The star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1908-1909, 1908-11-07
MAYOR AND CIVIL
SERVICE HEAD IN
THE LISTS AGAIN
President johnson Out With An
other Letter and Orange
Executive Replies.
LAW IS SUFFICIENT,
DECLARES THE ONE
Show Me, Is the RetOrt, and the
Finish Is Not Yet In
Sight.

Mayor Isaac Shoenthal. of Orange.
has received another caustic letter from
William Fletcher Johnson, president OF
the Civil Service Commission of the
State, anent his honor's veto of the
Orange civil service letter and today
replied with just as lively a communi-
cation. Both men nave been exchang
ing sharp-worded letters, and in his
most recent letter to Mayor Shoenthal
Mr.. Johnson went Oranges executive
one better by swinging in some French
literary epigrams. But they did not
embarrass his honor one whit.
Mr.. johnson, in his latest letter, says:
IT believe 1t Is now about a month
since you first vetoed the adoption of
the civil service law by the Orange
Common Council"
Mr.. johnson requests Mayor Shoen-
thai to inform him where there is in
the civil service act a single word OF
hint which even remotely suggests the
necessity of trial before removal, or
which would bar the prompt dismissal
of any official for any cause save of a
political or religious nature. Until
you do point out that portion of. the
law, 1 must insist that there is nothing
in it, and that incompetent, dishonest
or otherwise unsatisfactory officials can
be got rid of under the law practically
as expeditiously and as easily as with
out It.
"You seek to support your complaint
that under the civil service system all
the offices in Orange might be. filled
with persons from other parts of the
State by saying that h commission's
rule to the contrary is liable to be
changed and amended. Yes. and so is
the law itself. So is the Constitution.
LAS to the police and fire depart
ments, you complain that I do not say
whether the civil service act would
apply to members Of the boards OF
commissioners That is quite true
Neither did I inform o that two and
two make four. The status Of mem
bers of boards of commissioners Is ex-
plicitly and conspicuously set forth in
the law itself, as well as In the rules
of the commission" t
Mayor Shoenthal in his reply lays: /
you will pardon me, I know, If ]
suggest that your comparison of a
rule Of the Civil Service Commission
with an act of the Legislature or the
Constitution. in It's liability to change
or amendment, is rather a reductio ad
absurdum.. As ! understand 1t, the
ordinary rules of public bodies a be
changed at pleasure, or at least on
rather short notice. It seems to my
poor and somewhat circumscribed
knowledge of matters of state that the
Constitution and avs enacted by the
Legislature are somewhat above and
more permanent than the rules of the
boards and commissions which occupy
rooms in the State House n furnish
material for Editor Cloke's blue pencil.
Il trust, lei sir, you will not now
take this letter as another attempt to
'criticise and condemn the civil service
law. While I did not receive from you
all the information which / desired or
the subject al the time I had the Com
mon Council ordinance before me, / am
free to say to you hat I know more
about it now than l did then. I am
learning all he time. AS Mr.. Weller
used to say, 1t Is sometimes 'haggra-
watin' not to get all you want but it
is a consolation to know that there Is
a font of information of over a. third
of a century of active study and partic-
ipation' to , which one MAJ have re-
course in times of stress and doubt"