Sunday Washington globe., 1902-01-12

The philadelphia Ledger in April se8,
at the breaking out of the Spanish-Amer-
lean war contained this note OF warning
Under cover Of war agitation we may
look for insidious attempts by the spoils.
mongers to evade or override the laws and
regulations governing the civil service, and
the heads Of the departments and the Civil
Service Commission should be on guard,
not only to defeat these schemes, but to
remove from Office all Of those detected in
such malfeasance"
II will be seen from the above, thai the
Philadelphia Ledger was a keen and far
sighted prophet as to what was likely to be
attempted in the way Of ignoring and yio-
lating the merit system as laid down and
backed BY the Civil Service Commission
tits not likely, however, that even the
Ledger, far-seeing as it has proven itself,
was aware at the time Of the magnitude Of
the violations which have since been carried
out under the one-sided plea Of insufficient
civil service eligibles for emergency work,
as caused by the Spanish-AmeriCan War
The Ledger and the people of the
country at large were undoubtedly un-
aware at that time as TO the dishonest
clannism which exists in the Washington
departments between officials and chiefs Of
all grades, as well as a large majority of the
clerical force, which tends to directly
violate the civil service and the merit sys-
TEN for the mutual benefit of friends and
dear relatives in the way Of life lasting and
stolen Jobs under the Government
On the emergency racket the Washington
department officials have violated the
plainest principles of the Civil Service and
the merit system to the tune of about six
hundred temporary (?) employees; and now
in furtherance Of their dishonest move de-
sire President Roosevelt to place the Civil
Service protective blanket over this stolen
horde The Civil Service principles are
fairly we'll followed throughout the United
States and pretty rigidly in New YOrS state
OF late. Residents of the Capital City,
however, are in no way handicapped by
this Swivel Service, but, on the contrary,
have in time past made use of it and the
so-called merit system 10 protect them and
theirs and to keep the outside away and at
bay. The recent game, or attempted
blanket move, is an old scheme and differs
from all former efforts along this line only
in the magnitude of the claims il attempts
to further on the much-ignOred and re-
edly-slandered merit system. The com
ing blanket move, however was plainly
shown up and prophesied in an Issue Of
the SUNDAY GLOBE of June last; and last
weeks issue went into details somewhat
and pictured the evils in their true and
glaring colors.
Department chiefs and the daily news
papers are the real appointing power in the
District of Columbia, both in the District
government and in the departments
Neither the Civil Service Commissioners
Senators, or Congressmen combined can
land ten per cent to the ninety per cent
put in Office by this influence! Time and
again we have given illustrations of how
the trick is turned by the chiefs of depart
ments.
The temporary clerk racket enabled pretty
nearly all the old families in Washington
to place the last member thereof on the
Government pay rolls Fathers, mothers
sons daughters, mothers-in-law and uncles
cousins and aunts swarm like ants in all the
Departments and nepotism is the rule and
not the exception. The Spanish-American
war offered an opportunity which was made
the most OF by appointment clerks and
chiefs of the Ford lyman, et al character
and whole families were landed and will
under the agitation now on foot to place
these temporary clerks in the classified
service, find themselves in life positions
without any thanks to or examination as to
their ftness--leaviug out the resolution Of
law in the matter Of nepOtism-by the Civil
Service Commission.
Here is one illustration of many on file
in this office which Congress can see for
itself bears out our statements, touching the
nepotism feature OF the scandal in the
Government Departments
W5~uf1 Cfook hrfdoa e t,,a TAy -t-,.s
northwest, is assistant examiner in the
Patent Office at s. 200 per annum. Miss
Laura Stockbaidge is rated as War Depart.
ment clerk and Miss Bessie Stockbridge is
likewise rated as War Department emp ploye
while Helen Stockbridge who formerly
posed as a District teacher, has recently got
ten both of her feet planted in the classi-
fed (?) service Of the Agricultural Depart
ment. Margaret Stockbridge registers as a
teacher. FIVE IN ALL
The Misses Durfee, OF 1914 w street north.
west, register as Bureau Office employees.
and another Miss Durfee downtown mem
ber) registers as employe, clerical, in Treas
ury Department
DR.. Hanseman (sundowner, registers as
department employe and Charlotte Hanse-
man is rated as Pension Office clerk, and
ANoANA~9 az AlAN HuAAN RAAAAANEt 1919 w MNI ku~
west
The clan Of Douglass whose numbers. as
certified by the commission, are fairly well
represented in Nos. 1924 and 1920 w north
west
Mr.. Ferdinand Weyler, of I3o4 street
northwest, registers as Treasury chief, and
has a son who registers as clerical employe.
Mr.. Charles Welsh of ago 18th street
northwest, registers as Patent Office en-
ploye, and father Of the above registers as
Bureau employe. The former is a Civil
Service eligible, however, and one Of the
few
Mr.. Roland Ford, formerly Of 2224 18th
street northwest, registers as employe in
Coast and Geodetic Survey, and has father,
and brother-in-law also on
the Government pay roll
Mr. James Gillenwater, formerly of 72I
18th street northwest, registers as Post-ofice
employe, and Miss COrriene, daughter is
rated as clerk.
VIM Fracker, 1924 w street northwest,
as Bureau Printing and Engraving
employe, and Harriet Fracker of the same
address, Is in the classifedG) service of
he Cfafe nanarfrtteut