New-York tribune., 1902-05-28
NAY BE INDICTMENTS.
QUESTIONS ALLEGED TO HA TE
BEEN SOLD TO A7ROL MEN.
COLONEL OGDEN CONDUCTING AN EN-
ANIMATION INTO WORK OF CERTAIN
EMPLOYEES OF MUNICIPAL CIVIL.
SERVICE COMMISSION

The Municipal Civil Service Commission is
its history. and information obtained at the Dis
trct Attorneys office yesterday warrants the
statement that indictments of two employees of
the commission probably will be returned in
Few days. The major part Of the work of the
investigation is being done by Colonel Ogden
and his associates in the commission but the
criminal aspects of the case nave claimed the
attention OF Assistant District Attorney Thorne
Information has beer furnished the commits
sion that on the morning of the day this month
when two thousand patrolmen took the exam
ination for roundsmen the questions were sold
to applicants,
On May the grand jury found two ndCt-
ments against Charles J. Fitzpatrick. a clerk
in the Civil Service Commission One charge
is that he falsifed the records. and the other
Is that he accepted reward for securing the
appointment of a certain person under the Civil
Service. Mr. Fitzpatrick has not been tried
yet II is understood that the two new indct-
ments against who in manner
acting in collusion with Fitzpatrick
District Attorney Jerome is not disposed to
put the investigation of the Civil Service Com
mission ahead of the other work in his office
He refused to discuss the Civil Service cases
yesterday but he lntmated that he expected
the Civil Service Commission would conduct its
own investigation. 1t had sufficient facilities
for doing this, while his office is overburdened
with other work. one of the Civil Service Com
mssoners said to a Tribune reporter last
night:
The affairs of the commission in a de-
plorable state, although not quite so bad as they
at the beginning Of the year. Things
done in ruts under the last administration
with the result that the entire system is honey
COmbed 70 he right
fraud. The gentlemen who were commissioners
under the Van Wyck administration are men
Of the highest character. against whom there
can be nothing personally. That does not alter
the fact, however. that the system in vogue
under the old commission was such as to per-
nit of vast amount Of trckery. An ATTEMPT
was made to remedy these conditions by in
creasng the machinery and red tape in the
commission but this did not avail because il
did not strike at the root of the matter At
the present time the commissioners hardly know
just where they stand. The entire system seems
to be faulty, and many of the commissioners
are convinced that hundreds of men holding
civil Service places are not entitled to them
on their merits and would not be able TO re
tain those places If they had to re-enter an
examination"
Cant you reform ito" the Commissioner 1yas
asked
now We have just decided to make a change
in the methods employed by the medical ex-
aminers. We found that one of our medical
examiners was receiving salary of 50 100
year for his official work in connection with this
department He conducted a private practice
however, along Identical lines and this became
known among policemen and firemen or men
who intended to become such. Men intending
to take physical examination for policemen
or fremen would go to this medical examiner
and pay him a regular fee. We have no means
of knowing how large that fee was Then this
same medical examiner would pass on the same
applicant in his official capacity. ANY one can
see at glance that this is, to say the least a
very objectionable arrangement We have in
formed one of the medical examiners who con-
Quoted a great deal of business in this manner
that we willing to pay him larger salary
but that his work must be given to the com
mission exclusively.
Lee Phillips, who was secretary of the COM
mission under Mayor Van Wyck is identified
with bureau which furnishes answers to old
Civil Service questions. to those who contem-
plate taking examinations.
1T would be ridiculous to suppose that could
have furnished TO policemen any of the oues-
tions asked in the Civil Service examination of
May 3. when two thousand policemen were ex-
amined," Mr. Phillips said yesterday II had
been out of office four months, and If had been
in office 1 could not have secured the questions
for that examination in advance IL is the prac-
tiCe of Chief Examiner Ireland to prepare the
questions and have them printed earIy on the
morning of the day of examination, to prevent
possible leaks.
What l did do was to furnish DAYS in ad-
vance to policemen who were attending my
school for Civil Service lists of questions and
answers covering the field of the examination
OF course my list did not contain any of the
questions asked in the examination but where
there were five questions on one subject nv list
contained fifty questions and answers on the
same subject. No policeman who took the ex-
animation could carry my list into the examina-
ton ROOM but if he had learned all the oues
tions and answers l furnished he was able 70
answer the questions in the examination II is
my business to teach people how to pass exam
nations by mparting to them the knowledge
they ought to have. not by any trickery.