Repository: UIHistories Project: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1918 [PAGE 657]

EXTRACTED TEXT FROM PAGE:

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UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS

651

ted by the Clearing House in Chicago to be the plan most used, and this plan if followed would give to Mr. Capron the $106.89. I thought it advisable to mention this now so it would come up in the proper way at the next meeting. Yours very truly,

ROBERT R. WARD

This matter was referred again to Mr. Ward for further information.

RELATIONS W I T H T H E CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION

(8) A letter from Judge O. A. Harker, "University Counsel, in regard to the relations of the University and the Civil Service Commission, and also the opinion of Judge Franklin H. Boggs to the effect that the University of Illinois is noi included in the provisions of the State Civil Service Act. January 23, 1918 President E. J. James, University of Illinois

MY DEAR PRESIDENT JAMES :

Following your request, I had a conference with the Civil Service Commission at Springfield last Friday, relative! to the decision of Circuit Judge Boggs in the Redman case. After explaining to the Commission the position taken by the University and the Attorney General's Office in the case, and the decision of Judge Boggs, I represented that there was no disposition on the part of the University to embarrass the Commission in the administration of the Civil Service Act. I stated that we are in entire sympathy with the general principles involved in Civil Service reform, but that we do not want to be subjected to the inconvenience of observing the rules established by the Commission, unless the act applies to us. I further stated that I felt quite sure the Commission had no disposition to assume jurisdiction not given to it by the act. At this point, I was assured by the Chairman of the Commission that there was no desire on the part of the Commission to assume jurisdiction not clearly given to it by the Legislature and that it was highly important to have the question determined by the Supreme Court. I explained that we did not want to be embarrassed in any future contention that the act does not apply to us, in the event the Supreme Court should affirm Judge Boggs on some other point and leave the question of the application of the law to us undecided. The Commission was not willing to accept the decision of Judge Boggs and allow it to stand as the law until reversed or affirmed by the Supreme Court. Thereupon I agreed that the University would continue to take employees from the classified list established by the Commission, but that it would reserve the right to discharge any employee without report to the Commission and without any right of the employee to a hearing against the University before the Commission. The situation is this then until a decision shall be rendered by the Supreme Court:—Whenever we desire an employee that comes within the