Sunday Washington globe., 1902-02-02
The Census Question.

The controversy precipitated by the Hop
kins bill to create a permanent Census
Bureau has found ITS storm center in Civil
Service Commissioners Proctor and Foulke
with windy Charles Bonaparte, of Balii-
more agitating the circumambient air with
printed leaflets accusing Congressman of
the objectionable crime of recommending
American citizens for official appointments.
Bonaparte's voice was ingloriously mute
while department chiefs and appointment
clerks we're filling the Government depart
ments with "laborers" and Temporary"
clerks from Maryland and the District of
Columbia. So were the voices of Proctor
and Foulke But when the most represent
ative body of statesmen in the greatest rep
resentatve form Of government on earth,
assumed the privilege of recommending
reputable, competent and influential citizens
in their respective districts for appoint
ment in the Government service as census
clerks and employees Bonaparte, Proctor
and Foulke issue fulminations against
Congressional favoritism" and even pro-
ceed to the length Of indecent abuse of
certain Representatives whom Bouaparte,
at least, mentions by name Congressional
favoritism, " it appears, interferes with the
system now in vogue Of filing the depart
ments with citizens of Maryland Ga la Mail
Bag Repair Shop efal) aud non voting resi-.
dents of the District Of Columbia by depart
meut officials and dumping in whole fami-
lies in the various departments
We charge and can establish before
Congressional committee of investigation,
that in the mail depository branch of the
Government, of the four hundred odd EN-.
pIOyes MORE THAN THREE HUNDRED are
Marylauders and from this same BONA
parties STATE
We charge and can prove that the depart
ments are honeycombed with the relatives
of high officials, department chiefs and
appointment clerks, and that these male
and FEMALE clerks and employees are
credited to states they never put their
feet I'M
We can place in possession Of a Con-
gressional committee lists of employees
where the fathers, mothers, sons, daugh-
ters, mothers-in-law and fathers.in-law of
the same families are in the Government
service and employed in the various de-
partments, and we can prove that Bona
parte, Proctor and Foulke know of this
fundamental violation Of the Civil Service
law
That the dignity of Congress can be in
suited by this self assumed monitor, Bona
parte, is not particularly our affair, but that
he should come into court, knowing as he
does, that three hundred out of four hun
dTed employees in one bureau of the govern
ment are Marylanders, from his own state
riles US sufficiently to swipe him in the
solar piexus Let Congress demand the
names and resident state of the employees
of the Mail Bag Repair Shop and Bouaparte
will take to the woods Let Congress de-
mand the lists Of employees and clerks in
the various departments, together with
their residence, and Proctor and Foulke re-
quested to enforce the Civil Service pro-
vision Of not more than one in the same
family in Office, and there will be vacancies
for five times the number Of census clerks
employed in the Twelfth Census.
Congress did wisely to pass pass the
permanent census law and retain in the
Government service the clerks and en-
ployes credited from the several Congress
sionai Districts and appointed on their
recommendations, after examination. as to
qualifications and fitness. TO be a Con-
gresham does not disqualify citizen from
exercising his judgment, curtail his privi-
leges or prohibit him from recommending
worthy and qualified citizens for the public
service, even if such recommendation inter
feres with the prerogatives enjoyed by de-
partment officials Of filling the Offices with
their own relatives, by and with the knowl-
edge Of the Civil Service Commission, in
Guiding Bonaparte and his three hundred
Marylanders in the Mail Bag Repair Shop