The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-12-15
Administration Criticized for Order
Of Nay Is.
Address by Hon. Carl
Schurz.
Finds that Matters Have Been
Growing Worse.

India napoltss DecemDer is-At tho
open meeting held this afternoon the
national civil services league attacked
the administration OF President Mokin.
ley In regard to the order Of May 20, re-
moving officers from the list
Speeches were made by Charles j.
Bonaparse and Hon. Carl Sohurs Of
New York.
Mr.. Schultz said In part:
There Is only one real difficulty In Oh
strucii ing the full development OF the
merit system In our public servtce-and
that IL the pressure Of political influence
for patronage, and the lack of resisting
power among appointing officrs to stand
firm against that pressure. IL were In
q position Of power and desired to under
mine the merit sy stem In the public ser
vice with view to Its final overthrow.
but without proclaiming myssf Its
enemy, the things contained In the
Presidents order of May 29ih. together
with the reasons given to justify them,
would suggest them selves to me s among
the most effective shifts to bring about
that end. 1t Is too notorious to be de.
MED that persons in the Federal service
have become much more forward again
activity" than they &ers for NJ any years
During several adm In istr ations, for in.
stanc,, the business community OF New
York had bsSn accustomed to see the
great Custom House OF that port ''out OF
politics." the Collector Of Customs devot-
ing himsalf to his official duties without
taking any active pars In party move
ments But now the collector Is promi-
nent figure again In party oauouses and
other gatherings, and occasionally he
finds 1t even proper to cheer his audiences
with exhilarating remarks about the
actual or prospective relaxation Of the
civil service rules by executive action.
Thus the great Custom House OF New
York 10 out Of politics no longer; and the
same may b. said OF other large or small
government es Establishments.
at Is matter OF notoriety that the
lsvying of assessments upon persons In
ths Federal service has again assumed
very formidable dimensions This abuse,
to be sure, has to some extent existed al
the while. But 1t is this year the public
mind was rather seriously startled BY the
unusually defiaot bolduess with which
the Republican State Committee of Ohio,
tae President's own state, put the Fed
eral service all over the couutry under
contribution to Its party campaign fund.
instruoting, with rare cynicism, the pub.
lie servants how the penal clauses Of the
law against assessments could be circum-
vented. This truly remarkable procs cd .
ing went on without the slightest mark
of disapproval on the part Of those charged
"
last the Civil Service Commission re-
monstrated against it, the immediate rs-
suit of which remonstrance was, accord
ing 20 the press reports, that the Repub-
loan State Committee OF Ohio rushed out
arother call admonishing the Federal
office holders to be quick In paying mp:
In this way an unusually large amount
OF money was obtained from the public
servants by the levying OF assess-
ments in the cass mentioned as
well as In another cases, on the ground Of
an opinion recently rendered by ex-Seua-
the judiciary COMMITTEES OF the Senate
which reported the statute In question;
and ID 10 hopea that n salutafy example
will be made Of the guilty persons. This
II successfully carried through. would
indeed serve to prevent the repetition Of
such glaring eJcesses in the same line.
But drastic MEASURES on the part OF
the Administration to demonstrate Its
earnestness as to the maintenance Of the
merit system. will be required to cure
that deterioration Of the atmosphere In
the public service which has teen brought
about by the multiplication Of places
filled by political influence as we'll as BY
the impunity with which in so many
conspicuous cases the rules have been
ciroumvented and the spirit OF the law
has been openly defsd-an impunity
which but too easily Is taken for ap-
provsl.
In this respect, ] must confess, the para
graphs In the Presidents message REFER
ing to the civil service. fail to afford
much comfort, for they may be summed
mp In one sentsnoe-that everything is
now In satisfactory condition. We can
only hope that the chesvful optimism be-
trayed BY this uttsranoe will not prevent
the President from considering worthy Of
notice the Investigations made by this
League and the resulting reports upon