Choate presided, and addresses were made by Mrs. Imogen B. Oakley, President Charles W. Eliot, Hon. Charles J. Bonaparte, Hon. Richard Henry Dana and' Hon. George McAneny. On December 9th the members of the Council were tendered a luncheon at the University Club by the New York Association. On the afternoon of December 9th the Women's Auxiliary to the New York Civil Service Reform Association held a reception for the delegates to the meeting at the Colony Club. Office Expenses Special Committee on Extension of Civil Service Reform Total League Disbursements.. Balance on hand.. E. & O. E. A. S. FRISSELL, Treasurer. *Of which $168.72 is Special Fund of the Committee on Extension of Civil Service Reform and $70 65 is Special Fund of the Committee on Political Activity and Political Assessments. During the year, the amount of the balance in this fund ($3.58) was by a resolution of the League covered into the general fund. +Of which $146.02 is Special Fund of the Committee on Extension of Civil Service Reform. Audited and found correct, WM. G. LOW, 352 11 67 70 292 03 217 64 281 36 22 70 67 07 .$5,642 27 February 7, 1910. Committee. REPORT OF THE COUNCIL TO THE NATIONAL CIVIL SERVICE REFORM LEAGUE: The twelve months since the last annual meeting of the League, held at Pittsburg, form a period of great activity on the part of our organization and no mean progress in the history of the reform. Before we go into these subjects, however, we must first record our serious losses among the personnel of the League during the past year. On February ninth, Hon. E. O. Graves died at Seattle, Washington. He was an early supporter of the reform, both in and out of office. He was a member of the examining board of the federal service in 1872 under President Grant. Henry C. Lee, of Philadelphia, died October 24th. He was a Vice President of the League, and connected with the reform from its earliest days. Lastly, on November 18, died Richard Watson Gilder, the "poet patriot," a member of the League and of its Council from its beginnings, and one whose wise advice, ardent purposes and enthusiasm for the reform we shall greatly miss. The Council has had prepared resolutions commemorative of these distinguished gentlemen, which will be read and presented at this meeting. During the past year the League has made two notable efforts. One is the investigation into the political activity of federal office holders, and the other the fight against the patronage features of the census bill. The report on the political activity during the last presidential campaign was completed in April last, and was published in the April number of GOOD GOVERNMENT. Political activity was found to be confined almost entirely to those who were not under the civil service rules. By an order of President Roosevelt of June 3d, 1907, the employees in the competitive service were strictly prohibited from doing more than voting and expressing their opinions privately among their friends; and the enforcement of this rule was entrusted to the civil service commission. Excepting in a few cases, which have since been referred to the civil service commission and acted on by them, we found no evidence in which the order was not fully obeyed. In the unclassified service, the story was entirely different. By an order of the President, these officials were not prohibited from political activity, provided they did not neglect their duties nor cause scandal. Evidence was wholly lacking to substantiate the charges as to coercion of officeholders by the President in order to secure the nomination of a particular candidate. President Roosevelt allowed his appointment lists for a considerable time prior to the convention to be examined, and not only were the oppointments made in the usual manner, on the recommendation of Senators and Congressmen and others claiming the patronage of offices involved, but sometimes those on whose recommendation the appointments were made were notoriously opposed to the candidate whom President Roosevelt was known to favor. We showed that 10% of the delegates to the Republican national convention at Chicago were officeholders. In the southern states an average of about 33% were officeholders. The officeholders all over the country, particularly in the south, generally controlled the Republican party organizations in their respective states, and frequently resorted to unfair means in order to retain their power. Their chief motive for retaining power was to hold in their hands their offices and what patronage went with them. What candidates they supported was often a secondary matter. In local fights between the officeholders and other Republicans, both sides often supported the same. candidate for president. The active participation of those who have a personal interest at stake, in the caucuses, primaries, conventions and elections, seriously interferes with the free choice of candidates by the people, and in some parts of the country can actually prevent it. One hundred and twenty-three thousand appointees in the federal service are still outside of the civil service rules. Many of these are high officials, wielding wide political influence, in the north as well as the south, subject to possible dictation from Washington, and therefore constitute a menace to free institutions until their political activity is curtailed. It is quite clear that much of this political activity results in absenteeism from office; and that the government is paying salaries to officials whose main interest and activity are in politics, while their offices are left in the control of subordinates for much of the time. This report received wide newspaper comment. As to the remedy, we trust that the extension of the civil service rules to a number of the fourth class postoffices will gradually be extended to include them all. This will take nearly one half the most "active" unclassified officials cut of politics. We trust, too, that ways may be found for taking the first, second and third class postmasters out of politics in ways which we consider later. For a long time, however, there will probably be many high officials of great influence who will not be under civil service rules, and we must therefore consider the political activity line which President Roosevelt drew between the competitive and the non-competitive service. Already, President Taft, by extending the order against political activity to census supervisors and enumerators, who are unclassified, has crossed the line, and we trust that this may be a precedent for further restricting the political activity of other unclassified officeholders. Federal judges and United States army officers abstain rigorously from activity in politics. As to collecting political contributions from employees, Ulysses G. Glick, statistical secretary of the National Drainage Association, was found guilty and fined $800 and costs for collecting assessments in the customs service at Wilmington, Delaware. Since the |