Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-07-10
AND PERJURY
ON LARGE SCALE CHARGED
County Officials Alleged to Have
Joined in Crooked Work to Land Fat
Jobs-Balinser Talks Plainly Re-
sardins Roosevelt Administration
Murdoch and His Homo Town.
Especial correspondence.l

ice commissioner Mcllheny mas stirred
up fine sensation in the departments.
Not only does he charge perjury in a
great number of cases, but he al
leges collision between the applicants
for positions. and the county officers
of counties all over the country
To understand the procedure
charged by Commissioner McIlhenny
it must be known that civil service APP
pointments are by law distributed
among the states in proportion to
their population. This has always been
something of : lead letter because dis
tant states h MT enough interest in
department jobs in Washington to
claim their full quota in many cases,
and nearby states, especially the
District of Columbia, get correspond
ingly more than they are entitled to.
Not only does the commission have
the best of reasons for believing that
there is perjury but it is assured that
it can't help itself. When a state has
less than its apportionment of civil
service positions. it becomes mark
such state is at a premium Conse-
quently Mr.. Applicant sits down and
writes. say. to the county clerk in
some County in state which perhaps
he has never visited, somewhat as fol-
lows:
MY father was a resident of your
state. and has always maintained his
My own domicile is in
Washington, but have always re-
sarded myself citizen of your state
Will you p ease send me an affidavit
cf my residence there"
Such request. with a bit Of pulp
back of it. is likely TO bring along the
affidavit: and when it is handed to the
civil service commission that body has
no power to go behind the showing.
1t can't even make investigation to de-
termine whether the statements are
true; it has no machinery for prose-
cutting in perjury cases. The applicant
must supplement the county officials
affidavit with one of his own to the
same effect; and then the applicant
must be listed as an applicant from
the state named.
Vast numbers of such cases are al
legged to have been developed. The
commission has been brought under so
much criticism. since the Taft admin
istration went into office. that this ex-
PLANTATION has been made in order to
show how its hands are tied. and how
utterly unable it is to do effective work
under the circumstances. Effort will be
made at the next session to induce
congress to pass remedial legislation.
Secretary of the Interior Ballinger
has been saying some very plain things
about the Roosevelt administration
during his present trip in the west. The
secretary left some time ago to visit
various sections where there is con-
Germ about the administration of vari-
Ours laws thru the interior department
The reclamation service especially has
been under the probe since Mr.. Bal
linger came into office, and some weeks
ago the department reversed very
important policy Of the Garfield regime
with reference to irrigation works. The
reversal greatly incensed people who
hold lands which are to be irrigated
because it changed their status an6
added much to the difficulties of get
ting projects carried out early.
Secretary Garfield had ruled thai
where there was not available cash te
complete irrigation works. the settlers
who were waiting for water might fur
nish money and labor. complete the
works, and have compensation allowed
to them in the way of reduced water
rentals. Mr.. Ballinger, on the advice
of Attorney General Wickersham, re.
versed this and stopped the proceed
ings.
In the North Platte valley of Nebras.
ka was a big half-finished irrigation
project, on which the people had made
arrangements to cooperate under thu
Garfield plan with the government
When cooperation was stopped by
Ballinger a huge outcry was raised
aud Mr.. Ballinger went out to see the
settlers and explain his position tt
them. He gave them the word with
the bark on" He told them among
other things that not half dozer
reputable and self-respecting lawyer!
could be found in the country win
would say that the Garfield plan wa!
within the law.
The people in the irrigation countr,
are much worried about the outlook fol
:more radical innovations. They fea,
that the federal irrigation program il
not going to be pressed with so mucl
vigor under the new administration
More than this, there has been sugges
ton that big private irrigation spec
ulations are going to be more profit
able in future and that will not finf
1t so difficult as in the past to get a
the water necessary for carrying gu
their plans. This doesn't look wonl,
to the people, who believe they woult
get water on better and more secur,
terms from the government than from
private corporations.
Representative Vic Murdoch Of Kan
sas comes from the town of Wichita
and there is more or less tendency t,
poke fun at the towns name, wi,icl
somehow seems to strike lot Of eff
fete fasteners as funny. Murdoch al
ways gets mad about such illusions
He used to be editor Of the WIGHT
Eagle, and there are always excuse
for abiding to the scream Of the bird
when Murdoch is around
The other evening Murdoch and tw
fellow members were walking dow,
Pennsylvania avenue, and one said:
/ what did you say was the nam
Of that town Of yours, Vic?"
Wichita. sir; the greatest an
best"
.And your paper was the Baglea"