The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1905-10-06

The opposition hlunAered #hen they
charged Foke Smith with especial favor
Stisnl 70 pegrQss ip.his appointments when
secretary Of ARE inteEior.
Passing Ovsr the S0nsRicpops inasnracy |,
Of their statsmsnts as applied TO inaiyid7
nsl cases, tlieir allegations as > whole are
utterly discrsdited BY the full records Of
the interior .departmept dNrjng Mr.
Smith administration
was Mr., smitil's private secretary dur
tng the Arst half Of his service gs secretary
OF the intsaor.
The interior depPrtHlent is ARs biggest
business Office in the ppiied States. It
has in itthe patent Office, the pension by
Feau.lhe Indianlbnresu, the public lands
department, the geological y,the CEN
suS bureau, the educational department,
aud when BEr. Smith sgas secretary it also
bad Ihe Pacific RAILROADS. Each Il these
departments has eqmmiasioper and a di-
rector in charge. n '-'
There we're over P4ooo people employ,
ed,in these various branches OF the inte-'
FiOr department The great majority Of
them were aagdsr the eiyil service. Their
appointments eFme from the ciyil service
commission, and they were promoted and
Fsipeed on Aseir oiticiai records, and thess
promotions or reductions were made by
the commissioners and directors If the va
rious bureaus.
The negroes nisptioped by The Atlanta
Constitution As having clerical positions
we're civil service clerks who went into
the service psfore Mr.. Smith became secre
AIRY cttAe iptsriQr. e.
The atlanta Constitution ended several
'sra.rapbsp f its editorial with the state
= mt, "ir9n she cf6cialFecoFd interior
tepe tmeRtR TO the casual observer Il
r ht haye hsen supposed that they were
eu9ting from the records q the iatsTior
epeltEnens Not one line IF what they
printed was quoted from The records Of
she interior department.
John p. Turner was clerk in the civil
serv ,ce for several years before Mr.. Smith
was secretary, and the records show that
be rsceiyed 40 promotion during Mr.
Smiths seFyice as secretary. # he had
Fecelysd promotion i would have been
from the commissioner Of pensions and
pot from .he aecFetary of'she inferior,
Mo Mitchell is SHOWN BY the records q
the interior dePaFtmens 70 haye been a civ
II service clerk fwO years prior TO the time
lhqt Mg, SFpith Was. Rlsde seCFetaFy5 ana
be FscsiVrd no promotion during Mr..
Smiths seFyice As secFetaV.
! have ne idea that Mr.. Smith knew
shat either Oi them was connected with the
inteFior department,
MF! Smith made lgpF personal appoint.
ments Of negroes. They we're negro men
men who had worked Cor him in Atlanta.
coFneligs Kipgi 20 RSpch spokep o. as
the son-in-lSw Of Bishop Turner had
FaEEied asscOnd tiRie. His sscond wing
vas 'hs daughter Of fine nurse who had
pased several Of Mr. SMITHS children.
He had also been M. Smiths porter a,
his Law Offices ip AflantO, and know that
Che appointment was given CoFnelips
King for these reasons. coppled with the
fact shas he had lived until he was tween.
fy-One among the Cherpkee Indians, and
eoHld All the posit on well,
The large majority Of changes in posi-.
lions aud appointments, except where the
appointments were presidential appoint,
pspe, were controlled by the rpmmis:
sionsr o. dlFsctor Of the bureaus. The
presidential appointments were really
Pads BY the secretary Qf the interior.
There were a,o3a appOiptnienu made
during the administration Of Secretary
Smith, and part Of these we're BY .lle civil
service coramission. M
There were something oyer 100 negroes
appointed, bnt oil Of them were 20 nessen-
gers.s Or labOrers' places, and TO all Of
theiF work was attached mepial service.
The large majority Of them were appoint
ed BY the chief clerk Of the department or
BY heads Of .he bureaus,
A nnmber q negroes were appointed At
She instance 81 Democratic congressman,
There were number Of negroes given
places at she instance Of Georgia congress.
@ea,
lnsEe were about forty appointed from
the District Of Columbia solely because
the wcgk had to be done. Il was nienial
work apd PegFpes, as rule, alone could
Pc found spiled to It.
The pay given to the negroes seems
large to eeorgians, but then il should be
Temembered that an ordicary driver gets
SO TO $50 per month in Washington, and
Ihe prices tor this vork was 6Ked by the
ecis Of congress-
Waite men and women from Georgia
were given gFtateE recognition thap ever