New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-10-04
A CANAL POLITICIAN.
THOMAS WHEELER DISREGARDS cOro
Mel PARTRIDGES ORDER
INSTEAD or REFRAINING FROM ACTIVE
POLITICS. HE rs A PROMINENT WORKER
IN PRIMARIES AND CONVENTIONS
UNFORTUNATE RESULTS ~
ONEIDA COUNTY.

ONEIDA COUNTY
Utica. y Y. oct. 3 (SpeciaD Thomas Whe.,
or. OF this city who holds the place % Assist
ant Superintendent Of Public Works and ha,
charge Of the Middle Division 81 the canals q,
| the state. has been conspicuously active ~ late
in attendance at conventions u the Republican
/ party in this county ~ oneida. ana prominent,
in councils Of Republican politicians concerning
nominations People Therefore are beginning e
wonder whether he considers the recent order u
his superior officer, Colonel John y Partridge
the Superintendent Of Public Works. prohibiting
any undue political activity Of canal employees"
as seriously meant. Certainly Mr. Wheeler has
acted as II he believed the order dia not apply
to him. or II It did that it would not he enforced
against him by the nnction OF any punishment
RELYING Ok SENATOR PLATT
Mr. Wheeler IS an influential Republican poll
! tlcian Doubtless he relies upon his Influence
| with Senator Plat 10 protect m from any
sequences Of an unfortunate nature following his
meddling with the primaries 81 tho Republican
party in Oneida County He therefore openly
denes Superintendent Partridge, and back 0.
him defes Governor Roosevelt, who inspired
superintendent Partridges order.
The order may be said 70 have had rs origin
| over five months ago, when Colonel Partridge
| made a report 10 Governor Roosevelt on the re-
suit Of his inspection Of the Canadian canals as
a member Of the Canal Advisory Commission
! one OF the chief features Of that report was
statement by Colonel Partridge that the Cana-
! dian canal employees were a remarkably efficient
body Of workingmen and that In his opinion
! their capabiIity was due 70 their long familiarity
with their work and the circumstance that they
did not attempt to interfere with the political
| oft afr D.fghIgrg and indeed took
active part in the proceedings OF political par
ties
The same report was made TO Governor Roose-
welt by General Francis Y. Greene. Frank s
Witherbee and other members II the Canal Ad
visory Commission. Thus indirectly they COM
mented severely upon the habit II New York poll
iticians Of making the Canal Department 81 their
State political one, with its officials subject to
every political change on one side of III" border.
IN Canada, was permanent public employment
so long as the empoye was honest and capable
on the other, in the United States force 4
men employed on the canals FOR short periods.
| changed with every change Of state adminisira-
! ton and compelled 10 give attention % political
! primaries and conventions rather than T. canal
work
MR. ALDRIDGE'S DTSMISSAI,S
u may az well be stated here that The Tribune
| CORRESPONDENT recently examined the books 4
the Civil Service Commission at Albany contain
ing the record OF the time Of the appointment y
the employees Of the Department II Public Works
and that il was perfectly apparent from mat
record that George W Aldridge who assumed
office as the Superintendent Of Public Works on
January . 1885 dismissed almost every Demo-
cratic employe in that department before the eH-
piration Of his term. In Canada the efficient en-
,,1,, -o,,ld bar no retained matter Wnd'
his politics.
Governor Roosevelt was so much impressed by
the report Of the Canal Advisory Commission re-
ferrad to that he informed the newspaper cor'
respondents at Albany Of IT. and praised me
Canadian way Of administering the affairs y
| canals II harmonized with his IDEAS oi CIV"
Service reform He further stated that u was
his intention. before the end OF his admin
istration to take the canals Of New-York state
like those Of Canada. 'out Of politics
-Four months passed, and Governor Roosevelt
! began travelling about the state making
sneeches al the county fairs. now ana then
going into canal county and listening 10 me
talk Of politicians Interested in canal patronage
Besides. in non-canal counties like jefferson -
Lawrence and steuben the Governor heard
! good deal Of talk adverse to the canals The
result Of this renewed talk about canal admins
tration was that the Governor entered into some
CORRESPONDENCE with Superintendent Partridge
having in mind the atter's report about the
freedom Of the Canadian canals from the weak
ening effect Of political management
THE GOVERNORS RECOMMENDATIoN.
FINALLY tha Governor wrote Superintendent
Partridge favorlng the prohibition 81 'unluS
political activity Of canal employees ami 81
perintendent Partridge issued the following al
monitory letter to the employees OF the Depart
ment Of Public Works:
As the fall political campaign is getting under
| way complaints are brought 10 me from N'e !"
time Of the undue political activity or cana en-
In this connection call your attention 10
! the provisions Of Sections - and - ~ Chal'eI,
! $40 OF the Laws of 1899. known as tnr IN ,
| Service Law and esi"ClfHS lH' 4.'''
| words In Section -. t,,.
And whoever. being a public officer or nav
! ing or claiming 10 have any authority o' "",
| ence for or affecting the nomination. -. 81
any nuhlic officer shall corruptl} use OF pi"'l,'
| or threaten TO use any such authority "' ''",
! ence directly or Indirectly. IN order t' '''l' ,,,
| persuade the vote or political action ~ an. ,
| zen etc shall be- guilty of bribery "i an ''''''
| at bribery" s...,,,,-
| mating for or against any state einI..t" -
! YOU because 81 his attitude IN any l'l..,' N,
test My own Judgment is that IL is ui" ..'ys
| canal employees 10 max" themselves III
| I'm nolitics as IL has a tendency I" it'''. ~,
attsrtton from official duties and 10 impair M
~ficirncv. send you. under separate cover; -
! dav a copy OF the Civil Servir" Ia" r','i,',' Ia
! and a set II civil Service rules. J ~ NI. ~
" "inn - make yourself familiar with ne p'
visions and requirements not only "i inT ia,
| hut ~ the Civil Service rules - me 'Nl ~,
they may boz carried out IN the a'l''"'S''''''
the affairs Of your section.
There can be no question that this letter vas
os,sc,ally addressed to the three CHIEF suo''4'
mates OF Superintendent Partridge VINO nav
! ohorye # the three divisions ~ the cana' ~
ION, of the state Mr. Wheeler is one OK me-
men. They come more directly ~ ''n'"'' 49,
,he canal employees than Superln''ia'N'
fridge himself He is most of the time in N''"'Y