The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-04-18
DEFENSE MADE
FOR ROOSEVELT
President Accused of Many IT.
regular Appointments.
LETTER FROM W. D. FOULKE
FACTS CLAIMED TO BE THE
OTHER WAY.

Washington, April Il. - Chairman
Gullett Of the house committee on civil
service reform recently wrote to W. D.
toulke, former civil service commits
SioneF, calling his attention 10 the re-
cent congressional and other criti-
clSms Of President Roosevelt on the
ground that he had made a larger
number Of irregular appointments to
Inc classified service than any Of his
predecessors, and in view of the fac.
mat the period covered was while
Foulke was commissioner. asking mis-
opinion OF the charges. In Mr.. FOUlke'S
letter. under date Of April IL. he wrote
The fact is exactly the other way
mere have been fewer appointments
without competitive examina ton IN der
President Roosevelt than under anv
other president, and there has been no
administration since the passage of the
CIFll service act i'm which the compsti-
tive system has advanced with great
or rapidity and certainty. 1t has been
necessary for every president to per-
init certain positions 10 be filled with
out examination The number has
been reduced from time 10 time and
the range Of the competitive system
extended This process has gone on
faster under President Roosevelt than
under any other president. OF the sixty
cases Of suspensions of the rules dur
ing his administration only thirty
three are Of persons who We're allowed
10 enter the service Without eXamina-
ton"
Small Percentage.
In other words. out Of over "a. 900
appointments to the competitive serv-
Ice since Mr. Roosevelt became prasi-
dent il was deemed unnecessary in
these cases 90 require competitive ex-
s.. l.. q D.
one-twentieth Of 1 per cent Of one Of
the appointments. They comprise. FOR
i instance, a steward i'm the White
touse. a COaChman in the navy de-
TItment, two special agents i'm the
bEeau of corporations. the superin-
talent Of the government hospital for
ia insane and other cases where, on
a Mount of special reasons. the applica-
, don was considered impracticable, an
wise. unjust or unnecessary. These
cases are explained in detail in the an
nual reports Of the civil service COM
mission. They are usually made on
the recommendation of a cabinet Off
Ger and with the approval of the com
mission. In all of these cases the per
son was excepted and not the position.
This has been found by experience
10 be much the better plan. If, for
instance. the position of COachman had
been excepted generally, and not the
particular man, il would he found that
the number of Coachmen would in
crease, and many exceptions would
creep in instead Of one.
The statement of Representative
Hay that during the administration Of
Presidents Cleveland and Harrison
there were no suspensions of the rules
and only three during the administTa-
tiOn of Mckinley. while in Roosevelt s
administration there have been sixty,
leads 20 a most erroneous inference.
Under previous administrations eX-
ceptions We're not usually made by
means of suspensions of the rules, but
by means of changes in the rules. thus
excepting certain classes Of positions
from competitive examination. From
time to time Presidents Cleveland, Har-
TisOn and Mckinley excepted from COM
petition hundreds of positions which
had been competitive. on one OCca-
sion alone (May %. 1S99 S,047 such
places were excepted. But these ex-
cepuons were not in the main in the
form of Suspensions of the rules. .
which were the only matter called for
by the house resolution. President
Roosevelt. however. made them in the
form Of such Suspensions for the ex-
press purpose of limiting their number.
McKinley's Record.
Moreover. prior to April l.. 1903.
there was a provision allowing appoint
mcuts without examination where the
position to be filled required such pecu-
\ liar qualifications in respect TO knowl-
Nedge and ability. or such scientific or
s9ecial attachments wholly or in part
hrOfesisonal or technical. as are not
ordinarily acquired in the executive
service of the United States. Under
This provision President Mckinley
made twenty-one appointments and
President Roosevelt only five Instead
&c making appointments Of this kind
under a general rule, President Roosc-
Welt preferred 20 deal with each case
eparately by a suspension Of the rules.
and several Of the thirty-three ap-
Uointments referred TO are of this char
actar as. for instance. that Of cable
engineer i'm the signal service in the
Philippines.
During the last year Ass more ap-
poiutments We're made through COM
petitive examination than i'm the pre-
Nious year, and 1907 more appoint
neuts were made i'm that year than in
The year before. Under President
Roosevelt about 10000 positions have
been added TO the classified service.
Heretofore extensions Of tho Classi-
81. fled service have usually taken place
rear the close of an administra ton and
The exceptions made soon after the new
administration commenced. But Pres
ident Roosevelt. at the very beginning
az his administration, began to extend
the number Of competitive positions
and 10 strengthen the rules. He also
dealt out summary justice 10 offenders.
several OF whom held high positions in
his own party
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