Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-02-27
BY EDWARD l.. BENNETT.
United States Civil Service Comm: on

III y these days when crime IS recOg-
nized as one of our most pressing
problems, it is well to give more
i than a passing thought to The
character of the half million or
more men and women who assist
Uncle Sam in the huge and va
ried task of carrying on the Ma
tons business. 1t is obviously un-
desirable to have a Federal EN-
ploye devote his evenings to second
story work or highway robbery. or,
seriously, tor the Government to em-
ploy any person whose honesty has
not been thoroughly probed.
Every day in the year criminals
and other dishonest persons strive to
enter the Governments employ where
they can expand their activities from
petty larceny or burglary to the
wholesale operation of stealing valu-
able mali or robbing the public
funds. Brides offered for Government
positions range all the way from
carton of cheap cigarettes to several
hundred dollars.
Faith i'm Humanity Firm.
Forty-four years of dealing with
men and women, during which 1t has
examined more than 100000 OF
them, hasn't destroyed, or even
Civil Service Commission in HUI
mainly. On the contrary, the com
missions experience has been that
most people are honest, some of them
even to the degree of absurdity.
Are Government employees honest?
One might as we'll ask if the Govern
ment itself is honest. The integrity
of the letter carrier. type OF tederal
employee with which everybody is IA
fo1 10 a
goes as a friend. Yet the trusted
letter carrier might well be a desper-
ate criminal, even a fugitive from JUS
tice, were 1t not for the preca utions
which are taken in hiring him.
The confidence of the general public
in it's employees is seldom misplaced
Companies which bond postal en-
pIoyes say that the claims issued on
bonds of this type are much smaller
than those made in the case OF f1dellty
bonds generally. If this were not
true, they point out, postal bonds
could not be written at the low rate
that prevails.
Character Searched.
More than so per cent of all Gov
eminent positions are in the postal
service, which, incidentally, Is practl'
cally self supporting. Because or the
nature Of post Office work, particularly
searching tests are made or the char-
acter of applicants for employment.
AS the first step in investigating
the character of applicants for postal
positions, the Civil Service Commits
sion sends confidential inquiries to
former employers, school teachers,
and others who may be in position
to furnish helpful information. In a
group of 1000 prospective Federal
employees in Chicago, 81 were dis-
qualified as the result Of information
disclosed in answer to these inquiries
and information was obtained with
resnect to a number of others which
was of great value in making Selec-
tons for appointment.
The fingerprfnting of applicants Tor
postal positions in large cities, a COM
paratively recent innovation. dlScloseS
=, number with criminal records. Ar
rangements have been made to take
fingerprints in New York City ana
Chicago, and 1t is probable that the
eystern will be extended to other large
cdties in the near future.
Eliminated BY Records.
One hundred and ninety-nine appli
Giants for postal employment IT
Greater New York and Chicago Were
eliminated from consideration last
wear when fingerprinting disclosed
they had criminal records. although
they had denied them. Fifty-three
had been convicted Of larceny. 10 OF
robbery, of gambling. of murder
~ of assault, % of disorderly con
duct and IS of miscellaneous ofenses
all of actual record in the courts. L,
"a significant that about II per cent
Of the persons who pass the menta
tests fail to report for f1ngerprinting
A striking illustration of the value
OF fingerprinting was experienced In
the New York City Post Office during
the Christmas rush, where the weed
ing out of applicants for temporar!
employment by means of the finger
print system reduced mail losses fully
80 per cent.
In Boston startling results have
followed the checking Of names o.
aspirants for Federal employment
with the index of residents of Massa
chusetts who have court records
which is maintained in the State Pro
baton ONCE. One applicant VIII
wrote a beautifully rounded mo" II
answer to the query in the appli
cation form regarding court record
had no fewer than 81 arrests agains
his name. Another similarly for
getful' person had 20. Several were
found to have as many as Is Oh
20. Practically every crime ant
rnisdemeanor imaginable was repre-
scented. Nine hundred and twenty APP
plicants for Government employment
living in or near Boston were found
to have lied with respect to the eX
istence of court records.
Field Narrowed Down.
Each successive step which tn
Civil Service Commission takes in tn
investigation Of character is marke
by a number of Examinations. TIL
field of eligibles is being constants
narrowed until finally it may be sal
TO include only those who are in a.
probability honest. In addition to tn
methods described. others which ma
be available and desirable in par
ticular cases are followed.
The need of such elaborate pre-
cautions as fingerprinting and eX
haustive search through crimina
records is confined to large cities.
small communities the lives of appl
cants are ordinarily open books
the postmaster and to members c
the local civil service examinin
board. These local examining board
sion in more than 1900 cities an
towns throughout the country. The
stand ready at all times to make il
vestigations and because of thei
familiarity with local people and col
ditions often discover evasions an
misstatements which might otherwis
escape detection.
Besides handling mail, Governmer
employees perform a great variety
other tasks. all of which dema n
workers who are not merely homes
but faithful as well. The Govern
ment's servant problem" is by r
means q simple one. The Unite
States Civil Service Commission
meeting the personnel needs OF IL
Federal service is required to no