Sunday Washington globe., 1902-03-16
JOHN DOE
Answers Mr.. FOulke's Inquiries Ad-
dressed TO the Hon. Champ Clark,
Who Threw the Commissioners
Letter in the Waste Basket

Recently the Star contained an article
with the caption, Mr.. Foulke's Letters"
in which the following language occurred:
ITO Mr.. Clark Mr. Foulke wrote:
'In your remarks on the diplomatic ap-
preparation bill yesterday hnd the state
ment that there is an objection, in the mat
ter of consular business, to the civil service
reform examinations as now conducted;
that they do not ascertain mans fitness to
be consul because the examinations are
not about things which consul ought to
know in order to render the best service
Might / ask to what examinations you
refer? If there are any examinations Of the
commission for any offices in any branch of
the service which are defective or are not
practical l would like to know it at the very
earliest moment possible, to the end that
such defects, if they exist, may be speedily
corrected"
In the same article we fnd the following
from Mr.. Clark:
Representative Champ Clark when asked
today if he should reply to Mr.. Foulke's
letter said: I received a letter from Mr..
Foulke and threw it in the waste basket,
where it belongs did not answer it nor
do l intend to- I do not consider my re-
marks any of Mr. Foulke's business, and if
he will attend to his business l will attend
to mine"
We take it for granted Mr.. Foulke wishes
to inform himself, being a new man and
lackiug information as to each individual
examination, judging from the last para.
graph in his question to Mr.. Clark.
We would advise Mr.. Foulke to send a
copy of questions propounded to Civil Ser
vice applicants by his commission, to some
Missouri or Arkansas school teacher and ask
him to have his primary classes TO ye0fSe
said questions to harmonic with the duties
devolviug upon the different applicants for
positions in Civil Service and we will wager
a barrel of Missouri apples said revised
| questions will be practical" and not "de.
feclive."
Mr.. Foulke must know by this time ques-
tions are not only not "PractlcaP' as pro-
pounded hut absolutely detectiVe. And he
| must also know there is not a single class Of
/ examinations but have "cafch questions"
| entirely foreign from the labor to be per
formed by person taking the examination. If
he has not learned this he has not examined
! questions propounded, or is the dullest
| Hoosier that ever came over the pike. We
| will take the liberty to name one question
| to enlighten the mystifed geutleman's s
mind, and hope 'such defects, if they
| exist, #" he will see speedily corrected.
| A veteran of the Civil War, with an empty
! sleeve, or some other disability resulting
/ from wounds or sickness incurred in the
| line of duty" makes an application for a
| position of zOdtcAV3aH. where he knows his
duty in every particular having served an
/ apprenticeship when he lost his arm-pos-
] sibly was captain or colonel of his regiment,
/ having seen better days Now the very
first question that confronts him is similar
to this one, to wit:
"If farmer purchased a string of jack
asses (cattle) costing him S5,S67.6o sold
same animals for 6,6T76o-clearing SI25o
on each jackass, how many iackasses did
the farmer purchase in the original deal?'
Now, my dear Mr.. Foulke hailing from
Hoosierdom, carefully examine question
blanks of watchmeu, examined in the past,
and if you do not fnd similar questions to
the above we will send you a barrel Of Mis-
souri, apples.
Now this is only one question. Many
others fully as oGt of place in each depart
ment, no DOUBT brob0HRded for purpose,
aud having no bearing upon the applicant
duties, qualifications, sobriety or honor. If
such questions are not ABSOLUTELY dsiectfVe
and not practical In the line Of work a
watchman 10 called upon to perform, then
the red apples are your property. We do
not smoke or drink. Should you acknow.
ledge we are correct send 6ve cents worth
of pop corn to the SUNDAY GLOBE Office for
our benefit add we will begin to believe
there is one honest man on the Civil Ser
vice Commission. You may also PROFOUND
some good hard practical questions through
columns of same paper and if we cannot
answer in practical" manner we will ask
some Missouri OF Arkansas school boy to
help US out in way of revising your ques-
tons for examination. JOHN DOE.