Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-05-03
THE CABINET PERPLEXED
A CIVIL SERVICE REFORM RULE
THE PUZZLER.


by the Merits of the Applicants. or
Distributed approximately Among the
States s?-DOrman Il. Eaton Chamnions
Merit-Other News from Washington.
WASHINGTON, May "A special meet
ing OF the Cabinet was held to-day to con-
slider the civil service regulations now
awaiting the Presidents action. All the
members were present except the Attor.
ney General. The session lasted about
two and half hours. The regulations as
presented by the Civil Service Commits
SION were agreed upon without substan-
tIal change, although it was deemed ad-
VIsable to change the phraseOlOgy in some
cases. The commission held conference
with the President before the Cabinet
met. The President will approve the
regulations as soon as they shall have
been altered to meet the above views of
the Cabinet.
There was one question In connection
with the rules which the Cabinet found if
dlfhcult to decide, and which. in fact. is
still undetermined. The custom which is
now observed in making appointments in
several Of the executive departments.
and which IN the Treasury Department
mas the force of law. is to dis
tribute them among the States and Ter
rlt0ries upon the basis of population.
1t Is questioned whether strict adher-
ence To this rule would not in many cases
hamper the administration of the civil
service, and a majority of the members of
the Cabinet incline to the view that ap-
pOlntments under the new civil service
rules should be strictly upon merit as de-
termlned by competitive examinations
regardless of the residence of the success
ful candidate. \ decision, however. has
not yet been reached by the Cabinet up0n
this point.
DOrman Il. Eaton. Of the Civil Service
commission, said to an Associated Press
reporter this evening that one of the
clauses OF the new civil service law pro-
Nl9es that appointments shall be distribu-
TED among the States and Territories i'm
proportion to population, as far as practi-
cable. But as this clause comes with
several others under the common head of
provisions which are to be carried out
only as far as good administration of law
Will permit, he did not think il would
prove source Of much difficulty. Hehad
not been advised, he said, ,Ofthe action of the
Cabinet in this regard, but the terms of
the law, he thought. would be complied
with by making the appointment during
the gwen period of year or two wears
approximate the quotas allowed to the
latiOn. He said further. that it should be
borne in mind that the law had nothing to
say with regard to the proportion in which
the several States and Territories are
represented in the appointments al
ready made, and that the present
representation of the States and Terrific.
rleS would not be taken into consideration
in determining future appointments, as
the law refers solely to appointments
hpTn1ffpls "a Ia a1
the provision of the law i'll question re-
lates to appointments, not to eXamna-
tl0ns. OF course examinations would be
made, he said, with view to supplying the
appointing power with proper material.
Vice Admiral Rowan has asked to be
relieved from his duties as Superintendent
Of the Naval Observatory, and CommO-
dOre Shuteldt will be appointed to sue
ceed him. Commodore Shufeldt will be
promoted to be a Rear Admiral on the 9th
instant by the retirement of Rear Admiral
Calhoun.
The President has selected Boston, At
lanta and Chicago as the names for the
three new steel cruisers of the navy. The
new dispatch boat Will be named either
the Arthur, Eagle, or Hiawatha.
The sale of tobacco stamps at st. Louis
yesterday aggregated $173, al.
At meeting of the Executive Commit
tee of the National Board of Health, held
to-day, the refugee stations of the board
at Norfolk, Va, SapelO Sound, Ga, and
Ship Island, Miss, were ordered to be
opened as soon as the necessary details
should be arranged.
The Inspection Service in New Orleans
and on the Mississippi river was also di-
rected to be organized for immediate work.
The President to-day appointed VIM. ;.
Woods to be District Judge for the Sew
enth district of Indiana, vice Walter Q.
Gresham, appointed Postmaster General.
Judge Woods is now on the State supreme
bench of Indiana.
President Arthur has made a prOclama-
ton Of the supplementary eXtradition
treaty between the United States and
Spain, concluded August :, 1882. BY the
supplemental treaty number Of statutory
OtfenSeS are added to the list for which
eXtraditiOn may be asked, such as EN-
beZZlement, kidnapping for any pur-
pose, obtaining by threat or injury
false devices, money or other personal
property, or the purchase of same with a
knowledge that they have been so Obtain
ed, when the crimes or Oflenses are pun
ishable by Imprisonment by the laws of
both countries. Two new articles have
been added, the first of which provides
that when person accused shall
have been arrested in virtue of mandate
or preliminary warrant of arrest issued
by competent authority ana Deen
brought before a Judge or Magistrate, to
the end of the evidence Of his or her guilt
being heard and examined as hereinbefore
provided, it shall appear that the man.
date or preliminary arraignment of arrest
has been issued in pursuance of request
or declaration received by telegraph from
the government asking for eXtraditiOn,
il shall be competent for Judge or Mag
istrate, at his discretion, to hold the ac-
cused for a period not exceeding twenty
five days, and also that demanding that
the government may have an opportunity
to lay before such Judge or Magistrate
legal evidence of the guilt of the accused,
and if at the expiration of said period of
twenty-five days such legal issuance shall
not have been produced before such Judge
or Magistrate, the person arrested shall
be released, provided that an examination
of the charges against such accused per-
son shall not be actually going on. The
second article makes 1t the duty of the
legal officers or the fiscal ministry of the
country before whom the proceedings of
examination are had to assist the officers
of the government demanding the extra
ditiOn before the respective Judges and
Magistrates by every legal means within
fbair p1s its nOWpr