Evening star., 1899-05-31
Every Change Recommended by
Head Of a Department.
SECRETARY GAGE GIVES His VIEWS
Reasons for Excluding Certain
Places.
NOT A STEP BACKWARD

Secretary Gage today gave to a represen-
tadve of The Star his views as to the Presi-
dents recent civil service order He said:
The President has not made a change In
the civil service rules that was not urged
by the head Of the department concerned,
and urged with satisfying reasons why the
change would be beneficial to the transac-
tion of public business. l believe that Is
true Of all the departments. While can
not speak with authority of other depart
ments, 1t is certainly true with. the treas
ury. No change was made in the civil SER
vice regulations affecting the treasury that
We did not recommend to the President on
our own initiative.
. The order Is not yet well understood,
nor have the reasons for the changes,
which the experience of administration may
explain, been comprehended by persons not
close to the administration of public af-
fairs.
THE only large class of places in the
treasury service which have been exempted
are the deputy collectors of internal reve-
nue., and politics has had nothing to do with
that exemption. l have given that question
the most careful study, and / do not believe
it was either lawful or just to have the
places of deputy collectors Of internal reve
Deputy Collectors.
Section 314S Of the United States Re-
vised Statutes thus provides: Each collec
tor shall De authorized to appoint. by an
instrument In writing. under his hand, as
many deputies as he may think proper, to
be by him compensated for their services;
to revoke any such appointment giving
notice thereof as the commissioner of inter
nal revenue may prescribe: and to require
and accept bonds or other securities from
such deputies. Each such deputy shall
have the like authority, in every respect, to
collect the taxes. levied or assessed. within
the portion of the district assigned to him
which is by law vested in the collector him
self; but each collector shall, In every re-
spect. be responsible both 10 the United
States and to individuals. as the case may
be. for all moneys collected, and for every
act done or neglected to be done by any of
his deputies while acting as SUCH.
Deputy collectors of internal revenue,
therefore, are not appointed by the head
of the Treasury Department, and are not
directly amenable to him. They differ
practically from all other employees In
any way connected with this department.
The law authorizing the appointment. of
deputy collectors of internal revenue gives
thu power of appointment to the collectors.
The deputies are responsible to the col
lectors only, and not to the general gov
ernment The responsibility to the gov
ernment is through the collector, a respon-
sbility for which the deputy must give
bonds to the collector. The collectors are
responsible for the action of these depu-
ties, both to the public and to the govern
ment and Congress recognizing that fact
gave to the collectors the appointing power
l believe these reasons leave no room for
discussion as to the propriaty of excepting
these places from the classified service.
Private Secretaries.
Another class of exceptions has been
the private secretaries to certain bureau
heads. The list is not long one, and 1t is
not the character of place which will be
opened to political pressure. A man should
be free to choose his confidential secretary,
for in no conneotion does the personal
equation, which is quite unmeasurable by
the civil service commission, have greater
weight.
THE exceptions in the Alaskan service
have been made necessary by the great
distance from Washington, and the time
consumed in making certifcations and ap-
The half dozen exceptions in the mint
service are OF positions where the employ es
have extraordinary financial responsibility.
and these exceptions Were recommended by
the civil service commission after a careful
examination of the conditions.
1T should be noted that In the case of
nearly all these excepted places, with the
exception of private secretaries 1t Is pro-
vided that the person appointed must sue
ceSsfully pass an examination equivalent to
the one held by the commission for posi-
tions of like character. There is no letting
down in the requirements for ascertained
fitness, and IN my opinion there will be no
deterioration in the qualifications Of people
appointed
Not a Step Backward.
II do not regard the changes in any
sense a step backward The inclusive order
of President Cleveland bringing, as 1t did
every place to which appointment was
made by the Secretary of the Treasury into
the classified service. with the exception of
his private secretary and stenographer, was
too broad. L think 1t was generally con-
ceded at the time it was made that 1t
would probably be found too broad. 1t in
cluded in the classified service many places
to which at the time no especial considera-
'tion was given. for 1t swept in everything.
The decision to take out some of these
places has not been hasty. The trial has
extended now for three years, and the num-
Der of exceptions compared with the $1,000
places that were included in President
CIevelands order relatively are few. Il is
matter of great surprise and satisfaction
that experience has not shown that the ex
captions now made should be more numer
Gus ra ther than so few"