The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-11-28
CIVIL SERVICE
REFORMERS AROUSED
William Dudley Foulke Leader
Of Opponents of Crum-
packer Bill.
SPOILS SYSTEM RESTORED
THOUSANDS OF cLERksHiPs IN
CENSUS DEPARTMENT WILL GO
TO GRAeeERs IF MEASURE rs
PASSED BY CONGRESS.

Washington. ID. C.. Nov. 2S.-While
William Dudley Foulke of Richmond.
Ind, formerly United States civil ser
vice commissioner. was in Washington
this week he called the attention of
Pre- sident Roosevelt TO the fact that
if the bill Congressman Crumpacker
of Indiana intends to introduce in the
house, providing for taking the thir-
teenth deccenial census of the United
State. Alaska. Porto Rico and the
Hawaiian Islands. is passed. three
thousand census department clerk
ships will be exposed 10 the itching
fingers of spells grabbers. -
Mr.. Foulke called the attention of
the preside mt 10 the evils that will en-
sue IL the clerks who are to be en-
ployed in the work of the coming GEN.
sus are appointed on the old plan OF
the longest pole knocking the most
persimmons. Mr.. Foulke believes the
question a very serious one and he
succeeded in impressing the president
with his views.
The provision in the Crumpacker
bill which has aroused the ire OF the
civil service reformers and brought on
the conflict does away with the usual
competitive examinations for clerks
and substitutes a noncompetitive ex-
animation. This is equivalent, say the
civil service advocates. to the CONVEX
sion OF 5000 clerkships into political
spoils.
The National Civil Service Reform
association. which exercises a vigiiant
guardianship over the civil service
law. is preparing TO wage fight OF
tremendous vigor on this feature of
the Crumpacker bill. This association,
which has headquarters at 10 Wall
street, New York, has gathered some
ammunition which 1t believes will be
used for all 1t is worth.
Last summer, anticipating an effort
| would be made to convert the census
clerkships into spoils. the Civil Ser
vice Reform association wrote letters
to all Of the members OF congress who
were up for reelection and asked
them to define their views on the pro-
position.
Elliott H. Goodwin, secretary OF the
| association. states enough members of
congress pledged themselves against
the spoils grab to defeat II. provided
they stick to their pledges. Every
| ounce of influence the Civil Service
| Reform Association can command will
| be used against the measure, and IL has
| potent allies in the many states and
many congressional districts. which
means that members who line up for
the spoils grab are likely to have fires
built under them at home.
Plan to Defeat spoiIs-
The Civil Service Commission also
has a big stick In reserve for the Crum-
packer bill and Henry F. Greene. one
| of the commissioners, said today that
everything the commissioners can do
honorably to defeat the spells provis-
ion will be done.
"The plan proposed is dangerous
from the viewpoint of the public ser
vice." said he. ut would restore the
old era when political pull meant near
~ everything in obtaining appoint
ments and it would badly demoralize
the work Of the census bureau. The
history of the last two censuses has
shown that as soon as the census is Ia
ken the clerks engaged in that under
taking manage somehow or other to
get blanketed under the general civil
service, sometimes by a rider on an
appropriation bill and sometimes 9TH
| erwise., and thus become permanent
employees of the government. 1t is
therefore of the highest Importance
that incompetents shall not be rail-
roaded into these clerkships in the
first instance through the medium Of
| political pull"