The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1903-06-14

Offices where the establishment of free
delivery is contemplated Is period of
not less than six weeks prior to the es-
tablishment, and the appointments to
residents of the city in which the es-
tablishment of free delivery is to be
made. Unless the emergency is great
and necessity extreme, it is our deter
mination to make no appointment at
these offices earlier than sixty or nine
ty days, and, unless the nonresident
has expert knowledge of the postal SER
vice and his especial abilities are re-
CURED in the establishment, to refuse
all applications for the appointment of
others than residents of the city where
the establishment is to be effected
"The practice continued, notwith-
standing this promise to discontinue it,
and the Commission wrote many let
tiers of protest to the department,
among them being the letters Of May
10, June II, and November 7, 1893,
April and II, 1899, and May "a, Ieoo
Went to President.
With a view to curing the evil or
greatly restricting 1t, the commission
submitted to the President, on June 20,
1898, draft of proposed amendment
of the civil service rules to require that
no person should be transferred until
after six months actual service in the
Office in which he became classified.
"on June IL. 1900. this suggestion TO
the President was renewed On Decem-
Der Z, 1901, the proposed amendment
was submitted again, and became d part
of the civil service rules four days later.
1t is believed that this, with the amend
ments made in the revised rules of
April Is, 1903. VIII prevent this abuse
in future.
During the whole period of the con-
tinuance of this abuse the commission
adopted every means which. in its judg-
ment, might lead to remedy
Made Office a Bureau.
"The information disclosed by the
investigation seems to warrant the
statement that appointments to clas-
sifed positions in the Washington
postofice without examination, by the
devious method OF appointment in
small unclassifed offices, or in Offices
about to be consolidated, and subse-
quent transfer, and the appointments
of those laborers who were appointed
and separated during the administra-
ton of the present postmaster, show
a wide departure in policy from
strict regard for the public interest,
and afford indications that the depart
ment used the Washington postoffice
for political and personal purposes to
an extent which left the authority of
the postmaster in transfers and ap-
pointments of this sort but little more
than nominal, and placed the office in
many respects in the relation of a bu-
reau to the department
Concerning the second subject Of the
stigation-whether the civil service
rules had been observed In the employ
ment and assignment of laborers-the
report shows that of the fifty-nine la
borers constituting the present Iaborer
force of the Washington postofice,
forty-two are performing, in the main,
work properly pertaining to the position
of unclassifed labor, though three of
them formerly did classified work; that
ten are performing the duties of watch
men. which should be performed by
classified employees, and that seven are
engaged mainly upon duties of clas-
SIZED nature.
Laborers Wrongfuliy Assigned.
"Fffty-six laborers were appointed and
removed during the administration of
the present postmaster-a number but
slightly smaller than the present total
force of laborers. or this number thirty
five were. appointed by direction of the
department thirteen by the postmaster
at the solicitations of members Of Con-
gress and other prominent men, and
eight by the postmaster on his own in
itiative. Twenty-nine OF these employees