the civil service.
"A reporter of The Star first informed
Mr.. Bailey of the change which dropped
him to a lower class. He said
81 never heard a whisper of incompa-
teEcy or inefticiency until after 1 was sum-
moned before the Senate investigating COM
mittee. On the other hand, it is the pres
ent board. less Mr.. Brewer, which made me
| chief clerk of the chief examiners division,
and which sought my advice and recon-
mendations in most of the important ac-
tions taken during the past two years.
Whatever the commission may say,
| there can be no doubt that their present
action is the result of the testimony which
| gave before the Senate investigating COM
mittee. That testimony was very damag-
ing to the course of the commission, and
remains unrefuted to this day.
AS to the question of efficiency / am
very willing to submit it to the judgment
of those with whom l have been the long
est associated in the office and who are in
a position to give an unprejudiced judg-
ment. But l am not willing to accept the
opinion of persons prejudiced by their per-
sonal interest, is the present case with
the commission.
II was not responsible for being sum-
noned before the Senate Investigating COM
mittee, but when summoned l could do
nothing less than speak the truth. / should
do the same were / summoned again, even
though the result were far more disastrous
than a reduction. But this case has not
ended. 1 have received assurances from
those who were responsible for my appear
ance before the committee that they would
see justice done and l rely upon them
when The Star reporter stated to the
commission that it was stated that Mr..
Bafleys reduction was the result of an ami
mostly engendered during the Senate in
vestigation it was promptly denied.
The reduction would have taken place
said two members of the commission
(Messrs Brewer and Harlow, if the testi-
mony had never been given
THE reporter suggested that the min
uteS OF the meeting at which this action
was taken be given to the public and the
commission consented. The record states:
'1nasmuch as an examination of the
work reports and the efficiency ratings Of
the force OF the commission dscloses the
fact that certain of the employees of class
are of far more value to the commission
than 2. D. Bailey, who is rated as the low
est of the clerks Of class 4, it is therefore
ordered that E. d. Bailey be reduced to a
clerkship of class g. and that G. R. Wales,
whose rating is the highest for class 3, be
promoted to clerkship Of class on Au-
gust 1 next.
has fully considered the responsible char
acter and the peculiar value of the services
rendered by Mr.. Wales as compared with
these of Mr.. Bailey"
1t must be noted that when you used the
language given in the interview referred to
you had heard read copy of the minute
or order of the commission reducing you
from clerkship in class to a clerkship
in class g. and you thereby were informed
by the reading of such minute or order of
the reasons given why such change was
made by the commission in the official or
der referred to, and yet you in the inter-
view given used the following language
touching the commission and dts official act
in its efforts to fix the pay of employees in
service and in the performance of the work
of the commission: