The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-12-26
INDIANAPOLIS MAY Be
BENEFITED BY LATEST
CIYIL-SERV|CE SCHEME
Central Boards of Examiners May
Be Established in Several
Leading Cities.
DETAILS OF THE PLAN
Incident That Shows President
Roosevelt Is as Strenuous as
in Former Days.
PAYNE TO TAKE HIS TIME
Postmaster General Has Not Yet
Considered Demand for the
Bristow Papers.
PAYNE TO TAKE HIS TIMI
,,s rna,anaDoI,s Journal.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 25.-Much interest
Is manifested in the plan of the Civil-serv-
ice Commission to establish central boards
OF examiners in Indianapolis and other
cities of the north and middle West Tne
central board is vigorously urged by Civil
service Commissioner Cooley. This scheme
has already been adopted in Boston, New
York and San Francisco.
The need for such permanent boards was
constantly felt in the past, particularly
when rural free delivery was established
I'm small towns, and 1t became necessary to
hold examinations to fill the places thus
created. 1t has been the custom to desig-
nate a few federal office holders TO con-
duct these examinations and they did so
sometimes without much regard TO the law
nd I'm a very careless manner generally.
Z was frequently found. too. that the local
postmaster would discourage applicants
rom taking the examination in order that
he might appoint his friends 1t Is not
only in connection with the appointment
of rural carriers that the central boards
will be OF assistance to the Civil-service
Commission. They will aid In dispatching
the commission work in the field and the
results will be more satisfactory to the
candidates who apply for examination. 1t
has been the practice. and such course
will be adopted in indianapolis when CEN
trail boards are created, 10 retain the serv-
ices OF the secretary of tho local board.
His time, however, after the creation OF
the central board, will be almost exclu-
sively devoted TO civil-service work. This
plan will be generally extended and II Is
expected that instead of several hundred
boards throughout the country there will
be twenty-five centralized and with auxfl-
iary members in each of the postoftces
where local boards are now working. AS
heretofore stated, Indianapolis will be one
Of the headquarters. The board stationed
there will have Jurisdiction over the entire
State. with the possible exception of some
Of the southern counties. which may be
embraced In the area which will be con-
trolled by a central board to be stationed
in Louisville. Eventually the commission
proposes to bring these field men TO Wash
ington for a period OF work here, replacing
them with men from the Washington once:
Thiss scheme viii enable both the field and
aas,nssa ns s WITH n4Is the Work es Of the oser
XXX
President Roosevelt has lost none OF the
strenuousness which made him well known
when an occupant of humber places in the
service OF the government. He still talks
out In meeting and hits straight from the
shoulder. when a man is against me-" he
said to a recent caller. Il always try to
get the drop him first
mus he Is reported 10 have said: We've
got our grip on Panama and by the eternal
wen keep IT." The President gets face
tious sometimes in discussing the alleged
opposition of the moneyed interests to his
nomination. He remarked in this connec-
tion recently: 'The only trouble with Wall
street is that there Is no ticker in the
White House"
Among other sayings thoroughly Roose-
veltian are the following:
~r,fx~ tHa hot hat hat t,r.t .
II do not require large measure of abil-
fly in governmental officers. but l do re-
quire reasonable amount of honesty and
the President still continues to do the
unexpected The other morning he walked
se s sna to e % Of
tRry Hay, who was confined to his rooms
with an attack of grippe. He came near
secret service agents who are detailed
to guard him.
Postmaster General Payne has not yet
taken up the wanger House resolution,
which calls on him to forward to that body
all the papers in the postoffice investiga-
ton He will think the matter over for a
couple of weeks there will be no session
until Jan. 4. Those who ought to know
say that Congress has got all the Bristow
report that IT will get for months to come
IN Otner WORDS that the government will
adhere to its position of Withholding from
publicity data which are to be used as evi-
dence in the courts. In failing to respond
TO the House resolution the executive
branch of the government will be acting
within Its rights. When the proper time
comes General Payne will send to the
House duplicate OF the report that was
printed last week by the postoffice commit
tee. together with the statement that the
interests OF the public will be injured II he
reveal any OF the remainder of the report
postmaster general no discretion as to
whether or not the papers shall be sub
gress can compel a Cabinet officer OF the
President TO furnish information against
his wish was settled long ago. Then It was
submit paper TO Congress IL le thinks the
interests Of the public demand that it
ersI PaTne kRf R prebabV boye no
trouble In retaining the unpublished parts
OF the Bristow report in his possession. TAX
orally In accordance with the Wanger res
olution such course would be incompati-
BILE with the interests or the public service.
No definite conclusion has yet been
reached by the supervising architect of the
treasury as to the practicability of con-
structing public buildings of the smaller
class under the competitive plan 1t is prac-
tically admitted by the officials that the
first class, Is success. Four large build
tngs. namely, those at Indianapolis Balti-
more. New York and Cleveland. were de-
signed by private architects The policy
with reference to the smaller buildings
however, Is more or less experimental The
supervising architect expects 10 be in n DO
sition next winter TO report TO Congress the
feasibility or the proposed policy that all
government buildings shall be designed by
architects outside of the government serv-
Ice As heretofore stated in these dis
patches. two buildings authorized for Indi-
ana will be built under the competitive plan
those for Hammond and Vincennes In the
latter case the architects are now preparing
working drawings while the designs for the
Hammond buildings will not be received un-
I'll March.
Internal revenue officials are overwhelmed
with letters coming from nearly every State
In the Union. including Indiana. containing
the query, How many cigars weighing
three pounds or over per thousand were
tax-paid during the month OF November.
1902 More than 600 such letters have
been received at the Internal Revenue Bu-
reau. and they are still coming In accord
ance with an order OF Secretary Shaw, ey-
CONTINUED ON PAGE 5. COL 79