The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1882-12-09

thlNtN hAuANn hhk III Nnt Octhn
trade, should receive the immediate alten-
tion Of Congress. Our disadvantage in
building ships is the greater cost Of labor
and in sailing them, higher taxes and great
er interest on capital, while the ocean high
ways are already monopolized by our COM
mercial competitors. These obstacles should
in some way be overcome.
In discussing the report Of the Postmaster
General the President says that the inform
alton which il affords, that the receipts for
the fiscal year have exceeded the expendi-
lures, must be gratifying to Congress and to
the people Of the country. At the last ses-
sion Of Congress several bills were intro
duced in the House of Representatives for
the reduction of letter postage to the rate Of
two cents per half ounce. | have given
much study and reflection to this subject
and am thoroughly persuaded that such a re-
duction would be for the best interests of the
public. Unless some change is made in the
existing laws the profits Of the postal serv-
ice will in very few years swell the reve-
nues Of the government many millions Of
dollars. The time seems auspicious, there
fore, for some reduction in the rates Of post
age. Regarding the Star route frauds the
President remarks that "if any guilty per-
sons shall finally escape punishment for
their oifenses IL will not be for lack Of dill
gent and earnest efforts on the part OF the
prosecution"
| The President renews his recommenda
ton for alloting land in ssverality TO such
Indians as desire il says IL is a momept tous
| question for the decision Of Congress wheth-
er immediate and substantial aid should not
be extended by the General Government for
supplementlng the efforts of private benef
eence and Of State and Territorial legislation
in behalf of education, and congratulates
Congress that the Utah Commissioners are
sanguine that polygamy can be suppressed
without resort TO radical measures.
| or civil service reform he has this 10 say:
The communication which made 10 Con-
| gress at its first session in December last con-
tained somewhat full statement of my
sentiments in relation to the principles and
rules which ought to govern appointments
to public service. Referring to the various
plans which had, therefore, been the sub
ject of discussion in the National Legisla-
ture, "plans which in the main were mod
eled upon the system which obtains IN
Great Britain, but which lacked certain of
the prominent features whereby that system
is distinguished, ielt bound to intimate
my doubt whether they or any Of them
would afford adequate remedy for the evils
which they aimed to correct. | declared
nevertheless, that if the proposed measures
should prove acceptable to Congress, they
would receive the unhesitating support Of
the Executive. Since these suggestions were
submitted for your considerations there has
been no legislation upon tho subject To
which they relate, but there has meanwhile
been an increase in the public interest in
that subject, and the people Of the coun try,
apparently without distinction of party,
have in various ways and upon frequent
| aiy -. .i.,,.
wish for prompt and definite action. In my
judgment, such actien should no longer be
postponed.
may add that my own sense Of its press
ing Importance has been quickened by Oh
seryation Of a practical phase Of the matter,
TO which attention has more than once been
called by my own predecessors. The civil
| list now comprises about 100 900 persons,
far the larger part Of whom must, under the
terms of the Constitution be selected by the
President, either directly or through his
appointces. lD the early years of the ad-
minsitration Of the government the person.
al direction OF appointments to the civil
service may not have been an rksOme task
for the Executive but, now that the bur
den has increased fully hundredIold, it
has become greater than he ought to bear
and it necessarily dverts his time and at
4
duties no less delicate aud responsible and
which in the very nature of things cannot
be delegated TO other hands.
In the judgment of net a few whu have
given study and re- hection TO this matter the
nation has ouigrown the provisions which
the Constitution has established for filling
the minor offices in the pul llc service. But
whatever may be thought OF the wisdom or
expedicncy Of changing the fundamental
law in this regard it is certain that much
relief may be afforded, not only to the
| President and tn the. heads OF the depart
ments, but to Senators and Representatives
in Congress, by discreet legislation. They
would be protected in great measure by
the bill now pending before the Senate, or
by any other which should embody its i'm
portant features, from the pressure of per-
s"nal importantly aud from the labor of ex-
aiming conflicting claims and pretensions
! of candidates.
While neither that bill nor any other
| prominent scheme for improving the civil
service concerns the higher grade of officials
who are appointed by the President and
confirmed by tho Senate, feel bound To
correct prevalent misapprehension as to
the frequency with which the present Exc
cutive has displaced the incumbent of an
Office and appointed another in his s,ead. II
has been repeatedly alleged that he has in
this particular signally departed from the
course which has been pursued under re
| cent administrations Of the government.
The facts are as follows: The whole number
OF Executive appointments during the four
years Immediately preceding Mr.. Garield's
accession to the Presidency was 1896. OF
this number 244, or nine per cent, involved
the removal previous incumbents. The
| ratio OF removals to the whole number Of
| appointments was much the same during
each of those four years. In the first year
with 100 appointments, there were "a re
movals, or 9.3 per cent in the second, with
| 9l7 appointments, there were IS removals,
or S.5 per cent; in the third. with $40 ap
Pointments, there were As removals, or 10
per cent; in the fourth, with 429 appoint
| ments, there were 81 removals, or SO per
cent. In the four months OF President Gar
fields administration there were 800 ap-
pOintments and SO removals, OF 1927 per
cent. Precisely the same number of re
movals tS0) has taken place in the fourteen
months which have since elapsed, but they
constitute on rs per cent. of the whole num-
Der of appointments Nl.8) within that per-
iod and less than 2 6 per cent. of the entire
list Of officials (3,i5g), exclusive of the
army and navy, which are filled by Presi-
dental appointment.
declare my approval of such legislation
as may be found necessary for suplementing
the existing provisions oflaw in relation TO
political assessments. In July last / au-
thorized public ann nouncement that EN-
| ployes of the government should regard
themselves Ss at liberty to exercise their
| pleasure in making or refusing TO make po-
liticsl contributions and that their action
in that regard would in no manner affect
their official status. In this announcement
| acted upon the view which | had al
ways maintained and still maintain, that a
public officer should be as absolutely free
any other citizen to give or withhold con.
| tr6utIon for the political party of his choice
1t has, however, been urged, and doubtless
not without foundation iu fact, that by So
llcitation Of superiors and by other modes
such contributions have at times been OBJ
tanned from persons whose only motive for
| giving has been the fear of what might be-
fall them If they refused. II goes Without
saying that such contributions are net vol
untary, and in my judgment their collection
should be prohibited by law. A bill which
u