The Gainesville star. [volume] (Gainesville, Fla.) 1903-19??, 1903-06-19
ONLY PRIVATE SNAP
Proctor Reports on Crooked
ness in Postal Department,
PUBLIC INTEREST WAS NIT
Chairman Of the Civil Service Com.
mission Gives Some Hard RaPs
to High officials Of the
Department.

a Washington bpeNioi oeJo' S
man Proctor of the civil service com
mission, on last Saturday, submitted
to Postmaster General Payne the re-
port made by the commission, at the
request Of the postmaster general,
with reference to the charge OF viola
ton Of the civil service regulations in
the Washington postoffice. The in
qulry covered the following points;
CD Whether all Of the employees out
side the force Of carriers were regular
ly in the service and entitled to their
positions; (2) whether the civil SER
vice rules had been observed In the en-
ployment and assignment OF laborers,
and CD whether there had been a gem
raj observance Of the civil service law
and rules In the administration Of the
Washington postoflce during the In
cumbency OF the present postmaster
In addition to the report proper, a
transcript Of the testimony taken, Mr..
Proctor presented summary OF the
findings. This summary concludes, In
part, as follows:
"a departure from the observance Of
the civil service rules appears In the
promotion OF certain employees In the
Washington postoffice which hare
been directed by the department al
though reports of efficiency are neither
requested nor received by the depart
ment.
"The information disclosed by the
investigation seems to warrant the
statement that appointments to CLASH
fed positions In the Washington post
ONCE without examination, by the
method of appointment in small un.
classified Offices, or in Offices about TO
be consolidated, and subsequent trans
fer, and the appointments of those Ia
borers who were appointed and sepa'
rated during the administration OF the
present postmaster, show wide de-
parture in policy from strict regard
for the public interest and afford In
dlcations that the department used the
Washington Office for political and per
sonal purposes to an extent which left
the authority OF the postmaster In
transfers and appointments Of this
sort but little more than nominal and
placed the Office in many respects In
the relation OF bureau to the depart
ment
directed by High otflclaIs.
"The investigation seems to show
clearly that most OF the irregularities
herein mentioned were directed by the
department, or requested or suggested
by high departmental officials, and In
either case camesto the postmaster
with all the force OF 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.
Rural Free Delivery Service.
Nearly all of the clerks and messen
gers in the rural free delivery service
who were covered into the classified
service were in positions in Washing
ton, d. c, One hundred and thirty
three Of them were appointed prior ia
July /, 1901; twenty-six were appoint
ed In the four months Immediately
preceding the classification and fifty
six were appointed In the twenty-slx
days preceding classification. How
many Of these were appointed for rea.
sons other than the needs OF the ser.
vice. 1t is, Of course, impossible for the
commission to determine, but that the
service was packed with employees In
the interests Of the individuals Is lndl.
Gated by the fact that the number OF
appointments in the month OF the elias.
slfication was more than twice as great
as for the preceding four months.
1.-THE appointments made under the
circumstances above set forth resulted
In congestion OF the service, and
when reduction is to be made the EN-.
ployees appointed for political or per-
sonal considerations are cared for,
sometimes at the expense OF persons
appointed upon merit and without In.
fuence. In relieving the branches Of
the service thus crowded with EN-.
ployes, transfers are made to other
parts Of the service, to the injury OF
eligibles In line for appointment by
reason Of their ascertained fitness.