Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1905-12-01
REMOVED BY
ROOSEVELT
Assistant United States Treasurer
William S. Leib, Of Philadelphia,
Loses His Job.
Is GIVEN a Hearing But Fails to
Overcome the Evidence
Against Him.

washington, NOV. ID HreSluenC
Roosevelt today removed from office
William S. Lieb. assistant United
States treasurer at Philadelphia, for
constant and persistent violation of
the civil service law while in office
In formal statement issued at the
White House by President Roosevelt,
Mr.. Liebs removal is announced The
The President gave Mr.. Lieb hearing
last Friday, at the request of Senators
Penrose and Knox of Pennsylvania.
Mr.. Lieb submitted long statement
in answer to the charges made against
him and was supported in his defence
by representative Patterson of Penn.
sylvania.
President Rooseve1t's statement
which is in form of a letter to Mr..
Leib, is as follows:
The Presidents Letter.
White House, Wash, Nov. ~ 1905.
Sir: | have carefully considered the
papers in your case and the state
ments made by YOU in your own be-
half and by Mr. Cooley on behalf of
the civil service commission. 1t ap-
pears to me very clear that there has
been constant and persistent effort
on your part to evade the civil service
law. to hamper it's workings as far as
possible and to obstruct in every way
the action of the commission. | ex-
pect on the one hand that the com.
mission shall endeavOr not to hamper
but to aid the other public servants
of the government in doing their work
successfully. and on the other hand |
expect in return that the other public
servants shall cooperate with the COM
mission and aid them in their efforts
to carry out the civil service law. In
your case it seems to me clearly es-
tablisned that you have sought con.
tinuously to take advantage of every
kind of technicality in order to avoid
carrying out the law in good faith
BY taking advantage of these techni-
calities you have kept on the roll in
almost continuous positions certain of
your own relatives and at least one
person whose appointment was evi.
IDENTIFY pressed merely for political rea.
sons, instead of making all proper eff.
fort to cary out the law as it applies
to appointments within the classified
service 1t clearly appears that in
one examination held upon informa-
ton furnished by your office there was
such clear evidence of fraud that it
had to be cancelled The evidence
as to the fraudulent character of the
examination implicated your sister,
two persons from your own town and
one person who was at that time serv-
ing in your office under temporary ap-
pointment and who was subsequently
dismissed from the service for swear
ing falsely"
The president here quoted letter
sent by Secretary Shaw to Mr.. Leib
calling attention to irregularities and
then concludes his own letter as fol-
lows:
Appointed His Sister.
IF the case had at that time (when
Shaw's letter was sent) been called
to my attention, my belief is that
would then have requested your resig.
nation. Most certainly after receiving
such letter. to which you failed In
any way to make any answer clearing
yourself of traversing the facts alleg-
ed by the secretary. it was your duty
so to conduct your office that no pos.
sible criticism could come upon you.
Instead of so conducting it. you have
continued exactly the methods that
previously obtained; your sister, for
instance having been again temper
arily appointed last August as money
counter. and Notwithstanding the fact
that this is permanent position and
that there were two eligibles on the
register when you were notified that
the appointment must be made from
these eligibles, you in some manner
secured their destinations and there
upon, on September q, again temper
mill .,l ~.
in office at this time. so far as the
records of the civil service commits
sion show.
"Under these circumstances of per-
sistence in wrong doing on your part
it seems to me that there is no alter
native but to remove you from office.
You are accordingly hereby removed
from the position of assistant treasur-
er of the United States. Very truly
yours,
"THEODORE ROOSEVELT"