Sunday Washington globe., 1902-02-02

Euglishnau John Hyde Of the Agri-
cultural Department has again been putting
his big English fiat feet in the trough. The
Civil Service Commissioners caught him in
one of his tricks Here IS the usual de-
partment chief scheme 10 keep outsiders
from the public teat and permit only the
unclesth cousins and the aunts of the
chiefs and appointment clerks to pull the
udder The developments show so far
that the Civil Service Commission has can
celed the examination for special statis-
tical compiler for the Department Of Aeri-
culture, held June r8 and 20 last, and has
made public its report on its investigation
Of the integrity of that examination.
The report says that employees of the
Division of Statistics we're improperly and
unfairly assisted in their preparation for
his examination by disclosures made by
Mrs Bertha Burch, an employe, in pur-
suance of instructions from John Hyde,
Statistician of the Department of Agri-
culture. directing her to give all the help
in this examination which she "legiti-
mately" could. The report says the testi-
mony shows that advance information of a
more or less definite character was given
out by her covering at least six questions
asked in the examination.
"An ilusory hope was held out to those
outside the government service says the
report, while the official who framed the
questions framed them in such a manner
that he hadnot the least expectation they
could pass Competition practically was
restricted to competitors who had actual
experience in statistical work in govern
meut employ. Unclassihed laborers in the
statistical division had decided and un-
fair advantage through their assignments of
work"
The report calls attention to an apparent
effort bv Statistician Hyde to forestall the
investigation Of the commission in respect
to one or more of the witnesses examined.
and says threats were made to them. The
report adds
1--WE are under the very highest moral
obligation to protect all witnesses who. at
our request, have appeared before us and
have given testimony in regard to this ex-
animation. The commission will exhaust
I all its powers before it will permit any of
these witnesses to be dismissed or in
| juriously affected in any manner directly or
indirectly, on account of information which
they have communicated.
/ The Civil Service Commissioners are
catching on to the GLOBE exposures show
| ing how laborers are appointed by depart
ment chiefs, given desks as clerks, and
I finally coached into life jobs under the civil
service law. And every department and
bureau of the government is full of them
except the Census Bureau, and yet the COM
missiouers are inconsistently fighting the
enactment of the law to make these deserv-
ing census clerks permanent!
| Hyde has been caught in several bad
scrapes before this mention of which have
been made in the GLOBE, notably his esca-
pade n the eleventh census aud the result
ant investigation. Hyde being an English
man has naturally enough special privileges
denied the native born American official.
He is not supposed to know the "bloomin'
Hameiican" law you know" Now let the
Civil Service Commissioners investigate
Sixth Auditor Castles department, and
certify both Castle and Hyde (strictly on
the quiet to Mr.. Roosevelt as proper and
deserving subjects to be kicked out of the
government service, and the GLOBE will
exclaim, Notwithstanding their inconsistent
and short-sighted policy of opposing the
classification Of the census clerks, well
done good and faithful servants"
There we're Eve insiders" who passed
out of the six applicants in Mr. Hyde's de-
partinent under his instructions TO Mrs.
Bertha Burch to help them all she could
"egiimately" The rank outsider" who
passed was in reality an "iusider" also, as
Capt Mcmillan, of the Metropolitan Club
knows just as well as Mr. Hyde of the same
club The captain during the beautiful
Iune evenings preceding the examination
sat evening after evening with the sue
cessful outsider" coaching her on the pro
posed examination and Mr. Hyde's resi-
dence was not distant but few yards from
her domicile. The GLOBE has more valua
bic information which the commissioner
may obtain when the spirit moves US,