Omaha daily bee., 1905-11-28
Official Evades Provisions Of the Act and
Hampers Its Execution.
ILLEGAL APPOINTMENTS ARE Ma
Relatives and Friends Placed on Payroll.
in Irregular Manner.
PRESIDENT WRITES A FoRcIBLt LETTtR
Chief Executive Tells MIR. Lieb that
He Must Vacate once Bee
cause of Persistent
WrOnRdoinE.

WASHINGTON. Nov 27.-PresIdeut
Roosevelt today removed from Office Will
liam S. Lleb assistant United States
treasurer at Philadelphia. for constant
and persistent violation of the civil service
law while IN office"
In a formal statement issued at the White
House today by President Roosevelt Mr..
Lieb's removal is announced. The presi-l
dent gave Mr.. Lieb a hearing last Fridas 4
at the request OF Senators Penrose and\
Knox of Pennsylvania Mr. Lieb submitted
Il long statement in answer to the charges
made against him and was supported in his
defense by Representative Patterson OF
Pennsylvania
The statement says:
Statement from white House.
After careful consideration Of all the
facts developed by the inquiry. the presi-
dent decided to remove Mr.. Lieb from
office, 1t being shown, according to the
statement, that there was constant and
TO eVade the provisions of the civil service
iqiWs Ii's to hamper It's workings as far as posi-
ton of the commission"
The president declared that the evidence
showed fraud in the civil service examina-
tions, the fraud in one instance duplicating
Mr.. Lieb's sister. After reviewing the case
the president concludes:
Under these circumstances OF persistence
IN wrongdoing on your part, it seems to
move you from office. You are accordingly
hereby removed from the position Of assist
ant treasurer OF the United States.
President ROosevelts statement, which is
in the form Of a letter to Mr.. Lieb, is as
follows:
WHITE HOUSE, Washington, Nov. "a
lSS.-Sir: | have carefully considered thI
papers In your case and the statement
made by you In your own behalf, and ~
Mr. Cooley on behalf of the Civil Servi4
commission. II appears to me very cle1
that there has been q constant and cor
ststent effort on your part to evade IL
provisions of the civil service law, to han
per It's workings as far as possible and {
oostrnct IN every way the action of q
the commission shall endeavor not TO har
per, but to aid, the other public servan.
OF the government in doing their work SIT
cesstully and on the other hand expe.
IN return that the other public serVan.
shall cooperate with the commission ala =
aid them In their efforts to carry out the
civil service law In your case 1t seems To
me clearly established that you hayJ
sought. continually to take advantaRe ~
every kind of technicality in order 10 avol
carrying out the law in good faith.
taxing advantage of these technicalitii
you nave Kept upon the roll in almost CO u
unuous positions certain of your own reta.
uyes ana at least one person whose RNp-
pointment was evidently pressed merely fSr
political reasons instead of making I'M
proper effort TO carry out the law as II a ~
plies TO appointments within the classidfsd
service. IL clearly appears that in one eSl-
animation held upon information furnishcfl
by your Office there was such clear ev4 :
dence OF fraud that it had to be cancelled
The evidence as to the fraudulent charad-
ter of the examination implicated your si5-
ter two persons from your own town anil
one person who was at that time serving
IN your ONCE under temporary appointment
ana VINO was subsequently dismissed froIb
the service tor swearing falsely.
Continued objectionable Methods
The president here quotes a letter sent
by Secretary Shaw to Mr. Lieb, calling at
tention to irregularities, and then concludes
his own letter as follows
If the case had at that time (when
Shaw's letter was sent) been called 10 nv
attention my belief is that | would then
request your resignation. Most certainly
after receiving such "A letter, to which you
failed in any way to make any answer
clearing yourself or traVcrsng the facts
alleged by the secretary, Il was Your dutt
so to conduct your office that no possiblei
criticism could come upon you. Instead OF
so conducting il you have continued ex-
tanned; Your sister for instance, having
been again temporarily appointed last Au-
gust as money counter, and, notwithstanJi-
ing the fact that this is a permanent post,
tion and that there were two eligibles on
the register when you were notified that
the appointment must he made from these
eligibles, you in some manner secured their
deClinations and thercupon, on September
q, again temporarily appointed your sister
the records of the Civil Service commis-
sion show.
Under these circumstances OF persist
{ ence in wrong doing on your part II seems
10 me that there is no alternative but 10
remove you from Office You are accord
ingly hereby removed from the position OF
d assistant treasurer of the United States.
Very truly yours.
THEODORE ROOSEVELT.
Hon. William $. Lieb, Subtreasury, Phila,-
delphia, Pa .t.-
EATAl ElRE IN Ml1Ic