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Show LEAGUE COMMITTEE FILESJTjJEPQBT Political Activity on Part ot Officeholders Of-ficeholders Subject Looked Into'. CHARGES OF NEWSPAPERS-ARE NEWSPAPERS-ARE LARGELY SUSTAINED Exception Exists. However, in Allegations Concerning Roosevelt's Activity. XEW YORK, April -l. Tho report o the special committee appointed for the National Civil Scrvico Reform league io investigate tho political activity ac-tivity on tho part of officeholder, was made public- today. The conclusions of tho cotnmif.lco briefly stated, are that charges made 1)3" certain newspapers to a great extent, arc sustained. A notable exception ia reported in tho allocations that Mr. Roosevelt coerced certain federal fed-eral officcholdcrH into the support of Mr. Taft for the Republican nomination. nomina-tion. The committee, Gcds that evidence Io' sustain tho charges made is wholly lacking. On the contrary, Mr. Roosevelt Roose-velt is credited with advancing civil service reform by to amending the ciil service rules as to prohibit ..-.ployos in tho competitive service from taking part in political campaigns. On the broad question of officeholders officehold-ers pernicious activity in politics, however, how-ever, the committee, linds that a most undesirable situation exislb. Of the more than .100,000 general officeholders one-third arc noLaincnablo to civil scrvico scr-vico classification. These oi'f.eu oxcr-cifro oxcr-cifro a powerful influence in polities and constitute, in the opinion oC tho committee, a menace to free institutions. institu-tions. Tho remedy is to be found, tho com-mittco com-mittco believes, iu extending the classified classi-fied competitive sorvico and .1 clearer definition of the executive- order governing gov-erning political activity in tho uuclassi- fiwl aorvi.'A twillriiv! n rr i fi ninMtlMW of tho report: " Summary of Findings. Reports of undue political activity on tho part of federal office holdoVs appearing appear-ing in tho press of the country were gathered together through tho aid of an efficient clipping bureau. These were examined" ex-amined" and tho persons mentioned iu them were written to with requests for full information, correction or denial. The replies won; carefully Inspected and tho most Important of these cases were followed fol-lowed up "by an Investigation by an assistant as-sistant secrptary of tho league, on Urn, spot. Final drafts ot-.our .conclusions' J?'Gro mtb"nditcriJo.Mtpif tfeb ncrfcrcrs'lirnl. political leaders who were unfavorably involved. riiargoB of coercion of office holders by the president to secure the. nomination of a particular candidate have been inquired in-quired Into, but evidence to sustain those charges Is wholly lacking. President Roosevelt's appointment lists for a Considerable Con-siderable period were, with Ills permission, permis-sion, examined- From those lists It would appear that presidential appointments appoint-ments prior to the convention were made in the usual manner on the recommendation recommenda-tion of senators, congressmen and others claiming the patronago of Jio offices involved. in-volved. President Roosevelt took a decided step In advunce toward checking tho evils resulting re-sulting from th.j activity of office holders hold-ers in politics by his order of June ."5. 1007. amending the civil service rules by forbidding employes In the competitive service from taking part in political management man-agement or In political campaigns. This order was enforced in the last campaign. The official roll of delegntos to the Republican national convention at Chicago Chi-cago was compared with Tho latest government gov-ernment Blue Book. It wus found that of the delegates to tho Chicago convention conven-tion federal office holders constituted ono In ten and of tho delegations from tho southern states nearly one in three, ami of some southern stales more than half. These office holders were political, that 3. outside of the Jurisdiction of tbo civil service act, ami hi most cases their appointment ap-pointment wns subject to confirmation by the United States senate. Outside of Jurisdiction. The offlco holders ln tho toulh practl-callv practl-callv control the Republican party organization organ-ization in their respective stales and frequently fre-quently resort to unfair means In order to retain their power. Their support Is a tremendous political asset to anv candidate for nomination. As tho southern democratic states have as manv votes In tho republican national convention as the Republican states of equal population, under ordinary clrcum-stntes clrcum-stntes Ihe southern delegates would control con-trol the balance of power In the national convention. , , , These organizations controlled by offlco holders are mainly interested in Ihe. distribution dis-tribution of tho patronage and tho naming nam-ing of delegates to conventions. It Is not In the interest of these office-holding cliques to elect Republican congressmen or to bring about party growth and party success, which would mean curtailment or loss of the control ot the patronage. , Worst iu South. Tho conditions In regard to the activity of unclassified federal orflco holders in poll lies are at their worst ln the south, but throughout tho country. In accordance accord-ance with established custom, they arc expected io ne aiwvu m jmniu-ne.-i un conventions in the Interests of those to whom thev owe their appointment and bv whose favor they are continued In office. This leads to neglect of official dutv and absenteeism on a large scale, and the government Is now paying largo sums in salaries to officials whose main interest and activity is devoted, to politics, poli-tics, while their offices ui le:t in the control of subordinates. Tho active participation by persons who have a personal Interest at stake in call-i call-i ruses, primaries, conventions and elections elec-tions seriously Inrerferes with a freo choice of candidates by tho people, and 1 in some parts of the country neluully pre-' pre-' vents U. The federal office-holders num-1 num-1 her over 300.000. of which number one-! one-! third are still outside tho civil service rules. These higher officials, wielding I wide political Influence through tholr of-I of-I flcial positions, and subject to possible dictation from Washington, will, as long, as they are permitted to take an active part In politics, constitute a menace to freo Institutions. , , , ,, , As thu most effective and Immediate remedies for oxlstlng conditions, tho committee com-mittee urges. (1) tho extension by tho president of the classified, competitive service to the utmost limit that tho law nllows: (H) legislation by congress permitting permit-ting the classification of the officers whose appointment Is now subject to confirmation con-firmation by the senate, but who perform per-form purely ministerial functions; (a) a clearer definition and strengthening of the executive order governing liolltlcal activity ac-tivity in the unclassified service nnd the vesting of the power to Investigate cases arising under this order In the civil service serv-ice commission or some other body Independent Inde-pendent of departmental dictation. . o |