Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-01-08

Qudte men Iof POSITIONS OF Sutu re-
sponsibility by the merit system, the
exceptions were made by special order.
For seven years both OF the divis-
ions thus practically supervised
tcemed with a systematized corruption
and an unlimited inefIIeiency, until at
last both OF these deputy surveyors
were dismissed-after they had held
the ham door wide open for five years
and a string of extremely valuable
horses had been stolen.
II either the surveyor or his depu-
ties had performed the most obvious
official duty for Il single week of all
those Years, they could not have
helped discovering those frauds.
1t must have taken superhuman
blindness 70 escape seeing them, even
without leaving the custom house
When Collector Loeb began Ills Gus
tom house cleaning in pursuance OF
Secretary MacNeagh's policy, conse-
quent upon the revelations in the SUI
gar cases. he called in the deputy sur
veyor in charge of the weighing divis-
ion and asked why he should not be
dismissed
The officer protested on the ground
that he had been honest and had new
er taken a cent.
Collector Loeb asked how it was
possible that all of those frauds should
have gone on for all those years with
ont his taking any steps, or any ef-
fectiVe steps to stop them. or at least
To report them to his superiorsa
well, Mr.. Colleeor.., said the oai-
Ger. I was helpless. If I had taken
any steps to stop those frauds the
politicians would have had me re-
moved and ! would have been without
any means to support my family. You
know how politics permeated the force
fer years and years before | came in
to the service, and how impossible it
was for enc man to make any head
way against it. Suppose. for example,
one Of the sugar superintendent call
ed me UP on the telephone and told
me that government assistant
weisher was unsatisfactory. If 1 re-
fused ta transfer him, he would go to
the roiitical organization and the or
defs would come around through tie
surveyor to detail somc other man to
that position. 1t would he on some
plea that the weigher objected to was
too slow. or that the new man lived
near by and wanted the detail. In that
way the sugar people could get what
ever veighers they needed. l was help
less. It was politics..
This experience of the practical effect
of practical politics was not by any
means limited to New York.
l should say indeed, that incompetence,
ineffciency, corruption and consequent
loss of revenue have existed in our GUS
toms service in direct proportion to the
existence of anti-eivl service reform
methods.
At Philadelphia, as well as at New
York. that has been determined officially.
The special federal grand jury when
has just made its report over there on
the investigation conducted before it by
Mr.. Arnold as a special assistant to the
attorney general went into the situation
eXhaustively
These grand jurors We're business men
of affairs. They have not struck me as
"dfeamers' or ''porisfs" on the contra
~ | suppose our grand iures are about
as hardheaded men as are likely 10 be
got together and they went into the
Philadelphia sugar fraud question with
the utmost thoroughness.
IheY found that the frauds and quasi
fraudulent sharp practices resulting in
loss of revenue to this government had
been unrestrained there in Philadelphia.
at the McCahan Sugar Refinery ever
since 1894 at the Franklin Refinery dur
ing its operation from 1895 to 1897, and at
the Spreckles' Refinery up TO 1905. but not
since
They found no instance of bribery or
attempted bribery.
What they did find was politics. In
their formal report they directly stated
that the patronage system and the VIOLA
tons and evasions of the civil service
laws We're the real causes of the gov
ernments loss
For years, as the grand jury found.
That custom house, like the custom house
IN New York, had been treated as a
trough at which the politicians might
feed the men engaged in doing their po-
litical work.
All sorts of devices We're resorted to to
Increase this food supply.
Rlght through the administrations of
presidents Harrison, Cleveland and Nc
kinney all the assistant weighers and the
inspectors We're discharged and appointed
according to their political affiliations
chart was made up covering all the
years from the end of President HAYES
administration. The names of Democrats
appointed in the customs service were
shown in red and the names of Republic
cans We're shown in black Precisely on
sharp line, as the administration chang
ed, black changed to red and red to
black
promotions We're made chiefly in consid-
GRAFTON of political and not public SER
vice and that fact was generally under
stood in the force
When the executive order of 1897 came
INTO effect which forbade removals from
the classified service without cause. the
method used was to abolish the offices
heid by Democrats and then create other
of1iees filled by the appointment of Re-
publicans.
During President Cleveland's admins
fation large class of employees who
had been receiving 5000 were reduced to
1910 of-hand this would seem a most
remarkable phenomenon, for especially
where politics are concerned in the SER
vice 1t has not been usual for the poll
ticlanS themselves to rad,tca Tho calar;oe