§ 22. Power of removal limited. Every person whose rights may be in any way prejudiced contrary to any of the provisions of this section shall be entitled to a writ of mandamus to remedy the wrong. No person holding a position by appointment or employment in the state of New York or in the several cities, counties, towns or villages thereof who is an honorably discharged soldier, sailor or marine, having served as such in the Union army or navy during the war of the rebellion, or who is an honorably discharged soldier, sailor or marine, having served as such in the volunteer army or navy of the United States during the Spanish war or who shall have served the term required by law in the volunteer fire department of any city, town or village in the state, or who shall have been a member thereof at the time of the disbandment of such volunteer fire department shall be removed from such position except for incompetency or misconduct shown after a hearing upon due notice upon stated charges, and with the right to such employee or appointee to a review by a writ of certiorari. If the position so held by any such honorably discharged soldier, sailor or marine or volunteer fireman shall become unnecessary or be abolished for reasons of economy or otherwise, the said honorably discharged soldier, sailor or marine or volunteer fireman holding the same shall not be discharged from the public service, but shall be transferred to any branch of the said service for duty in such position as he may be fitted to fill, receiving the same compensation therefor, and it is hereby made the duty of all persons clothed with power of appointment to make such transfer effective. The burden of proving incompetency or misconduct shall be upon the person alleging the same. In every county of the state wholly included within the limits of a city but not comprising the whole of such city, no regular clerk or head of a bureau or person holding a position in the classified state civil service, subject to competitive examination, shall be removed until he has been allowed an opportunity of making an explanation; and in every case of a removal the true grounds thereof shall be forthwith entered upon the records of the department of the office in which he has been employed, and a copy filed with the state civil service commission. In case of a removal, a statement showing the reasons therefor shall be filed in the department or office where such clerk, head of a bureau or person had been employed. Whenever such offices, positions or employments in every county of the state hereinbefore specified are abolished or made unnecessary, it shall be the duty of the head of the department or office in which such persons had been employed, to furnish the names of the person or persons affected to the state civil service commission, with a statement in the case of each of the date of his original appointment in the service. It

shall be the duty of the state civil service commission forthwith to place the names of said persons upon a list of suspended employees for the office or position or for the class of work in which they have been employed, or for any corresponding or similar office, position or class of work, and to certify the said persons for reinstatement or re-employment in the order of their original appointment before making certification from any other list. The failure of any person on any such list for reinstatement or re-employment to accept after reasonable notice, an office or position in the same county and at the same salary or wages as the position formerly held by him, shall be held to be a relinquishment of his right to reinstatement as herein stated. Nothing in this section shall be construed to apply to the position of private secretary, cashier or deputy of any official or department.

§ 23. Compensation of veterans reinstated by order of the courts. Any honorably discharged soldier, sailor or marine, who having served as such in the Union army or navy during the war of the rebellion, shall have been, or may hereafter be removed from any position held by him by appointment or employment in the state of New York or in the several cities, counties, towns or villages thereof in contravention or violation of any provision of section twenty-two of this article and who shall have been restored to such position or employment either by a peremptory writ of mandamus of the supreme court or by final order on a writ of certiorari, as authorized by said section twenty-two, shall be entitled to receive and shall receive from said state or the city, county, town or village thereof under which said position or employment was held by him, the same compensation therefor from the date of such unlawful removal to the date of his said restoration to said position or employment which he would have been entitled by law to have received in such position or employment but for such unlawful removal, and such veteran shall be entitled to a writ of mandamus to enforce the payment thereof, but such compensation or salary or wages, due in such position or employment, shall be subject to the provisions of sections four hundred seventy-four and four hundred seventy-five of the judiciary law for services rendered in either or both said special proceedings but otherwise shall be paid only directly to such veteran.

§ 24. Misdemeanor to obstruct right of examination; false representation; impersonation in examination. Any commissioner, or examiner, or any other person who shall wilfully by himself or in co-operation with other persons, defeat, deceive or obstruct any person in respect of his

or her right of examination, or registration, according to any rules or regulations prescribed pursuant to the provisions of this chapter, or who shall wilfully and falsely mark, grade, estimate or report upon the examination or proper standing of any per son examined, registered or certified, pursuant to the provisions of this chapter, or aid in so doing, or who shall wilfully make any false representations concerning the same, or concerning the person examined, or who shall wilfully furnish to any person any special or secret information for the purpose of either improving or injuring the prospects or chances of any person so examined, registered or certified, or to be examined, registered or certified, or who shall personate any other person, or permit or aid in any manner any other person to personate him, in connection with any examination or registration, or application or request to be examined or registered, shall for each offense be deemed guilty of a misde

meanor.

§ 25. Recommendations for appointment or promotion. No recommendation or question under the authority of this chapter shall relate to the political opinions or affiliations of any person whatever; and no appointment or selection tc or removal from an office or employment within the scope of the rules established as aforesaid, shall be in any manner affected or influenced by such opinions or affiliations. No person in the civil service of the state or of any civil division or city thereof, is for that reason under any obligation to contribute to any political fund or to render any political service, and no person shall be removed or otherwise prejudiced for refusing so to do. No person in the said civil service shall discharge or promote or reduce, or in any manner change the official rank or compensation of any other person in said service, or promise or threaten so to do for giving or withholding or neglecting to make any contribution of money or service or any other valuable thing for any political purpose. No person in said service shall use his official authority or influence to coerce the political action of any person or body, or to interfere with any election.

§ 26. Political assessments prohibited. No officer, agent, clerk or employee under the government of the state of New York or any civil division or city thereof shall, directly or indirectly, use his authority or official influence to compel or induce any other officer, clerk, agent or employee under said government, or any civil division or city thereof, to pay or promise to pay any political assessment, subscription or contribution. Every said officer, agent, clerk or employee who may have charge or control in any building, office or room occupied for any purpose of said

government, or any said division or city thereof, is hereby authorized to prohibit the entry of any person, and he shall not knowingly permit any person to enter the same for the purpose of therein making, collecting, receiving or giving notice of any political assessment, subscription or contribution; and no person shall enter or remain in any said office, building or room, or send or direct any letter or other writing thereto, for the purpose of giving notice of, demanding or collecting a political assessment, nor shall any person therein give notice of, demand, collect or receive any such assessment, subscription or contribution; and no person shall prepare or make out, or take any part in preparing or making out, any political assessment, subscription or contribution with the intent that the same shall be sent or presented to or collected of any officer, agent or employee subject to the provisions of this chapter, under the government of the state of New York, or that of any civil division or city thereof, and no person shall knowingly send or present any political assessment, subscription or contribution to or request its payment of any said officer, agent or employee. Any person who shall be guilty of violating any provision of this section shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor.

§ 27. Officers or candidates not to promise influence; "public officer" and "public employee" defined. Whoever, while holding any public office, or in nomination for, or while seeking a nomination or appointment for any public office, shall corruptly use or promise to use, whether directly or indirectly, any official authority or influence, whether then possessed or merely anticipated, in the way of conferring upon any person, or in order to secure or aid any person in securing any office or public employment, or any nomination, confirmation, promotion or increase of salary, upon the consideration or condition that the vote or political influence or action of the last-named person, or any other, shall be given or used in behalf of any candidate, officer or party, or upon any other corrupt condition or consideration, shall be deemed guilty of bribery or an attempt at bribery. And whoever, being a public officer, or having or claiming to have any authority or influence for or affecting the nomination, public employment, confirmation, promotion, removal or increase or decrease of salary of any public officer, shall corruptly use, or promise, or threaten to use any such authority or influence, directly or indirectly, in order to coerce or persuade the vote or political action of any citizen or the removal, discharge or promotion of any officer or public employee, or upon any other corrupt consideration, shall also be guilty of bribery or of an attempt at bribery. Every person found guilty of such bribery, or an attempt to commit the same, as aforesaid, shall, upon conviction

thereof, be liable to be punished by a fine of not less than one hundred dollars nor more than three thousand dollars, or to be imprisoned not less than ten days nor more than two years, or to both said fine and said imprisonment in the discretion of the court. The phrase "public officer" shall be held to include all public officials in this state, whether paid directly or indirectly from the public treasury of the state, or from that of any civil division thereof, or by fees or otherwise; and the phrase "public employee" shall be held to include every person not an officer who is paid from any said treasury.

§ 28. Taxpayer's action. The right of any taxpayer to bring an action to restrain the payment of compensation to any person appointed to or holding any office, place or employment in violation of any of the provisions of this chapter, shall not be limited or denied by reason of the fact that said office, place or employment shall have been classified as, or determined to be, not subject to competitive examination; provided, however, that any judgment or injunction granted or made in any such action shall be prospective only, and shall not affect payments already made or due to such persons by the proper disbursing officers, in accordance with the civil service rules in force at the time of such payments.

ARTICLE 3

Classification of State Employees

Section 40. Application.

41. Classification of employees in grades.

42. Salaries for each grade.

43. Extra salary or compensation prohibited.
44. Temporary service.

45. Appointments and promotions.

§ 40. Application. The provisions of this article shall apply to all clerks, bookkeepers, stenographers, copyists, messengers and other employees whose duties are of a clerical character in all the state departments, bureaus, commissions and offices, except those otherwise fixed by law, or whose salaries were January first, nineteen hundred and one, more than the maximum fixed herein.

§ 41. Classification of employees in grades. All clerks, bookkeepers, stenographers, copyists, messengers, pages or other employees performing clerical service in the state departments, bureaus, divisions, commissions and other offices excepting deputies, heads, chiefs and assistant heads and chiefs of divisions or bureaus