Evening star., 1900-10-01
Civil Service Commission Replies to
Reform League.
DECLARES PUBIIClEY is DESIRABLE
But Records Are Not Open to the
Public lndiscriminateIy.
DATA FURNISHED LEAG UE


Civil Service Reform League concerning the
alleged attitude of the commission in con-
cealing information from the league. This
letter is addressed to Messrs Charles J.
Bonaparte, Edward Cary and Frederick
L. Siddons, special committee of the re-
form league. After acknowledging the re-
ceipt of the leagues letter the commission
says:
Apparently your communication is the
result of entire misapprehension, as this
commission is, and always has been, in full
harmony and accord with what is said and
quoted in your letteS respecting the de-
sir ability of the widest possible publicity
concerning the operation of the civil service
law and rules and the results of the work
of the commission; and the commission
knows OF no action on it's part which, ex-
pressly or by any implication, could be re-
garded as contrary to these views, and is
not aware of any change of policy what
ever in this respect; on the contrary, the
present commission has gone further in
the direction of publicity than any previous
commission. notably in the opening to per-
sons in interest of registers which had pre-
viously been kept secret so that every ap-
pointment thereafter might be thoroughly
scrutiniZed in order to determine whether
the law and rules in this respect were hon
estly and fairly administered. and much
wider diversity and amount of information
has been published in the annual reports
OF this commission than heretofore.
Information Requested Was Given.
Moreover, the records of the commits
sion show that all of the great amount of
Information requested by the secretary Of
your league since June 13. 1899, the date
you allege as the beginning of a change Of
policy, has been furnished promptly as
the condition of the commissions business
and the status of the matters involved
would permit. with the single exception Of
the last request made a the end of his
letter under date of July 23 1900. for infor
nation concerning the continuance of six
persons in the customs service. which re-
quest was evidently overlooked because not
enumerated with the requests contained in
the body of his letter. AS soon, however,
as this item was brought to the attention
OF the commission steps were taken to
furnish the information.
''On July IA, 1860. the commission adopted
the following minute:
F." Ordered That hereafter whenever a re-
quest is received for information concern
ing the commissions work, before the data
for such information has been prepared for
the annual report or for other public use
if the information desired he such as to
Justify ii, the commission will furnish such
official information and facts as NAV be in
its possession. as well as copies of its files
and records to such outside parties or or
sanizations as request the same, far
the good Of the public service and the
will warrant
1T is further ordered that hereafter no
person who IS not member of the COM
missions force shall have access to its
files and records for the purpose of pre-
pairing information for any unofficial pur-
pose II.
Purpose of the Com m issiOn
1T will be seen that this minute again
emphasizes the purpose of the commission
to continue to furnish all possible infor-
nation to the public. so far as the good of
the service and its limited force Of en-
ployes will warrant. At the same time.
because of the embarrassments the COM
mission has suffered through the action Of
persons not responsible to 1t who have
from time to time obtained almost unre-
stricted access to its files and records, in
Guiding some which at the time were of
nature which the public interest demanded
should not then be made generally known,
and because of the failure of the precau-
tons which the commission had taken to
prevent improper use of the privileges
granted such persons. and also the undue
interference with the transaction of its cur
rent business, 1t was ordered that no per-
sons not members OF the commissons
force should have access to It's files and
records in order to prepare information for
unofficial purposes. This latter provision
does not in any way curtail or abridge the
opportunity to secure all proper informa-
ton concerning the operation of the civil
service law and rules. and 1t is believed
that through 1t the commission will be re-
lieved from the embarrassment ana inter-
ference with it's work heretofore referred
to- as we'll as the further liability of wide
misconception and Misrepresentation In re-
gard to its work occasioned by the many
errors which have been made heretofore by
persons engaged in compiling information,
who had little or no knowledge OF the COM
missions work and consequently were
prone 70 fall into egregious errors concern
ing it. thus preiudcng and rendering prac-
tical1y valueless their results.
Interfering With Public Business.
Notwithstanding the statements made
by the secretary of your league, the COM
missions files and records show that sub
stantially all of the information proper TO
he furnished to the public which was re-
ouested in his letter Of July % had al
ready been furnished to him. and therefore
he was advised. under date of September
s. that because this information had been
furnished and because or the urgency OF
the public business, the TRANSACTION CT
which had been and would again be inter-
fered with by the presence OF your agent,
THE commission must, therefore, at pres
ent decline to permit your representative
to consult the records as requested IN your
letter of July % Inasmuch as your secre-
tary again requested, under date OF sep
tember -. that the leagues representative
he given access to the files and records in
order to again compile the information, ne
was informed, under date of September ~,
in pursuance of the minute of July IA.
above quoted, how the information desired
might be secured without causing the pub
lie interest to suffer and at the same time
furnishing information entitled to all the
credit given to that officially promulgated
by the commission, as, 1t would be pre-
pared by the persons most competent and
best qualified to accurately and correctly
compile it.
Records Open Under. Proper Restrtc-
tiOns.
I'm conclusion, this commission desires 1t
to be distinctly understood that the files
and records showing the operation of the
civil service law and rules and Of the re-
suits of the commissions work continue to
be open to the public in the same manner
and to the same degree, as formerly, and
that any person desiring information on
any specific point, mot incompatible with
the public interest, Will be promptly fur
nished Herewith, and will be shown the
file and record ine relation therto, If de-
sired; but, in the discretion vested In the
commission as the responsible custodian
of its files and records, lit has determined.
for the reasons herein stated. that 1t Is
clearly in the public interest that this pub
ka e;x, In, fha TyoQn q.