The Washington times., 1901-11-10


Official dccapitauon is the fate which
viii threaten violators of the civil service
/ regulations during the Roosevelt Admin
istration. Two transgressors of the code
of which the President favors and advo-
Gates the strtctest enforcement have al
ready been removed. Moses Dillon, col
lector of customs at El Paso, Texas, was
yesterday ordered removed by the Presi-
dent. c. E. Sapp, collector of internal
revenue Of the Louisville district, ten
dered yesterday a resignation which had
been requested.
In the removal of these two Office
| holders lies the explanation of the fire.
quent conferences between the President
and John r. Proctor, President of the
Civil Service Commission. 1t is under
| stood further that similar charges against
other officeholdprs are being Investigated
Therefore further removals are not url-
expected.
In the statement against Dillon it is al
legged that in July. 1898, competitive ex-
aminatious were held for the purpose of
establishing a register of eligibles for
the customs service at that place Il
appears from the. evidence obtained by an
! examiner sent there by the Civil Service
Commission to investigate alleged frauds,
that prior to this examination. Moses Dill
| Ion, the collector. told w. C. Holmes. a
member of the Customs Board of Civil
! Service Examiners. that there were four
applicants. E NJ. Fink, II. F. Bloom, a
man named McDougal, and son of the
collector, whom the collector desired to
pass the examination
1t is claimed that the collector ordered
n fff.sats fIafr,
Race, Secretary of the Board of Civil
Service Examiners, with the Injunction
that it would not be wise for him to re-
fuse; that thereupon Holmes communI-
Gated this desire to Race. and on the day
before the examination Race gave him
copies of the questions to be asked in
| spelling, arithmetic, and letter-writing
ana that Holmes took these copies of the
questions to the residence OF Bloom. one
oil the candidates, and there saw Bloom
and rink another candidate. at work on
the questions. This is shown by the affi-
uaNlt ot w. c. Holmes, given to an ex-
aminer of the Civil Service Commission
on October %. 1900.
David l.. Creswell. inspector of customs.
gave his affidavit to the con- mission Oc-
tooer 20. 1900, stating that Fink had told
him that the examination papers in July,
1873, had been opened and that he and
Bloom had the papers Of questions before
the examination.
h. NJ. Fink, inspector of customs, one
of the men examined, gave a signed state
ment to the commission October "a 1900
stating that on the Afternoon before the
civil service examination Bloom met him
on the street and asked him to come to
his house that evening; that he went
there and found Bloom and Holmes in the
house and the copies of the examination
papers on the table; that he looked over
some of the questions intended for the
examination next day. Bloom and Fink
passed the examination and were ap-
pointed.
Mr.. Holmes gave his testimony to the
representative Of the Civil Service Com
mission with much trepidation. He ap-
parently could lose much and gain moth
ing by his affidavit, which implicated the
collector. Mr.. Race, the former secretary
of the board, was then in the customs
service at Gibara, Cuba, and could not
be examined. The evidence appears to
show clearly that the examination vas
fraudulent and that Moses Dillon. the
collector, as well as Holmes Race. Bloom,
and Fink. was concerned in tie viola
tion of the law.
The collector at Ell Paso also received
contributions for political purposes in his
office at the Federal building at Ell Paso.
William T. Kitchens. one of the inspec-
tors, gave the Civil Service Commission
his affidavit dated October %, 1900, stating
that on Sunday. February II, 1900. meet
ing of the inspectors was held at the Office
of the collector OF customs in the Federal
Building to consult and devise means for
controlling a county convention so that
certain delegates. among whom was the
collector might be selected to represent
the county in the State convention to be
held later at Waco, Tex.
Some one present suggested that it
would be necessary to raise money to
carry out this purpose; that thereupon the
collector said he would head the list with
S25. upon which Kitchens took s. out of his
pocket and placed it on the table of the
collector: that the collector took the
money, and in like manner one other con-
tribution of 50 was made and received by
the collector. The others not having the
money on hand, contributed afterward,
and the convention was held and controlled
by the collector against all rival interests,
and the collector sent as delegate TO the
State cOuE eutiOn.
David l.. Creswell. an inspector of Gus
toms states on October -, 1890, that he
attended this meeting that he arose
about ll.30 10 take his departure, when
some one at the table suggested that
funds ought to be raised: that he author
lied Mr. Holmes to pay s. to the commit
tee for him. which Mr.. Holmes did.
Another inspector, John G. Richards,
states October q, 1900 that he was pres
cnt at this meeting and that the collector
said il would be necessary to have funds;
that he would head the list with a con-
tribution Of $25. ard that this took place
in the Federal Building.
James Mari. another inspector of Gus
toms, made affidavit, November 8, 1900,
that Henry r. Bloom tthe man who had
been appointed under fraudulent exam
ination at the special instance of the col
lector) requested of him contribution
for promoting certain political business
in connection with the Waco Convention;
the principal object being the selection Of
the collector as ii delegate; that he told
Mari he made this solicitation at the
request Of the collector.
This case was laid before the Depart
ment of Justice. and an effort rlade to
secure an indictment of the guilty parties,
but the witness Holmes was dead, and
the others refused to testify, upon the
ground that their evidence would incrim-
mate themselves. Hence no indictment
was found.
A SMART DENTIST