The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1900-08-09
ASSESSING OFFICEHOLDERS.
spasmodic Efforts of Civil Servfc,

Sposmodic Efforts OF Civil Service
Commission to Correct the EVIL.
Every four years on a large scale, and
spasmodlc efforts at odd intervals. the
Civil Service Commission is called upon to
wrestIe with the subject OF contributions
by officeholders for political purposes
1t makes no difference which party is in
power, the Commission always finds work
to do in a national campaign. for. strange
as ii may seem TO the uninitiated the domi-
nant political party managers always rest
under the impression that the employees Of
the Government owe something TO the par
ty which placed them in Office, and that
those employees who signalize their in
gratitude and their indifference to the well
fare Of their party by refusing to contrib
ute to the campaign fund may properly be
regarded by their superior officers as IN
worthy of promotion. even il permitted to
retain their positions
By persistent activity the Commission
has broken up the custom Of assessing en-
ployes a certain percentage of their sal
aries. and has put a stop to the collection
of contributions at the Government offices.
But the arm of the political manager hus-
ting for campaign funds is long, and in
some way or other they seldom have any
trouble in procuring the home addresses
of Government clerks, and neat circular
letter invites them to contribute to the
good cause. When no threats of reduction
OF dismissal are directly or Indirectly
made the Commission has a hard time to
deal with the matter, as every free-born
American citizen has right to contribute
to a campaign fund. Outside the ONCE the
Government clerk resumes his Individual
ity and becomes a private citizen Inside
the bureau he is cog in machine. and
must not be tempered with.
a number of complaints have reached
the Commission already in this campaign,
although a number of them have been
anonymous. and of these the Commission
can take no account whatever. Clerks are
constantly complaining they have been re-
duced or dismissed or put on unpleasant
work or otherwise u-used aud maltreated
because they declined TO contribute to- the
campaign fund. but it IS naturally difficult
for the Commission TO Obtain proof of these
statements.
1T Is not an easy matter to prove that a
chief clerk or head of a bureau has reduced
q clerk, put him on unpleasant work, or
otherwise abused him because he refused
to put up money for the campaign" said
Commissioner Proctor today: The off ials
are not willing to admit their culpability
The law provides that no employe shall be
promoted or otherwise favored because of
such contributions. nor shall he be reduced
or otherwise injured because of refusal
to contribute, Any officer violating this
rule is guilty of grave breach OF trust.
He mas sworn to obey the laws of the
United States and has failed to do SO. He
should be impeached and removed from
Office
Mr.. Proctor pointed out that in the
Southern States. where the Republican
party has been wholly in the hands Of the
oficeholders. the Democratic majorities
have been larger than for years past,
showing that the people resent the attempt
of the oficeholders to build up machines
and conduct them for their own benefit.
The Commission will probably issue a
statement tomorrow calling attention of
politicians to the law on this subject, and
pointing out where convictions have bsen
secured in times past on just such cases.