The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1903-06-16

Washington. June 13.-Chairman
Proctor of the civil service commission
today submitted to Postmaster General
Payne the report made by the commits
sion at the request of the postmaster
general with reference to the charge of
violation of the civil service regulations
in the Washington postoffice. The in
quiry covered the following points:
ID Whether all of the employees out
side the force of carriers were regularly
in the service and entitled to their po-
rules hadibeen observed in the employ
| ment and assignment of laborers and
g. whether there had been a general
observance OF the civil service law and
rules, in the administration Of the
Washington postofffce during the in
cumbency of the present postmaster.
In addition to the report proper, and
a transcript Of the testimony taken, Mr..
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
promotion of certain employees in the
| Washington postoffice, which have been
| directed by the department, although
| reports Of efficiency are neither request
ed nor received by the department. A
| case in point is that of a lady who was
nominally appointed in the MOorestoWn
| y. j., pOstOtfice, but never left the
Washington pOstoffice; who owed her
| appointment TO the classified ton trans
| fer method; was promoted from Sep
| tember l. 1900 to July I, 1901, from 5000
| to $1,000 per annum by direction of the
| department. and is doing the work for
merly done by an employee, who receiv-
| ed a compensation of only $1,000 per
| annum.
| The information disclosed by the in
vestigation seems to warrant the state
ment that appointments to classified
| positions in the Washington postoffice
without examination by the devious
| method of appointment in small unclas-
| sified offices, or in offices about to be
| consolidated and subsequent transfer
who were appointed and separated dur
| ing the administration of the present
postmaster, show a wide departure in
| policy from q strict regard for the pub
lie interest and afford indications that
| the department used the Washington
postoffice for political and personal pur-
/ poses, to an extent which left the au-
thority of the postmaster, in transfer:
l>,,t II
more than nominal and placed the
office IN many respects in the relation
of a bureau to the department.
| The investigation seems to show
clearly that most of the irregularities
herein set forth We're directed by tn
department, Or requested or suggested
by high departmental officials, and il
either case came to the postmaster Will
all the force of a direction.
The investigation indicates that tn
employees who entered the service b,
transfer and without examination are
in general inferior 70 those appointet
through competition. The investiga
tions made by the commission shov
that many Of the persons who entere
the service by transfer had failed upo
competitive examination, We're from
states which We're IN excess Of the ap
pointment, Or had not passed with SUI
ficiently high grades TO be reached 70
appointment by the regular methods
Among the employees in the depart
ment or in the postOffice service VIII
: We're brought into the classified serviC
, | within the last few years by classified
: ton, having been appointed withOu
examination under the rules, were thir
q y war emergency, classified by tn
9 act of April 2Sth 1902. twelve made pei
e manent under paragraph l. Of rule
and 33S classified in the rural free de
livery service on November 21th, 100
The total number Of employees in thes
$ three classes who entered the serviC
4 upon considerations other than ftnes
/ | as ascertained by competitive examine
tiOn was $50.
Nearly all the clerks and messenger
e in the rural free delivery service WI
= were covered into the classified Servit
s were in positions in Washington, D.
o One hundred and thirty three were al
pointed prior TO July l, 1901; 26 WeI
! | appointed in the four months immed
n ately preceding the classification; ar
Sc were appointed in the 26 days prece+