The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-04-04
CIVIL SERVICE
BECOMES JOKE
No Attention Is Paid to the
Law at Lansing.
Rules of the Commission Are
Persistently Violated.
THE CASE OF W. K. WASHBURN
Appointed by COdding without
Taking Examinations.
He Continues to Hold Place IN
Violation of Law.
THE CASE OF W. K. WASHBURN

Civil service at the state peniten-
tiarv. Lansing. has become joke.
Employees who do not wish to sub
NIT to civil service examinations or
rules merely refuse to come under the
law. They continue to draw their pay
checks and to receive the protection
of Warden Codding, while men ana
women who have passed civil service
examinations await their chance TO
file on state job. 49,.
This week the case of w. X. WASH
burn. storekeeper at the penitentiary,
came to light. Washburn became
storekeeper after the appointment OF
Warden J. K. Codding and the GUST
ing of the J. d Botkin, former prison
head Under no Interpretation OF the
civil service law does Washburn APP
pear exempt from the provisions OF
the civil service law. Recently civil
service examinations were held to
fiji his position. But Washburn did
not take the examination. Neither
did Washburn resign. He continues
to draw his monthly salary and the
men on the eligibility list are wait
ing for opportunity to connect with
the state payroll
Washburn is apparently quite sat
isfactory to Warden Codding. The
prison head did not compel Washburn
to take the recent civil service eXami-
nation. Neither did he remove WASH
burn from the pay roll when the eX-
aminations were concluded and the
state civil service commission submit
ted an eligible list of three men who
had won high grades in the examina-
ton. The warden merely filed the list
of eligible candidates and continued
to attach his signature and approval
to Washburn as a prison employee
who was retained in violation of the
law.
COdding Let Him In.
Under the law as adopted in 1915,
an employee might be exempt where
such person was holding the position
in question prior to the operation of
the act. The law became effective
July /, 1915. At that time F. L. Will
liams and not Washburn was store
keeper at the prison. In fact, Will
Hams was on the job when Warden
Botkin was ousted and the payroll
signed September Z. Not until War
den Codding was named did Wash
burn secure the job.
Had Washburn been transferred
with the approval and consent of the
civil service commission. he might
sidestep the provisions of the law.
Records in the office of the state COM
mission do not show action approving
Washburn as storekeeper.
Reports from the penitentiary in
dictate that Washburn refused to take
examinations when they were held in
January. He is also said to have stat
ed that IT was not necessary for him
to compete in the test for his job.
Possibly Washburn spoke knowingly.
Recently returns from the prison
showed the removal of 80 prison en-
ployees without the approval or con-
sent of the civil service commission.
Removals and transfers by the prison
warden were in violation of the state
administrations sacred civil service
law. Removals and transfers were
not approved by the civil service
commission, nor was such approval
sought. Now the records show War
den Codding has retained Storekeeper
Washburn, both in defiance of the
state law and the rulings of the com
mission Members of the civil service
commission who were questioned to-
day stated that Warden Codding had
made no request for list of eligible
men for Washburn's place and so far
as the records show has made no eff
fort to observe the spirit or the letter
of the law.