The evening times., 1900-10-01
NO CHANGE OF POLICY.
Denial of Charges Made Against the
Civil Service Commission


League:
'Messrs. Charles ]. Bonaparte. Edward
Cary, and Frederick L. Siddons, Special
Committee National Civil Service Re
form League. 81 William Street, New
York:
Gentlemen: This Commission is in re-
ceipt of your communication OF September
II. transmitted by the Secretary of the
National Civil Service Reform League,
submitting certain statements concerning
the furnishing of Information to your
league by the Commission. Reply TO you4
letter has been delayed in order to enable
the Commission to determine TO what ex-
tent information had been furnished on
request OF the secretary of your league in
the past.
Apparently your communication is the
result of entire Misrepresentation. this
Commission is, and always has BEEN in fun
harmony and accord with what is said and
quoted in your letter respecting the desira-
bility of the widest possible publicity con-
corning 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 its 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 whatever
in this respect: on the contrary, the pres
ent 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 PEE
viously been kept secret, so that every
appointment thereafter might be thorough
ly scrutinized in order to determine wheth-
er the law and rules in this respect were
honestly and fairly administered and a
much wider diversity and amount OF infor-
nation has been published in the annual
reports of this Commission than heretofore.
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 IS. 1899. the date
you allege as the beginning of a change OF
policy. has been furnished as 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 at the end OF his
letter under date Of July %. 1900, for IN
formation concerning the continuance OF
six persons in the Customs Service which
request was evidently overlooked because
not enumerated with the requests contain
ed 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 Ii, 1900, the Commission adopt
ed the following minute:
Z. Ordered. that hereafter whenever
request is received for information con-
y
Gata for such information has been pre-
pared for the annual report or for other
public use II the Information desired be
such as to justify it, the Commission will
furnish such official Information and facts
as may be in its possession, as well az
copies Of its files and records. 10 such out
side parties or organizations as request
the same, so far as the good of the public
service and the limited force of employees
Of the Commission viii warrant.
=" II is further ordered, that hereafter
no person who is not a member OF the Com
mission s force shall have access to its files
and records for the purpose of preparing
information for any unofficial purpose.
1T viii be seen that this minute again
emphasizes the purpose of the Commits
sion 10 continue to furnish all possible in
formation 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 it who have
from time TO time obtained almost unre-
stricted access to its files and records.
including some which at the time were of
nature which the public interest de-
manded should not then be made generally
known, and because of the failure of the
precautions which the Commission had
taken to prevent improper use Of the
privileges granted such persons, and also
the undue interference with the transac-
tion of its current business, il was or
dered that no persons not members of the
Commissions force should have access TO
its 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 information concerning
the operation of the Civil Service law and
rules. and it is believed that through it
the Commission will be relieved from the
embarra assment and interference with its
work heretofore referred to. as well as
the further liability Of wide misconcep-
tion and misrepresentation in regard TO
It's work occasioned by the many errors
which have been made heretofore by per-
sons engaged in compiling information.
who had little or no knowledge of the
Commissions work and consequently were
prone to fall into esregious errors con-
corning it, thus prejudicing and rendering
practically vaIueIess their results.
Notwithstanding the statements made
by the secretary Of your league, the Com
missions files and records show that sub
stantial1y all of the information proper
to be furnished to the public which was
requested in his letter of July 23, had al
ready been furnished to him, and therefore
he was advised, under date Of September s,
that because this information had been fur
nished, and because Of the urgency of the
public business, the transaction of which
had been and would be again interfered
with by the presence of your agent. the
Commission must, therefore, at present de-
cline to permit your representative TO con-
suit the records as requested in your let
ter Of July 23.'
1nasmuch as your secretary again re-
quested under date Of September u. that
the leagues representative be given access
to the files and records in order to again
compile the Information, he was informed
under date of September 20, in pursuance
Of the minute OF July II above quoted how
tie information desired might be secured
without causing the public interest to suf-
fer, and at the same time furnishing in
formation entitled TO all the credit given
10 that officially promulgated by the Com
mission, as it would be prepared by the
persons most competent and best qualified
to accurately and correctly compile it,
-'In conclusion, this Commission desires
it to be distinctly understood that the flies
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 man
ner and to the same degree as formerly.
and that any person desiring information
on any specific point not incompatible
with the public interest. will be promptly
furnished herewith, and will be shown
the file and record in relation thereto if
desired; but, in the discretion vested in
the Commission as the responsible custodi-
an Of its files and records. it has deter
mined for the reasons herein stated that
it is clearly in the public interest that this