Omaha daily bee., 1916-08-11

speech here, Mr.. Hughes said IN part
"In my speech at Detroit ! took
occasion to refer to the fact that in
a very important bureau, the Bureau
of Census, an eminent statistician, a
man of conspicous experiences and
fitness for the place, has been retired,
and man has been appointed in his
place without qualifications for that
important technical work. You must
know how important that census bu-
reau is. In the proper collation. OF
those statistics is furnished the oppor-
tunity for many Investigators to de-
tect important tendencies in our life.
1t is a work that must be done ex-
pertly.
Now, my statement that E. Dana
Durand was retired, as / said. in
effect, and his place given to a poll
tician, has been challenged by Secre.
tary Redheld. Secretary Redfeld
telegraphs me that was greatly mis-
informed. He says 'Durand was not
removed or retired, but resigned vol
unfairly, utasked. ! was glad to en-
dorse him for present employment
I'm that same speech | referred to
a technical bureau known as the
coast and geodetic survey, and to the
fact that in place OF an eminent scien-
fist there has been appointed man
whom ! regarded as without proper
qualifications.
After Couple Of Years.
"After he had been there a couple
of years he was put lii charge Of the
coast and geodetic survey. Now the
administration say he is wonder
fully competent man.
Then he goes on to refer to the
ensuing year where there were l04
appointments, In twenty approval
was not requested; twenty-five met
with the approval Of the civil service
commission and sixty-two without.
And | have as urinary which gives
the matter to a latter date, and they
are three or four out of the way in
the total because Of the difference in
date, as assume, which is furnished
by the national civil service reform
league. And there it states that in
the first three years of this admin
stration-March 4. 1918 to March 4,
1916--the executive issued a total OF
23o special exceptions. 1t is then
added, that up to and including June
"a, 1916, there have been issued a
total OF 27o. 1t is then said that out
of the 279 the civil service commission
has concurred in seventy-one; that
the commission has not concurred in
l43 and the commissions attitude is
not recorded in a total Of sixty-fve
cases.
Special Exemptions.
"In that speech | called attention to
the manner in which the principle OF
our civil service laws had been disre-
garded, and after going over number
OF matters which ! shall not now I'M
dertake to repeat, referred to the
special exemptions by executive order
on the operation of the civil service
rules; that is, appointments taken out
of the civil service by executive order.
II stated that in the year ending
about April 1916, there had been re-
moved from the operation of the civil
service rules by special executive ex-
emption, about l04. That OF those
l04, twenty were appointed without
requesting the opinion of the civil
service commission, that in twenty
two cases, the civil service commits
sion was asked for its opinion and
approved, and that in sixty-two cases,
the executive order was made directly
in the teeth Of the disapproval OF the
civil service commission.
Why The objections1
Unfortunately in the published re-
port OF those remarks, by running
two sentences together, that state
ment was made to refer to the coast
and geodetic survey. ] had just re-
ferred to that bureau in connection
with the appointment previously de-
scribed. | had not intended that this
mention should relate to that bureau.
And the department very properly
objects to that construction being put
upon it. This was wholly uninten-
tional.
"But stand by the statement
which / thought ! made, which now
make, that there was In that year,
ending about April, 1916, l04 of these
executive exemptions; that sixty-two
OF those were made against the advice
OF the civil service commission. and
twenty of them without requesting
the judgment Of the commission. My
authority for that statement is a very
excellent review Of this particular
matter by Representative Gillette Of
Massachusetts. He reviews first,
the two years preceding, and it is
said there that in the first two years
OF the present administration, there
were 1877 personal appointments au-
thorized by executive order, which
waived the requirements of the civil
service. In all except eighteen OF
those l37 the executive requested the
judgment Of the civil service com.
mission. Forty-one were approved
by the commission. Seventy-eight
were appointed against the judgment
Of the civil service commission. Then
he goes on to refer to the ensuing
year where there were l04 appoint
ments." ....
Hughes q Party Man.
In his speech at the Auditorium to-
night Mr.. Hughes said:
II am strong party man. ! be-
lieve in party organization as an es.
sential agency of republican govern.
| D..k I .i.o,,. ..-aa.