The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1904-10-06
SCHMITTOUT OF THE PARKS
Civil Service Reiormers Bagged
the Whole Bunch.

Him to do So in violation OF Law
The Board Quotes Low Precedents.
Mayor Mcclellan ousted yesterday the
entire Municipal Civil Service Commission
and the Bronx Park Commissioner and
appointed new Civil Service Board, OF
three members instead of six. headed
by Bird s. Coler. The whole proceeding
follows a complaint from the Civil Service
Reform Association that illegal appoint-
ments of laborers have been made In the
Department of Parks in The Bronx, and
that this was done with the sanction Of the
Civil Service Board.
The officials removed or permitted to
resign are:
MUNICIPAL CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. !
JOIN II. MCCooEY. Dem, president ire.
moved).
JEROME SIEGEL, Dem. tremoved).
JOSEPH F.. DAY, Dem. (removed).
f.. A. CRowNlNsHIELD, Rep. (removed).
HAL BELL Rep. tresigned), -
EUGENE i. O'CoNNoR. Rep. trcsisnedI.
PARK DEPARTMENT. rs
WILLIAM p. ScBMITT. Dem. Commissioner
Bronx (resignedl.
The new Civil Service Board is composed
of:
BIRD s. CoLER, Dem. president, Brooklyn. 4.
ALPED J. TALLY, Dem. Manhattan
X. Ross APPLETON, Rep, Brooklyn.
The president Of the board gets $1,000 a
year. The others serve without pay. The
commissioners were sworn in yesterday.
President McCooey of the old board, in
response to letter sent to him by the Mayor
calling for his resignation, refused to resign
ha For ho
Mayors action, he being a member Of SEN
ator McCarren's organization. The Mayor
thereupon wrote letter perenptorily dis
missing him Mr. McCooey did not dis
pute the Mayors power to do this, but
characterized the procedure after he and
hs associates had turned over their Of
fees to Mr. Coler and his board as high
handed outrage" He also called it "a
bombshell out OF a clear sky
The Mayor wrote Commissioner Schmitt
requesting him to forward his resignation
forthwith The commissioner sent his
resignation to the Mayor by mail yesterday.
too late to reach him. He also denied the
charges against him, as he had denied them
before.
COMPLAINT THAT LED TO IT,
On Sept 10 the Civil Service Reform
Association, by Elliot II. Goodwin, secre-
tary, wrote to the Mayor complaining Of
marked neglect" on the part Of the Civil
Service Commission in administering that
part of the law affecting laborers and call
ing his attention also to what was described
az the exploitation OF labor positions for
political purposes by certain heads OF de-
partments and in particular by the Com
missioner of Parks OF the Borough OF The
Bronx" Under the civil service law labor
ers are not subject to competitive examina-
ton and the law prescribes that the selec-
tions shall he made by priority of registra-
ton with the Civil Service Bureau after a
physical examination Of an applicant and
after his fitness has been determined by his
reputation and past records. The whole
idea of the law, as pointed out by the as-
ISOLATION, was to withdraw the class Of
laborers in the public service from poll
tics. But the letter to the Mayor said that
the present commission has been appar-
emily violating the letter and the spirit
OF the law and has made the labor class
in the Bronx parks the field for wholesale
political patronage, 80 that the continuous
employment of laborer has been made
to depend upon the Endorsements of district
leaders
The letter went on to say that hundreds
of the laborers in The Bronx parks had
been carried on the payrolls, drawing no
paw instead of having their names returned
to the Civil Service Commission, to be put
on the preferred list as required by law.
Keeping them on the payrolls kept their
names of the preferred list for reemploy-
ment. This procedure. the letter said
was used to force them into "the preferred
political party" II was found, so the asso-
citation said, that Mr.. Schmitt, soon after
coming into Office, had suspended 800
laborers. but had kept them on the rolls.
nevertheless, and that on March 10 the
Civil Service Commission passed resolu-
ton, authorizing such procedure in this
and other departments. BY the end of
March nearly all the laborers in Schmitt's
department had been laid of. Some of
them were told they could have work
again upon getting Endorsements from
district leaders.
To take their places although they
should have been on the preferred Lists,
200 new appointments were made from
the Lists and there were a lot OF transfers
from other city departments or LIS NEIL
laid off the association found that % were
Republicans, six were enrolled as indie
pendents two as Social Democrats and
As were no, registered last election.
An affidavit incosed. made by G. W.
johnson, a driver. recited that he had been
laid of by Supt. W. T, Wager Of the Park
department, and when he asked for rcn-
statement so that he could draw wages
had been told to get the Endorsement OF
the district leader. When johnson said
he couldn't get it, Wager, he swears, said
he couldn't do anything for him. While
johnson was carried on the rolls as driver,
without pay. ten men we're taken on a.
drivers, being taken from the civil service
lists for rockmen and other laborers. John
Peterson. a gardener, swears that after
he was laid OF Wager told him that in order