The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1898-08-21
Civil Service Commits ion Dis
charges Bailey.
VARIOUS REASONS GIVEN
Former Chief Clerk Now Makes 81
Number OF Charges which May
Cnuse am Investigation 10 lie Dr.
manded-PuiIs and Influence More
Succcssful Than Efficiency.

Clerk Z. ID. Baliey reached a { max yes
terday. when Mr.. Bailey was discharged
from service 10y order Of Commissioners
Brewer. Harlow, and Proctor.
The following order was issued by the
commission yesterday afternoon:
Whereas the commission did, on the
18th of August 1895 notify in writing Mr..
Edwin ID. Bailey, an employe in and I'M
der the commission. that the commission
had under contemplation ms dlshlIssdi
from the position he held under the COM
mission, for the reason that said Bailey
had uttered and used words and language
in the public press and otherwise 1alsely
charging the commission with having fai-
sified the official records of the commits
sion and performed other dishonorable
official acts, as more fully set forth in the
notice containing such charges served
upon Mr.. Bailey; and
Whereas said Bailey was in such no
tice requested to appear before the COM
mission on the 18th day OF August, 1885,
at o'clock D. m. of said day, and then
and there make answer, verbally or in
writing. TO such charges as We're given IN
such notice; and
Whereas the said Bailey having APP
peared at the time mentioned, and flied
with the commission a lengthy statement
in writing. in which he makes no denial
of the charges preferred by the commits
sion against him as set forth in the no
admits the allegations and charges set
forth in such notice TO be true, and only
seeks TO justify the uttering OF such
words and the using Of such language
as charged against him by The commits
sion,
Therefore, The commission now here, as
a matter of fact, finds that the charges
made by the commission against said
Bailey. and given in such notice 10 him,
are true. and they further md thai the
words uttered and language used by Mir.
Bailey, as shown in s-fcn notice. were
untrue and unWarranted touching the
commission. and for this reason the COM
mission is of the opinion that such false
and unwarranted allegations made 10y said
Bailey against the commission are good
reasons for his dismissal from service an
DER the commission,
Therefore II is hereby ordered that Ed
win d. Bailey be and he is hereby dis
missed from service in and under the
commission, such dismissal 10 take effect
at the close of work a. o'clock p. m. on
August 20 1888.
This action is directly the result Of an
interview published last July, in wllich
Mr.. Bailey charged that his reduction
from class four to a clerk of class three
was the result Of his testimony before
the Senate investigating committee last
Winter The Commission claimed that
he was reduced because he had low
rating for efficiency
Mr.. Bailey still holds that his reduction
and dismissal are the result Of his telling
the truth before the Senate committee.
when. as he says. he should have kept
his mouth shut if he wished to retain
his hold
Mr.. Bailey made several statements for
publication yesterday afternoon, in
which he preferred charges which Will
probably cause an investigation TO be
demanded. Among other things the for
mer chief clerk says:
During the closing years Of Mr..
Clevelands Administration. these men.
who are responsible for placing this i'm
portant and indispensable reform in
jeopardy, adopted measures and resorted
10 methods which TO my mind have de-
moraiized the whole system. The object
Of the civil service law and rules is TO
eliminate politics and personal favoritism
from appointments and promotions by
substituting open competitive examina-
tions. To make the system complete and
perfectly fair, all back doors TO appoint
ment and promotion should be closed and
the only open door should be the front
door, through which merit My as eter-
door. through which merit only as deter
What disturbs me now is to see a dozen
back doors open where favorites are be-
ing ushered in, while those who stand at
the front door are held al bay and be-
come the dupes Of a defective system.
I hate TO make confession of this kind,
and / would not make it only that I be-
Heve the truth should be told before it is
too late TO correct the errors.
Il do not hesitate to say that in my
opinion the present Commissioners have
granted favors and privileges inconsistent
with the merit system in order TO pur-
chase favors and immunity in high places,
and in doing so they have established
precedents and practices which seem TO
me to be utterly demoralizing to the
whole merit system. The situation is
such now that if an appointing officer
really wants to appoint man to a place
a way to do ii can be found The meth
DDS resorted 10 for evading an honest
competition would stock curiosity shop.
These methods have grown up under the
tutelage OF the present Commissioners.
excepting. of course. Judge Brewer, who
is too new in the Commission TO be held
20 joint responsibility.
Il can cite many cases of these back
door entrances TO the service but one or
two viii suffice.
In one instance an examination was
held in accordance with the request of a
department. but the man whom the de-
partment wanted went down so badly on
the list of eligibles that his name could
not be reached. The whole examination
was Cancelled. and fhe next time il was
held allowance was made for experience
BY this process the department got the
man that it wanted Experience is gen
orally the unknown quantity in the prob
lem to which any value may be assigned
which is necessary to produce the desired
result.
In another case where the examfna-
ton had nothing more to do with Alaska
that with China special credit was
given for familiarity with Alaska. be-
cause the man wanted had been to
Alaska and thus came out ahead of the
others"
Mr.. Bailey cited a number of cases of
this kind and closed with the following
Statement:
These instances are not due to the de-
fects Of the merit system. but to the de-
fects of the administration of 1t. The
commission has only TO plant itself
sqnarely on the law, which provides for
open, fair and honest competition as the
only test for entrance to the service, and
all these bubbles and receptions and