The Savannah morning news., 1903-06-14
VIOLATED THE RULES
WASHINGTON POsToFFICE SHOWED
SCANT REGARD
FOR CIVIL SERVICE LAWS.
THIS WAS SHOWN BY CAREFUL IN
VESTIGATIoN.

Employees Promoted In the WASH
ingtOn Office without Regard to
the ReguIatiOns-Case of a Lady
Cited-Ofiice Used by the Depart
ment for Political and Personal
Purposes Irregularities Were
Nearly All Directed by the Depart
ment.
Washington, June 13.-Chairman
Proctor, of the Civil Service Commits
sion, to-day submitted to Postmaster
General Payne the report made by the
commission, at the request of the Post
master General, with reference to the
charge of violation of the civil service
regulations in the Washington postof-
fee. The inquiry covered the following
points:
% Whether all of the employees out
side the force of carriers were regular
ly in the service and entitled to their
positions:
had been observed in the employment
and assignment of laborers, and
(3) Whether there had been a gem
eral observance of the civil service law
and rules in the administration of the
Washington postoff1ce during the in
cumbency Of the present postmaster.
In addition to the report proper and
transcript of the testimony taken,
Mr.. Proctor presented a summary of
the findings. This summary concludes
as 6ollows.
Ignored the Rules.
"A departure from the Observance of
the civil service rules appears in the
promotion of certain employees in the
Washington postoffice which have been
directed by the department. although
reports of efficiency are neither request
ed nor received by the department. A
case in point is that of a lady, who
was nominally appointed in the
Moorestown IN. j. postoffice, but never
left the Washington postoff1ce, and who
owed her appointment to the classical
tion-transfer methods. She was pro-
NOTED from Sept. l, 1900, to July /, 1901
from $500 to ST. 800 per annum by di-
| rection of the department, and is doing
| the work formerly done by an employe
who received a compensation of only
$1,000 per annum.
THE information disclosed BIZ the
| investigation seems to warrant the
statement that appointments to CLASH
| fed positions in the Washington post
Office without examination, by the
method of appointment in small unclaS-
sified offices, or in offices about to be
| consolidated, and subsequent transfer
and appointments of those laborers
who were appointed and separated dur
| ing the administration of the present
postmaster, show a wide departure in
policy from a strict regard for the pub
lie interest, and afford indications that
| the department used the Washington
| postoffice for political and personal pur-
poses to an extent which left the au-
| thority for the postmaster in transfers
| and appointments of this sort but little
more than nominal and placed the Of
| flee in many respects in the relation of
| a bureau to the department.
Department Directed 1t.
1.-The investigation seems to show
clearly that most of the Irregularities
| here mentioned were directed by the
department or requested or suggested
| by high departmental officials, and
either case came to the postmaster
with all the force of a direction.
THE investigation indicates that the
| employees who entered the service by
transfer and without examination, are,
in general inferior to those appointed
through competition. The investiga-
| tions made by the commission show
| that many of the persons who entered
the service by transfer had failed upon
competitive examination, were from
states which were in excess of the ap-
| portionment, or had not passed with
sufficiently high grades to be reached
for appointment by the regular meth
! DDS.
Among the employees in the depart
ment or in the postoffice service who
| were brought into the classified serv-
ice within the last few years by clas-
| sification, having been appointed with
! out examination under the rules, were
! thirty war emergency employees classi-
| fled by the act of April %, 1902 twelve
| made permanent under Paragraph IL
| of Rules and 1888 classified in the rural
| free delivery service on Nov. 81, 1901.
! The total number of employees in these
three classes who entered the service
| upon considerations other than fitness
as ascertained by competitive examina-
ton was $50.
FavOrites Were Cared for.
Nearly all of the clerks and mes
sengers in the rural free delivery serV
service were in positions in Washing
| ton. D. c.. One hundred and thirty
three of them were appointed prior to
July l. 1901; twenty-six were appointed
| in the four months mmedi-
ately preceding the classification
and fifty-six were appointed in
the twenty-six days preceding CLASH
| fication. How many of these were ap-
pointed for reasons other than the
needs of the service it is, of course,
impossible for the commission to de-
termine, but that the service was pack
ed with employees in the interests of
the individual is indicated by the fact
that the number of appointments in
the month of the classification was
more than twice as great as for the
preceding four months.
THE appointments made under the
circumstances above set forth resulted
in a congestion OF the service, and
when a reduction is to be made the
employees appointed for political or
personal consideration are cared for.
sometimes at the expense OF persons
appointed upon merit and without in
| huence In relieving the branches OF
the service thus crowded with EN-
| ployes. transfers are made 10 other
I parts Of the service 10 the injury Of
q