The Washington times., 1903-07-20
Smith CALLS PROCTER
"HEEDLESS CRITIC"
EX-POStmaSter General Ut
ters a Philippe.
"GRATUITOUS IMPUTATlONS'
Civil Service Commissioners Report
Designated Unworthy In
nuendo"

another letter of comment on the Post
Office Department scandal, in which he
defends his administration of the affairs
Of the department and denounces the
report Of Civil Service Commissioner
Proctor. who revealed the padded pay
rolls Of the department and showed up
the methods resorted to in slipping IA
vorites into the classified service with
out examinations.
Mr.. Procters report is dubbed an ''un-
worthy innuendo" by Mr.. Smith and he
declares the Civil Service Commissioner
to te a needless critic" Most of the
letter of the ex-Postmaster General is
devoted to a discussion of the indirect
classification OF persons at postcfiees on
the establishment of free delivery and
the packing OF the rural free delivery di-
vision of the department in anticipation
of Its classification.
Proctor an Obstructionist.
The letter which Mr.. Smith has just
published was written TO Postmaster
General Payne on July II and purports
10 be an explanation OF "gratuitOus i'm
putations" made by Mr. Proctor. All
the wrongs in the Postof1ce Department
are attributed to the errors of Congress.
and Mr.. Smith declares Mr.. Proctor was
an obstructionist who had to be ignored
when plans for the classification OF the
rural free delivery were under consid-
Grafton.
In this connection Mr.. Smith pays his
respects to Commissioner Proctor in
this fashion:
when. as already indicated, it be-
came clear that the service was to be
induring. he addressed himself to the
task of preparing Il for a permanent
footing This involved bringing 1t with
in the classified service and OF extend
ing the civil service rules to it. so far
as they we're applicable. But inasmuch
as the first requirement OF the rural
carrier was to have a horse and wagon
(horse and wagon not being amenable
to competitive academic examination),
and inasmuch as other special condi-
tions existed, the regular rules could not
be literally applied just as they we're;
they had to be modified to adapt them to
these conditions.
Under the direction of the President.
the department was engaged for some
weeks with the Civil Service Commis-
sion in framing a system and body Of
rules. and in view OF Mr.. Procter's re-
marks. II is only fair to say that in
this work he proved so unreasonable,
so dogmatic. and so impracticable that
he had 10 be overruled both by his own
associates and by the administration
and had to be substantially eliminated
from all part in the construction of the
framework The burden of the work or
the part of the Civil Service Commits
sion fell on William d. Foulke. who is
as strong and rational in his practical
sense as he is sincere. earnest. and In
telIigent in his devotion to civil service
reform"
Mr.. Smith defends the packing" o.
the rural free delivery Immediately be-
fore its classification. as follows:
How much ground there was for Mr.
Procter's unworthy innuendo may bS
Judged from the fact that OF the fifty -si,
appointments to which he refers forty
one were women clerks. four were trans
fers. six were designations for division
told, were original appointments Of mel
for the department. A vast deal Of poll.
ties. surely. In the appointment Of forty
one women.
Another fact deserves remark. Near
ly two years have elapsed since the ap
pointments. You have been Postmaster
General a year and a half and yoI
have not dropped one OF them. II tn
service was packed how falthless yoI
nav IN dfrfrr
critic didn't see that his blow was aimee
at you as we'll as me-
1t may have been a sad case OF mis-
taken judgment but Congress by Law
devolved the organization of the rura
delivery service and the appointment o
all its force on the Postmaster Genera
and not on Mr.. Proctor. For severa
successive years it made constantly In
creasing appropriations, TO be expende,
absolutely at the Postmaster General
discretion. without condition or restric
tion."
Mr.. PrOcter's Comment.
The attention of John r. Proctor
president OF the Civil Service Commits
sion. was called today to these criti
cisms OF his official conduct offered b,
the former Postmaster General.
1T is unfortunate" said Mr.. Proc
Ter, lnal MT Smlth should have writ
ten from memory memory evidentl
defective and unreliable-when he nigh
have had access to the official record
and correspondence, which are all Of
file. He intimates that / sought ex
ceptions, on behalf Of relatives, unde
the civil service rules. never askei
such exceptions. have no relatives in tn
classified service. and never asked 70
the appointment Of one.
Mr. Smith calls attention TO M
hard -hearredness in refusing consent Z
the placing OF mans wife in the posi-
tion vacated by the man when he en-
listed for service in the Spanish War
Mr.. Smiths memory fails him, as IN
letters on the subject show. The com
mission pointed out to him that tn
way this woman could be appointe
was by exception and that all he ha
10 do was to apply TO the President
grant such exception"
MUST KEEP THE PEACE.