The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-04-18
WILLIAM DUDLEY FOUlKE
DEFENDS THE PRESIDENT
FROM RECENT CHARGES
His Exceptions from Civil-Service
Rules Have Been Fewer than
His Predecessors
SYSTEM MUCH BROADER
Constant Additions Have Been
Made to the Classified Service
Hays Criticism Baseless.

WASHINGTON, April 17.--Chairman Gil
lette, of the House committee on CIVIL
service reform, recently wrote Mr.. w. d.
Foulke former civil-service commissioner,
calling his attention to recent congression-
al and other criticism of President Roose-
welt ION the ground that he had made
larger number of irregular appointments
to the classified service than any of his
predecessors" and in view of the fact that
the period covered was while Mr.. Foulke
was commissioner, asking his opinion as to
the charges. In reply Mr.. Foulke, under
date of April Is. wrote:
1.-The fact is exactly the other way. There
have been fewer appointments without
competitive examination under President
Roosevelt than under any other President,
and there has been no administration since
the passage of the civil-service act in
which the competitive system has adj
vanced with greater rapidity and certainty.
1T has been necessary for every President
to permit certain positions to be filed with
out examination. The number has been
reduced from time to time and the range
of the competitive system extended This
process has gone on faster under President
Roosevelt than under any other President.
rules during his administration, only thir-
ty-three are of persons who were allowed
to enter the service without examination.
In other words, out of more than 10000 ap-
pointments to the competitive service since
Mr.. Roosevelt became President. it was
deemed unnecessary in these thirty-three
cases to require competitive examination.
These cases form less than one-twentieth
of l per cent. OF the appointments. They
comprise, for instance, a steward in the
White House, a coachman in the Navy De-
partment, two special agents in the Bureau
OF Corporations, the superintendent of the
Government Hospital for the Insane. and
other cases where, on account of special
reasons, the application of the rules was
considered impracticable, unwise, unjust,
or unnecessary.
REPORTED IN DETAIL.
These cases are explained in detail in
the annual reports of the Civil-service
Commission. They were usually made on
the recommendation of a Cabinet officer
and with the approval of the commission.
In all of these cases the person was ex-
cepted, and not the position"
This has been found by experience to be
much the better plan. If. for instance, the
position of coachman had been excepted
generally and not the particular man, it
would be found that the number of coach
men would increase and many exceptions
THE statement of Representative Hay
that during the administrations of Presi
dents Cleveland and Harrison there were
no suspensions of the rules, and only three
during the administration of Mckinley,
while in Roosevelt's administration there
have been sixty, leads to most erroneous
inference.
Under previous admins trations excep-
tions were 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 exam
ination. From time to time Presidents
Cleveland. Harrison and Mckinley except
which had been competitive. On one occa-
sion alone May 20, 1899, S.047 such places
were excepted. But these exceptions were
not in the main in the form of Suspensions
of the rules which was the only matter
called for by the House resolution. Presi-
dent Roosevelt. however made them in the
form of such suspensions for the express
purpose of limiting their number.
ROOSEvELTS METHOD.
Moreover, prior to April Is, 1903, there
was a provision allowing appointments
without examination where the position to
be filled required such peculiar qualifica-
tons in respect TO knowledge and ability
or such scientific or special attainments
wholly or in part professional or technical
as are not ordinarily acquired in the ex-
ecutive service of the United States Under
this provision President Mckinley made
twenty-one appointments and President
| Roosevelt only five
Instead of making appointments OF this
kind under a general rule, President Roose-
| welt preferred to deal with each case sepa-
rately by a Suspension of the rules. and
several of the thirty-three appointments re-
ferred to are of this character. as. for in
| stance. that of cable engineer in the
| signal service in the Philippines.
During the last year 1855 more appoint
! ments were made through competitive ex-
| animation than In the previous year. and
| 3,001 more appointments were made in that
| year than in the year before. Under Presi-
| dent Roosevelt about 10000 positions have
/ been added to the classified service.
Heretofore extensions of the classified
service have usually taken place near the
| close of administration and the excep-
/ tions made soon after the new administra-
| ton commenced. But President Roosevelt
/ at the very beginning OF his administration
| began TO extend the number of competitive
/ positions and to strengthen the rules. He
also dealt out summary justice to offenders,
several of whom held high positions in his
/ own party