The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-01-27
CIVIL SERVICE CHAOS.
Mr.. Bailey Renevs His Attach, ON
the Commission.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 26.-E. D. Bal
ley, chief clerk of the examiners Of
nee, civil service commission. submit
ted some sensational testimony at to-
days session of the senate civil service
sequel TO the charges he made Monday
OF intimidation and interference by
the commission with his testimony.
He called attention to the bitter at
tack made on him then by President
Proctor, of the commission. He read a
letter he had addressed to Theodore
Roosevelt the New York police COM
missioner, severely criticising the COM
mission, The letter said, in part:
me business Of the commission is in the
greatest confusion and is becoming more and
more demor9lized for want of intelligent man
agement acquisitions remain Enacted on for
months, and many complaints are made by
the department of delays and annoyances
detrimental to the service. In such cases
temporary appointments were authorized and
after ninety days made permanent although
no rule exists permitting such actions These
requlsltlons probably cover several hundred
places.
The letter gave a number of instances in
substantiation of the general statement Con
tinuing, the letter said:
Questionable appointments have been so nu-
merous that the rules have almost lost their
force, and the alleged law of necessity IS;
regnant and a want of uniformity exists i'm
all the business of the commission and the
greatest uncertainty prevails. The subordi-
because all presidents, practices and prn-
ciples are abandoned and new ones substitut-
ed. No reliable policy line of action ex-
lists which can be relied upon, the contra
dictory is frequent. The force of the commits
sion has lost confidence in the ability of the
management and can do no more than to
maintain existing conditions and await in
eVItable changes. The action taken by the
commission lacks continuity and the minutes
of one day contradict those Of another day.
Action is taken then amendments then re-
161lsf ho ,t.4,. IL
four of the five officers of the commission
were changed, bringing in new men, who
lacked even the advantage of experience in
the departmental service some of whose views
were unfavorable to the civil service law
and rules, with theories little less than hos
tile, and their inexperience and unfamiliarity
proved disastrous. They adopted rules to
classify, in one lump, y COO new Offices and
utterly failed to provide to meet these needs.
The present condition is thoroughly alarm
ing. Disaster can be averted only by I'm
mediate remedial action, and at least three
changes in the offices should be made at
once, not for political reasons, but in the in
terests of the service.
Mr.. Proctor asked if Mr.. Bailey had
not sent copies of this communication
to certain senators. The witness re-
piled that his wife was, so far as he
knew, the only other person who knew
of it's existence.
about that time your friends asked
to have the president appoint you civil
service commissioner
Cali I know is that the papers said
Representative Walker of Worcester,
Mass, where [ came from, had present
ed my name to the president"
President Proctor, of the commission,
then took the stand, and at the outset
sought to show that the sweeping ex-
tension of the classification of May 6.
1886, was not, as had been alleged, "a
leap in the dark" so far as being
equipped for the changed conditions
was concerned.