The Washington times., 1913-05-01
OVERMAN ASSA|LS
| CIVIL SERVICE PLAN
HurIs Bomb at Administration
Of Classified System in an
/ Address in Senate.

SN SySeS" =" O'
Address in Senate.
Continued from First Page)
good administration has been made
subordinate and subservient to demands
that can find no explanation except q
desire to continue a system which the
law was designed to suppiant Prac,
tieally the only effect OF the law Of
Interpreted had been to eliminate from
the possibility of appointment to posi-
tons In the classified service such per.
sons as had entirely failed to obtain In
an ystanding whatever-that Is, to OBJ.
tain an average above the passing
mark
Details In Charges.
More than this, the economy and ef-
ficiency commission holsters UP its
charges with numerous details. Senator
Overman will set forth some of these
details and put them into the record
later.
The Efficiency and Economy Commits
sion declares in substance that the CON-
mission has convicted itself. 1t recites
that IL laid its statements before the
C1Wn Service Commiss. on, that the re-
ana was in effect a confession, and
that by its own statements nothing has
been done to alleviate the evils which
the Efficiency and Economy Comnis-
sion complains of.
Senator Overman expressed himself
as deeply impressed with the report of
the President Taft commission. He said
the civil service system had been made
"a cloak for the old spoils system and
was worse for that reason than the
IL
be a searching investigation by the
Civil Service Committee and that the
facts must be probed.
Gets Many Letters.
Senator Overman said he was getting
hundreds of letters from persons within
an6 without the civil service, telling
him Of abuses and rottenness. He read
into the Record one letter from Gov
ernment employe In New York. whose
name he would not give. This letter
charged that 25 roundsmen and heelers
had been put into the classified service
about election time and promoted to
places over competent clerks.
This is only a sample Of the letters
am receiving said Senator Overman.
They are coming in from all over the
country"
Today's discussion and the presenta-
tion of the matter which Senator
Overman presented, and which he ac-
companied with a bitter excoriatfon
of the manner in which the civil serv
clear that an investigation OF the op-
erations of the law will be made by
the Civil Service Committee.
Senator Pomerene, chairman of this
committee, was unable, to get his
resolution for an inquiry ready by to-
day, but he announced he would soon
Introduce it and soon call a meeting
of his committee He wants a search
ing investigation, and so do, other
E6enators
Opened By 0verman.
The discussion of the civil service
hestion was opened today by Senator
oserman when he Inquired Of Senator
Pomerene what had becoem of his
resolution calling for certain informa-
tion about the operations of the civil
service law.
: Senator Pomerene said he had been
prevented by other engagements from
calling a meeting, but noped to call
one early in the coming week. He
laid he had been considering reso-
1ution more specific than Senator
verman's, and hoped to present it
pday. but would do so later.
Fl shall do this. but in no spirit OF
Sstility to the civil service" said Sen
pr Pomerene Il do 1t because / de-
I'D nave d ISdi CiNi SCI law du-
nistered according to both the letter
ID spirit of the law. 1t Is my belief
8&f in some of the departments there
been an honest effort to so admin
}br it. In other departments there
been a deliberate purpose to dfsre-
I'D il. 1t may be that my information
= not entirely reliable but when infoI-
zn1ion comes to be that % per cent of
- employees in a single department are
9< the Republic faith i am at loss
49, MD nrSrl nd 4 in nf he apf
TIT as to mental equipment there is no
Gfeat difference between Republicans
~ Democrats.
6snator GaIlinger asked if Senator
Hmerene had made personal inves-
0estion.
6enator Pomerenc said he had not,
bot he had been informed that in one
division OF the railway mia lserrice the
superintendent, the assistant superin-
fendent, eighteen chiefs, thirty-nine out
of forty leading clerks, and $50 out of
40 clerks in the whole division were Re
rublicans.
Senator Gallinger reminded Senator
Pomerene that for years the Civil Serv-
ice Commission had been In charge of
militant Democrats.
Senator Overman then got into the
debate and put the matter already al
luded to into the Record at the same
way the law had been maladministered,
and demanding thorough inquiry. Be-
fore he got through he was taken off
his feet by Senator Lodge demanding
the regular order.
Senator Gallinger declared he would
Welcome an impartial inquiry. He could
not believe some of the figures he had
heard as to proportion of Republicans
and Democrats in the service.
An interesting exchange occurred in
the course of the debate concerning the
politics Of General Black and Commits
Oioner Mcllhenny. of the Civil Service
Commission. Senator Gallinger insisted
they were Democrats, active Demo-
Gratis, and had been so for many years.
Senator Kern charged both with lin
fidelity to the party" Senator Overman
professed not to know their politics
The discussion left the whole matter
IA an unsettled situation, bat served to
make II plain that there will be a probe
that will reeval the truth of the many
charges of corrupt civil service law ad- |
Later on Senator Stone stirred IN |
another phase of the civil service oues-
ton He introduced a resolution calling |
on the Civil Service Committee 10 in
ouire and report to the number of !
coIored persons employed in each de-
partment of the Government both in |
the District Of Columbia and elsewhere,
The amount Of their compensation and |
the nature Of their work. Senator Stone
read a newspaper clipping giving an ac-
count of the recent meeting of the Ma
tfonal Democratic Fair Play Association /
n which il was alleged that an unduly |
aree number OF coolred persons were
i. tba Government service