The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1898-01-28
REV.BAILEY' SCHARGES
What He Says Of the Civil Service
Commission.
LETTER TO THEODORE ROOSEVELT.

I'm IL the Chief Clerk OF the Examine,'. Of
flee Makes Some Startling Statements
business OF the Commission Becoining
More and More Demoraiized Owing to
Had Management Teller Opens Debate
I'm His Resolution in the senate.
washington, ID. c., Jan. 27.-Rev. L..
ID. Bailey, chief clerk Of the examin-
ers office. civil service commission.
submitted some sensational testimony
at the session of the senate civil service
investigating committee. 1t was a Sc
quel to the charges he made Monday
or intimidation and interference by the
commission with his testimony He
called attention to the bitter attack
made on him then by President Proc
tor OF the commission. He read a let
ter he had addressed to Theodore
Roosevelt, the New York police COM
missioner. severely criticizing the COM
mission. This letter said in part
THE business OF the committee is in
the greatest confusion and is becoming
more and more demoralized for want
OF intelligent management Requisi-
lions remain Enacted on for months and
many complaints are made by the de-
partments of delays and annoyances
detrimental to the service. In such
cases temporary appointments were au-
thorized and after ninety days made
permanent, although no rule exists
permitting such actions. These requi-
sitions probably cover several hundred
| places"
Questionable Appointments.
The letter gave a number of instances
in substantiation of the general state
ment. Continuing the letter said:
| Questionable appointments have been
so numerous that the rules have almost
| lost their force and the alleged law of
| necessity is regnant and want of uni
| formity exists in all the business of
the commission and the greatest un-
| certainty prevails. The subordinates
cannot do their work with confidence,
because all presidents. practices and
| principles are abandoned and new ones
| substituted. No reliable policy or line
| Of action exists which can be relied on
| and contradictory action Is frequent
| The force of the commission has lost
confidence in the ability of the manage
| ment and can do no more than tc
maintain existing conditions and await
inevitable changes The action taken
by the commission lacks continuity
and the minutes of one day contradict
those Of another day
New and Inexperienced Men.
Action is taken, then amended, ther
revoked. Under the recent admins
tration four or five officers Of the com
mission were changed, bringing in new
men, who lacked even the advantage o
experience in the departmental service
some whose views were unfavorable t
the civil service law and rules, will
theories little less than hostile. ant
their inexperience and unfamiliarity
proved disastrous. They adopted rules
to classify, in one lump, 10000 new of
fees and utterly failed to provide t
meet these needs. The present condi
ton is thoroughly alarming. Disaste
can be averted only by immediate
remedial action and at least thre
changes in the office should be made a
once, not for political reasons, but II
the interests of the service"
Only His Wife Knew.
Mr.. Proctor asked If Mr.. Bailey ha
not sent copies of this communicated
to certain senators. The witness re
piled that his wife was, so far as n
knew, the only other person who knew
of its existence.
about that time did your friend
ask to have the president appoint 20
civil service commissioner"
"All / know is that the papers sal
Representative Walker of Worcester
Mass, where / came from. had present
ed my name to the president"
President Proctor Of the commissio
then took the stand and at the outse
sought to show that the sweeping ex
tension of the classification of May
1896. was not, as has been alleged, "
leap In the dark" so far as bein
equipped for the changed condition