Sunday Washington globe., 1902-03-09
The President and Civil Service.

The action of President Roosevelt in
issuing an executive order, in December
last, placing in the classified service the ap-
pointees Of the Rural Free Delivery Service,
although it was a notorious fact at the time
that uine-tenths of the clerks were Wash
ingtoniaus and the relatives and friends Of
department officials, would have called for
more general condemnation than the act
received but for the reason assigned by the
Civil Service Commissioners, who urged
the President to issue the order.
The GLOBE commented on the indecent
haste of the order and was met with the
sophistry that if the action had not been
taken August W. Machen would not have
left grass widow or a department concu-
bine unemployed in Washington
Of two evils. the Commission, it was
argued chose the least, and had those ap-
pointed placed under Civil Service to bar
the horde which had not yet but were to be
appointed by January /, the date originally
set for the executive order
The issuance of the order before that
date, it was claimed, took Mr.. Machen by
surprise and barred ont the clouds of clerks
he intended to place on the pay rolls.
These same Civil Service Commissioners
who urged and succeeded in inducing the
President to place these friends and rela-
tives Of department officials in the classified
service without even the pretense of an ex-
animation of any kind have been conspicu-
ously active in raising all kinds Of objec
tions to the classification Of the Census
clerks, who took as severe an examination
as the Civil Service, and who represent
every Congressional district in the United
Statesl These Census clerks were neither
Washingtonians, grass widows nor the con-
cubines or relatives Of department officials,
and hence they were fought tooth and toe
nail by the Civil Service Commissioners on
the sole ground that they were appointed
by the Senators and Representatives in con-
gress to pay political debtsl
It is, perhaps, true that the Senators and
Congressmen paid some Of their political
debts by the appointment Of these Census
clerks, but such payment IS more conducive
to public morality and the efficiency Of the
service than the payment Of debts by depart
ment officials to their cast off mistresses or
the purchase of a new concubine by an ap-
pointment in the Rural FEee Delivery ser
vice OF other department.
What strikes us with some amazemeut in
this classification business is this: That
when It is question Of dumping into the
classified service a horde of Washingtonians,
either in the War Department Temporary
clerk racket or in the huge and malodorous
Rural Free Delivery fraud, the Civil Service
Commissioners either acquiesce or are en-
ergetcally active in furthering the scheme,
aud no thought or consideration is given to
the eigibes on the Civil Service lists.
But when American citizens from every
Congressional District in the United States
who have theoretically (iu examinatious)
and practically in two years faithful SER
vice demonstrated their full and entire
qualifications for the public service ask to
be placed 10 the classified service, these
same Civil Service Commissioners appear
the committee rooms Of Congress and