Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-06-13
PROC TER is SEVERE
Civil Service Commissioner
on Postal Appointments.
WASHINGTON OFFICE
MADE A BUREAU FOR CONVE-
NIENCE OF OFFICIALS.
Facts Laid Before Postmaster General
Payne in Detail - Disregard of
Some Civil Service Rules

The condition of the Washington post Of
flee as viewed by the civil service commits
sion after an examination just concluded
was presented to Postmaster General Payne
today by John R. Proctor, chairman of the
commission, in the form of a report. The
report is a very lengthy one. Mr.. Proctor
however, has made a summary of it's i'm
portant features, which was made public
by Mr.. Payne. In doing this Mr. Payne
stated that he had not read the report but
that he had spent the morning with Mr..
Proctor and believed he understood its con-
tents. Mr.. Proctor. who was present in the
office of the Postmaster General when the
report was given out, took occasion to say
to the newspaper men that the condition OF
the Washington post office since Mr.. Payne
had been Postmaster General had been bet
ter than at any time during his ten years
experience on the civil service commission
Reply to Tulloch's Charges.
This report is regarded somewhat in the
nature of reply to tine TuIloch charges,
and Mr.. Payne announced this morning
that just as soon as he was able to read the
reports of the Inspectors made after an ex-
animation of the Washington office at the
time of the transfer from Postmaster Will
lett to Mr. Merritt he would make the same
public, together with the reply to the Tul-
loch charges recently written by Fourth
Assistant Bristow
Mr. Payne has been criticised somewhat
by the newspapers for withholding the
BriStow reply to Tulloch. He stated some
time ago that he wished to hold this reply
until 1t could be accompanied with a report
OF the inspectors who have just completed
an investigation of that office. Today how
ha cal 10 l,.,l
been completed and he did not know when
1T would be. therefore he should wait for
it no longer. The impression has gone out
that the Bristow reply to the Tulloch
and that it was Mr.. Payne's desire to show
that while bad condition might have ex-
listed at the time complained of by Tullocb
such was not the case now.
Mr.. Payne's Statement.
Mr.. Payne took the trouble to prepare a
statement this morning to accompany the
Proctor report In it he makes the follow
ing observations:
Attention is called to the fact that since
my incumbency of the position of Postmas-
ter General the civil service commission re-
port that there have been but ten persons
transferred to the Washington city post
office by appointment from smaller offices
and that these ten were appointed to their
respective places six months or more prior
to their transfer, which is in compliancs
with the law, rules and regulations of the
civil service as they now exist
1T will be noted that the commission re-
port that every person occupying COM
petitive classified place in the Washington
post office is there by right of certificate
regularly issued by the civil service COM
mission.
Regarding unskilled laborers which
have not been subject to classification. it is
proper to say that there has been much
consideration of this question on the part OF
the civil service commission and the de-
partment, and many conferences have been
had on this subject. On July %, 1902, an
agreement was reached and regulations
adopted, which were agreed to by the civil
service commission and the department
which will do away with all cause for
complaints as to Irregularities in the ap-
pointment of this class of employees.
THE point raised by the report regarding
the promotion of certain employees In the
office which have been directed by the de-
partment occurred previous to January 1.
1902. No such directions for promotion as
are referred to have been authorized by me
since l have been Postmaster General"
The Report.
Chairman Proctor says:
1.-The commission has the honor to sub
nit herewith, with it's approval. the re-
port of an investigation made by it's rep
resentatives in compliance with your writ
ten request of May 4, 1903, and your oral
instructions to determine % Whether all
of the employees outside the force of car
riers were regularly in the service and
entitled to their positions; 90 whether the
civil service rules had been observed in
the employment and assignment of labor
ers, and go whether there had been a gen.
eral observance of the civil service law
and rules in the administration of the
Washington post Office during the incum-
bency of the present postmaster.
In add n
transcript of the testimony taken Com
missioner Proctor presented a summary
Of the findings. This summary concludes
as follows:
"A departure from the observance of
the civil service rules appears in the pro-
motions of certain employees in the Wash
ington post Office which have been directed
by the department, although reports of
efficiency are neither requested nor re-
ceived by the department. A case in point
is that of a lady who was nominally ap-
pointed in the Moorestown IN. -, post OIL
fice but never left the Washington post
office: who owed her appointment to the
Observation-Disclosures method; was pro-
NOTED from September l, 1900, to July l,
1901 from 5000 to S1,6oO 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,OOO
per annum.
Civil Service Ignored.
.The information disclosed by the inves-
tigation seems to warrant the statement
that appointments to classified positions in
the Washington post office without exami-
pation nv the devious method of appoint
ment in small unclassified offices, or in Of
fees about to be consolidated, and subse-
ouent transfer, and the appointments of
those laborers who were appointed and sep
arated during the administration of the
present postmaster. show wide departure
in policy from strict regard for the pub
lie interest and afford indications that the
epartment used the Washington post Office
for political and personal purposes to an
extent which left the authority of the post
master in transfers and appointments of
this sort but little more than nominal. and
nlaeed the Office in many respects in the re-
iation Of a bureau to the department
.oThe investigation seems to show clearly
that most of the irregularities herein set
forth were directed by the department or
requested or suggested by high depart
mental officials, and in either case came to
the postmaster with all the force of direc-
ton. With the exception of the appoint
ment of eight laborers afterward separated
three clerks appointed to offices about to be
classified and one employe appointed in
the Good Hope District of Columbia) post