MEETING OF THE LEAGUE.

COMMERCE CLUB, December 13, 1894-10 30 A. M.

The President took the chair.

The first business in order being the election of a president for the ensuing year, Mr. Wood of Philadelphia nominated Hon. Carl Schurz, and moved that the Secretary be instructed to cast one ballot for the nominee on the part of the League. There being no other nominations Mr. Wood put the question to the meeting: it was carried unanimously, and Mr. Schurz was declared duly elected.

After expressing his appreciation of the continued confidence of the League, the President announced the election of vice presidents to be in order, stating that two vacancies have been caused in the present list by the death, during the year, of Mr. John Jay of New York and Mr. Severn Teackle Wallis of Baltimore. Mr. William Potts of Farmington, Conn.-Secretary of the League since its organization, excepting during a brief period of public official service-and Mr. J. Hall Pleasants of Baltimore were nominated by Mr. Dana and Mr. Bonaparte respectively, to fill the existing vacancies. On motion of Mr. Dana it was voted that the Secretary cast the vote of the League for the election of the gentlemen nominated, and for the reëlection of the present vice presidents, and the Secretary did so.

Mr. Estes reported from the Auditing Committee appointed by the General Committee, that the accounts and vouchers of the Treasurer, as submitted in the report of that officer to the General Committee, had been examined and found to be correct.*

Mr. Welsh, on behalf of the Finance Committee, suggested that the existing plan of raising funds by

*Page 50.

assessments upon the Associations be abandoned, and the League create, or seek to create, individual memberships with dues of $1 per annum. Mr. Estes suggested also that all subscribers to Good Government might be received as individual members under such an arrangement. On motion of Mr. Siddons, the matter was referred to the Finance Committee with power to adopt either or both of the plans suggested, if deemed expedient and if it be found that they conform to the existing Constitution.

Mr. Foulke, for the Special Investigating Committee appointed by the Executive Committee at its meeting of November 16, 1893, to report on the condition of the Civil Service under the present Administration, read an exhaustive report of the result of the committee's work, reviewing the conduct of the Administration with reference to support of the Law and extension of the system, and stating the facts regarding such abuses as had been found to exist. That part of the report of the committee relating to the Treasury Department was read by Mr. Bonaparte.

Mr. Welsh reported the creditable administration of the rules in the Indian school service, to which reference had not been made in the report of the committee, and suggested the insertion of a paragraph touching upon the subject. Mr. Foulke accepted the suggestion for the committee, and, on motion of Mr. Dana, Messrs. Foulke, Bonaparte and Welsh were appointed a committee to prepare a paragraph such as had been proposed.

Mr. Low, for a committee appointed at the meeting of the General Committee to prepare a suitable testimonial of the appreciation by the League of the faithful service of the retiring Secretary, Mr. Potts, submitted the following:

Resolved, That the National Civil Service Reform League, upon the retirement of its secretary, Mr. William Potts, wishes to put upon record its warm appreciation of his long continued, faithful and freely given devotion to its service and the cause which it has prosecuted, with his aid, through many past years; And to express to him its hearty thanks for that which he has so generously and gratuitously given-a large part of his life and work;

And to assure him that he will be always remembered as one of the important contributors to the success which our cause has increasingly attained, and the brighter prospects now opening, which give strong assurance that in the near future the merit system will hold complete sway throughout the national service, and as one of the workers whose patient continuance in well doing should not be forgotten when our work is finally crowned. with a complete and universal triumph.

We trust that Mr. Potts, in the capacity of a vice president of the League, will be associated with us in close and friendly relations, as in the past.

Mr. Estes moved that the resolution submitted be adopted as the sense of the League, and that it be spread' upon the minutes, and that an engrossed copy be sent to Mr. Potts. The motion was carried unanimously.

Mr. Bonaparte, for a committee appointed at the meeting of the General Committee to report in regard to the continued publication of Good Government, reported as follows:

Resolved, That the publication of Good Government be continued under the same management as at present, until January I, 1896; and that the sum of one thousand dollars, or as much thereof as may be necessary, be appropriated to make good any deficiency in its revenues during the last six months of the year 1895: Provided, that the present editor be willing to accept this appropriation as a substitute for the existing guarantee, which. will expire on July 1 next.

Resolved, That the League recognizes the great value of Good Government to the cause of Civil Service Reform, and the faithful and efficient service rendered by its editor, and expresses the hope that its publication can be continued, and its field of usefulness extended under the same able management; and to this end the Publication Committee be instructed to prepare and submit to the Executive Committee a plan for the continuance of the paper during two years from January 1, 1896, and as part of such plan to secure for its editor, without increased expense to the League, such assistance in the discharge of his duties as may enable the paper, treating of such topics as it has hitherto discussed, to deal with all questions arising in connection with efforts to secure honest and efficient government in the United States and especially with the interesting problems of Municipal Reform; such plan when approved by the Executive Committee to be carried into effect by the Publication Committee, and reported at the next annual meeting of the League.

After some discussion the resolutions were adopted unanimously, with an amendment offered by Mr. Estes increasing the amount to be guaranteed by the League

to cover any deficit occurring during the six months ending January 1, 1896, to $1,200.

Mr. Potts, for the committee appointed to organize and promote the Anti-Spoils League, read an interesting report of the progress made, and the work now under way and in contemplation.*

On motion of Mr. Estes the Committee on the AntiSpoils League was requested to endeavor to extend the membership of the League within the Civil Service.

Mr. Swift presented a report from the special Committee on Political Assessments, appointed at the annual meeting of 1892, and continued at the annual meeting of 1893, which he read. The report stated the facts in connection with several specific cases of infraction of the Law, in certain of which, after prosecution of the offenders, convictions had been obtained. It reviewed also the recent opinion of Attorney-General Olney, holding that the solicitation of political contributions by means of letters addressed to employees at their posts of duty in the various Government buildings, does not constitute a violation of the law, and stated the probable difficulty, under the circumstances, of obtaining a judicial construction of the statute on this point.

The Report argued in favor of the enactment by Congress of a Bill prohibiting and making punishable, all solicitations from federal office-holders of political assessments or contributions by any means or by any persons.

The draft of a Bill to accomplish this object was submitted with the Report.

The Report recommended the adoption of the following resolutions :

Resolved, That in the judgment of the National Civil Service Reform League, all soliciting of political contributions from federal officials or employees, should be forbidden by law.

Resolved, That the Executive Committee be requested to take such steps as it may deem judicious, to urge upon Congress the passage of a statute which shall make such solicitation a punishable offence.

Resolved, That the draft of the bill submitted by the Commit*Page 124.

tee upon Political Assessments be, and the same hereby is, referred to the Executive Committee for its consideration.

On motion of Mr. Foulke the report was accepted and the accompanying resolutions were adopted unanimously. Mr. Low announced that Mayor Schieren of Brooklyn had given him a message to the effect that he wished to reiterate what he had said in Philadelphia, when about taking office, namely, that without the merit system in force and the elimination of all considerations but those of merit in the appointment, promotion and retention of municipal employees, good city government is impossible. The announcement was received with hearty applause.

The Secretary reported verbally important features of the year's work in New York City and State, reviewing the results of the investigation by the State Senate into the administration of the State civil service system, and the radical improvements since effected. He stated also the appointment by the Committee of Seventy, in New York City, of a sub-committee on the Civil Service, charged with the investigation of the municipal system, and with suggesting to the incoming Mayor such improvements and extensions as may seem necessary. This committee will recommend the extension of the rules to every class of position to which they may apply, together with the adoption of the registration system for laborers; and there appears to be no reason to doubt that these recommendations will be adopted. The adoption by the people of the Constitutional amendment, embodying the principles of Civil Service Reform in the fundamental law of the State, had increased the probability of obtaining the legislation necessary to complete the work of reörganization, and to place the Civil Service system of New York on a practically perfected basis.

On motion of Mr. Bonaparte, the League adjourned to reconvene after luncheon,

COMMERCE CLUB, December 13, 1894-1.30 P. M. The President took the chair.

The report of the Committee on Resolutions was called