The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-06-14
POST0FFICE WAS PACKED
FOR POLITICAL PURPOSES
Searching Report of Chairman Proctor of the Civil
Service Commission Made Public
Appointments Not Made the Interest the Public Service or or
Account of Fitness.

& before classified zion, for the commits
sion had registers o. eigibles at that
/ time which were ample and also APP
prOpriate as is shown by the fact that
all but four of the thirty-seVen ap-
pOintments which have been made TO
/ the rural free delivery service in the
. District of Columbia and outside since
/ Nov p, 1861, were from registers then
Z in existence
The Service Suffered.
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 per-
sonaI considerations are cared for,
sometimes at the expense Of persons
appointed upon merit and without in
+ 1Uence. In relieving the branches Of
/ the service thus crowded with en-
! plOyes, transfers are made to other
Z parts CT the service. to the injury of
! eligibles in line for appointment by
reason Of their ascertained fitness
/ The passing of the war emergency,
the amendment Of Dec 81, 1901. of the
I rule referring to transfers and new
/ provisions of the revised rules which
/ became effective on April Is, 1903, VIII,
] IL is believed, prevent the continuance
/ of these abuses, in the classified SerV-
4 ice. and the adoption at the earliest
3 practicable date of regulations for the
employment of labOrers in the Wash
lngtOn pOStOfice, in accordance with
/ the executive order Of March 26, 1913,
+ viii. there is reason to hope, put the
I employment of laborers on the basis of
J fitness and the needs of the service,
Got What He Asked For.
/ The investigation was made in re
J sponse to the following letter dated
May from the acknowledgement 10
I the commission:
II should be pleased If you would
/ have one Of your examiners detailed
( tn make an investigation of the Wash
/ iugton City p0stoftice with a view or
/ ascertaining whether or not the civil
/ service law and regulations have been
I and are being complied with in the ad-
/ ministratiOn of that Office"
/ Mr.. Proctor was IN conference VIII
/ Postmaster General Payne for an hour
+ today regarding the report. Later Mr..
/ Proctor in verbal statement to news
{ paper men said that in all his expert
( ence with the pOstOnce he had had less
trouble since Mr.. Payne's ineumbency
4 than at any other time.
Payne PufFs himself
The aster-general gave out the
( following statement regarding the mat
/ ter:
Attention is called to the fact that
since my incUmbenCy of the position OF
( postmas general the civil service
/ commission report that there have been
/ but ten persons transferred TO the
/ Washington pOstOfice by appointment
I from smaller offices and that these ten
/ persons were appointed to their respec-
! tive places six months or more prior to
their transfer which is in compliance
/ with the laws. rules and regulations Of
/ the civil service as they now exist
1t viii be noted that the commission
reports that every person occupying
! competitive classified places in the
Z Washington pOstOf1Ce is there by right
/ of a certificate regularly issued by the
. civil service commission.
{ Under Old Administration.
Regarding unskiHed Iaborers. which
/ have not been subject to classification.
( it is proper to say that there has been
( much consideration of the question on
/ the part of the civil service commission
! and the department, and many confer
( ences- have been had on this subject
On July ,. 1902, an agreement was
Z reached and regulations adopted which
( were agreed to by the civil service COM
mission and the department. which viii
! do away with ali cause for complaints
/ as TO Irregularities in the appointments
| ot this class of employees.
The point raised by the report re-
/ garding the promotion Of certain en-
pioyes in the Office which have been
: directed by the department occurred
! previous to January 1, 1902. No such
/ directions for promotion as are referred
] to have been authorized by me since
/ I have been postmaster general"
Mr. Payne stated today that he ex-
/ peCted TO make public by Tuesday or
/ Wednesday abstracts of the reports
f o. pOStOfhce inspectors who recently in
vestigated the Washington office: L
/ similar report made by the inspectors
! during the former Postmaster General
/ Charles Emory Smiths administration
1 and the reply Of Fourth Assistant Post
! master-General BristOw to the TullOch
: charges.
The postmaster general today made the
following announcement:
The report Of the civil service commits
sion on the condition of the Washington
postoffice having been made public to-
day. the postmaster general stated that
he hoped to receive the report Of the in
I spectiOn of the office recently completed
? by pOStOffice inspectors. in time to make
public its salient points within two or
receiving this report the other papers in
the case viii be made public as soon as
they can be preDared."
United States District Attorney John 9
Rose OF Baltimore was in conference with
Mr. BristOw today regarding the trial of
McGregor and Upton. the former rural
free delivery clerks arrested for alleged
eollusion with q postal contractor Miss
Llebhardt. chief clerk of the free delivery
system was summoned 20 Mr.. Bristow's
office 70 explain some - the papers in
connection with the case Mr. Rose said
be expected the two men would be tried
during the present term of the court in
Baltimore. which expires July 10. The
postmaster general today took occasion to
deny a report that he had said the most
: sensational arrest of the investigation is
: about 20 occur
FLOOD IN COLORADO.
NJ nLrOSe. Colo June 19-Tha I'm