Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-10-30
POLITICAL LEVIES
In Any Shape from Govern
ment Employees illegal.
An Official Statement Made by the
Civil Service Commission,
No Matter the Mode. the Fact Itself Is Against
the Law.

Washington, Oct. GA long official
statement reviewing the legal phases
of the political assessment question
and holding that the soliciting of cam
paign funds by letter comes clearly
within the remedial provisions of the
civil service law, was made public by
the civil service commission. tonight.
The commission made the statement
because of circulars sent out by w. F.
Burdell, as treasurer of the finance
committee of the Ohio Republican ex-
ecutive committee, soliciting contribu-
tions from federal employees. The conf
mission says the Ohio circulars bring
up clearly the question so long await
ing judicial determination as to
whether soliciting of contributions for
political purposes by means of letters
addressed to federal officers and en-
ployes at their offices constitutes an
offense under the 18th section of the
civil service act.
The commissions ruling or brief now
made public was submitted by PrcSi-
dent Proctor of the commission to eX-
Senator George f.. Edmunds of Yer
mont, who was chairman of the Senate
judiciary committee at the time the
civil service act was passed. The latter
in his opinion, which the commission
gives particular significance, says:
Il entirely agree with the conclusions
stated in the brief. | think it is clear
that the soliciting of such political aids
by means of the post office is distinctly
within the prohibition of section MI of
the act to which | refer The language
Of the section is That no person shall
in any room or building. etc, solicit
in any manner whatever etc. 1t is
not that no person being in a room
or building shall solicit. but it is that no
solicitation shall be made in any such
place. no matter where the person
making the solicitation may be
After quoting this letter the commits
sion reviews at length legal decisions of
the question under consideration and says
that from them, the conclusion is UNI
avoidable that the writing and sending
throughout the United States mails of 4
letter addressed to an officer or employee
of the government at his Office. asking
for contribution of money for any
political purpose constitutes a solicitation
of money for that purpose, and that
since such solicitation has its full fleet
only upon the delivery of such letter to
the addressee, which delivery occurs with
in a government building it is an act Of
soliciting done in government building
and hence comes within the meaning of
the express terms of the statute.
The commission adds: The statute does
not deal with the mode of soliciting but
the fact itself, and it would have been
most unusual if Congress had undertaken
to specify the different forms of solicit
ing II is not sufficient for the party
manager to keep from the building in or
der to avoid the legal penalties while at
the same time he commits all the harm
which Congress intended to prevent The
evil has been aggravated by the large
number of circulars sent to employees of
the government through the mails, that
agency being very convenient one by
which to reach a number of persons.
THAT these very circulars We're dcf
nitclv in the mind of Congress as main
source of the evils sought to be remcdied
is clearly nferablc from the fact that
numbers of such circulars We're actually
presented and read and the fact of their
being sent through the mails to persons
in the government employ clearly alluded
to during the debates in the Senate prior
to the passage of the bill