New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-12-16
PUNISHMENT FOR
PARTISAN ACTIVITY
Civil Service Reform League
Urges Penalties for Government
Employees Violating the Law.
N. Y. COMMISSION SCORED
It Has Surrendered to the De-
mands of spoilsmongers-
Asch Fire Responsible for
Legislation, Says Rob
ert w. Belcher.

Philadelphia. Doc. 1j.-An perSorr In inc
employ OF the federal government guilty OF
violating the civil service law sh"hld DC
FINISHED promptly. impartially and with
Just severity" was the declaration con-
tanned i'm resolutions adopted at the closing
session here this afternoon of the annua.
convention Of the National civil Service Re
form League The resolutions. among
other things. say:
The league. further urges that Ike pen
aIt'es be inflicted upon any executive icd-
eral officeholdeT. whether his position uS ne
competitive or non-competitiNe. claSslheu
o. cnciassified. vino snail use his 0thce 10
control political movements. neglect ms pup
lie duties 10 engage in politics or cause
scandal by his political activity in violation,
OF the orders of Presidents Cleveland ana
Roosevelt. IA
Moreover. the league recommends that
the rule prohibiting any partisan ACTIVITY pe
AT once extended 10 all federal oticeholder
whose political opinions cannot proper!
affect their official duties. To the emo tndI
such officcholders may have no temptation
o. excuse for intermeddling In polucs, Is
well as for other grave reasons OF puDlC
pGliC. the league strongly inGorseS the wise
An, statssmanlike suggestion OF Presldsnt
Taft that higher administrative onces pe e
included within the c!assihed service GU
fillcO. wherever practicable, through the pro-
ir"tIon Of worthy subOTdinates. -
The league commends the re-estaoIlSn-
meLt. by President Taft on December iaSt
Of the civil service rule occurring uI S
unGer all circumstances an emploEe IN me
competitive class he furnished with tHe
rea sons for removal, and allowed an oppor-
tunity TO reply thereto before ne can ~
removed. This rule, first promulgated III ~
july 1897 gave 20 employees VINO acquTt1
their positions on the basis OF merit anu
0tness Il proper feeling OF security OF
tenure upon d like basis, and OF lndepehd-
encc of outside political conuoi, WhIcH We
measuTably impaired by the elimination .,
the mandatory feature Of the rule anu
other amendments in November. lyo9 Inc
league sugges ted To the President inc t -
torAtion az tha former rIle. Whlch dllG1,,
fun consideration he did. This acuon Hni
I'm our opinion further increase the staol-
itv and efficiency Of the pubic service
Robert u. Belchcr. assistant secretary OF
tho Civil Service Reform Association OF
Now York. delivered an address in which
nc Emphasized how outrageousy the civil
service law had been disregarded by the
Democratic members Of the state commits
Son appointed by Governor Dix. lie said
ia part:
During the last ton months the public
service of New York state has been sup
j,oted to a series OF vicious spolls ralds III
Tho interest OF the political organization
row i'm control hat Such attempts 10 Dreah
Gown the bars which the merit system puts
in the way OF the job broker would loIoW
tho noliticaI uphcayaI i'm the elections OF
la1n was not wholly unexpected. for the
philosophy Of Tammsny Hall, the domi-
rant organization within the victorious
rarty. g. not Of tho sort 10 view the merit
system with a friendly eye. The ono pos
siblc defence against such attacks lay in
tie state Civil Service Commission which
Governor Dix appointed on February Z II
Is ;rue that i'm spite Of prediction pledge
that II elected. he would appoint a Civil
Service Commission i'm fun sympathy with
the letter and spirit Of the civil service law
and the merit system the new commission
had as its president the Democratic MEM
her of the previous commission, whose atti-
tude during his entire ten years OF service
lad been strictly partisan, and that of the
two new members neither was a man whose
experience had been connected with civil
service matters or whose record gave any
great assurance Of sympathetic admins
tration Of the law.