Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-04-21
WASHINGTON.
Civil Service. Reform-&rant Has no
Suggestions Co Make except Further
A.Dropriaff0n~ - ts~ - -


WAsHIN GreN, April 20--The President
to-day sent the following message to the
Senate and House of Representatives:
Herewith 4 transmit tie report Of the
civil service commissioners, authorized by
an act Of Congress of Mach 8, 1871, and in
yite your special attention thereto. If sus-
tanned by Congress have no doubt the
rules eau. after the experience gained, beso
improved and enforced as TO still more mate
rally benefit the public service and relieve
the executive, members OF Congress, and
heads Of departments from influences preiu-
dicial TO good administration. The rules,
as they have heretofore been enforced, have
resulted beneficially, as is shown By the
opinion of members of the Cabinet and
their subordinates in the departments, and
in that opinion L concur. But, the rules
applicable to officers who are 10 be ap-
pointed by and with the advice and CON
sent of the Senate, are in a great measure
impTacticable except in Sc far as they may
be sustained by the action of that body
These must necessarily remain so, unless
the direct sanction of the Senate is given to
the rules. 4 advise for the present only
such appropriations as may be of adequate
help To- The work in its present form, and
would leave TO the future to determine
whether the direct sanction of Congress
shall be given to the rules that may per-
haps be devised for regulating the method
of the selection of appointees, or portion
OF them who need TO be confirmed by the
Senate. The same amount appropriated
last year would be adequate for the ensuing
year, but think the public interest would
be promoted by authority in the executive
for allowing small compensation for spe-
cial service performed beyond the usual
Office hours, under the act Of 1871, TO per
sons called into the service of the govern
ment. s. u. S. GRANT,
Executive Mansion, April, Is, 1874.
The Distrief-Ten Per Cent Sfeaiings-
In the District of Columbia inyestiga-
tion this morning Henry S. Davis was ex
amined, with reference TO his estimate of
the cost of Improvement done by the Board
of Public Works, made By. him. lie
thought the value of the old material taken
amounted to upwards of two million dol
lars. He estimated that private property
the measurements generally made were ten
per cent in excess of the actual work done.
Spinner and NruIIett.
Gen. Spinner was before the Committee
on Appropriations to-day, in oppositionto
the proposed reduction of the clerical force
on the TreaSurer's Office. He wants an adj
ditional number of clerks, and says be-
cause of insufficiency of compensation
many of his best clerks are leaving him for
higher salaries elsewhere, in some cases
twice as much as Ghey have been receiving
under the government. Supervising Archi-
tect Mullett was also before the committee
and made a similar statement.
Railroad Lands Subject 10 Local Tax
.zs1g alton. sE5EE - ~
The House Committee on Public Lands
agreed to recommend that ali lands hereto
fore granted by any Congress to railroad
shall be subject to local taxa
tiOn, the same as similar property of indi-
yidHals. --...
POstoaice irregularities"
Mr.. Lutterell to-day submitted to the
House Committee on Postoffices and Post
Roads, list of witnesses, and detailed
of his charges relating to al
legged irregularities in ihe Postofiice De-
partment connected with private contracts,
to mail contractors, etc. The
COMMITTEES will proceed to make a thorough
investigation of the subject. Congressman
Stone, of Missouri, was also present and
stated that he would submit his charges to-
81 r- FE
Death of Justice MiIligan-1
Hon. Samuel Milligan, one of the as
sociate justices Of the United States
Court of Claims, died here to-day. He
was native of Tennessee and received the
in 1863.