Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1883-01-01
CIVIL SERVICE REFORM.

The Senate Passes the New BilI-Outlines
Of the Enactment.
Washington, Dec. N.-The senate this
evening. by vote of thirty to five,
passed the civil service reform bill, The
five who voted against the bill were all
Observation-Disclosures. Brown, of Georgia:
Call, OF Florida; Jonas, of Louisiana:
MCPHERSON. OF New Jersey, and Morgan,
of Alabama. The bill, as it passed, is a
modification of the Pendleton DILL and
provides for commission who shall have
supervision of the civil service conpeti-
tive examinations which are required in
appointments to Office. One of the most
important amendments to the bill was
one offered by Senator Hawley, of Con-
necticut, and passed to-day, prohibiting
officers from soliciting or receiving DO.
itical assessments from subordinate en-
ployes of the government. 1t also pro-
hibits the discharge, promotion or degra-
datlon OF any employe for voting at
political election, or contributing money
or other valuable things for political
purposes. The penalty for a violation
OF this provision is fine of not ex-
ceeding. 5000, or imprisonment
for not more than three years,
or both at the discretion of the court.
Another amendment was adopted pro-
hlbltlng intemperance in the service.
The offering of this amendment was fol-
lowed by quite an animated discussion,
Mr.. Edmunds SAID that employees had
been quite as much demoralized and the
service had suffered quite as much from
the effects of gambling as intem perance.
He cited the fact that the government
lost many thousand dollars through this
practice on the part of persons in the
service. Senator Sherman thought that
a statutary provision to prohibit intem-
perance in the service would be of great
benefit to the heads of the department
in preventing the employment OF persons
addicted to this habit. An interested
spectator of the proceedings to-day was
Dorman B. Eaton, who occupied sofa
on the republican side, where he held
frequent conference with leading men OF
both parties. The bill is regarded as a
very good measure by certain class o1
civil service reformers. The very large
vote it received shows that this class is
largely represented in the sen.
ate. When the bill goes
to the house, however, it will be
antagonized by the opposite class, who
believe in fixed tenure of Office and ex.
} aminations with the view of fitness fo,
the particular service required. These
provisions are embraced in the Kasse1
!. bill, which is pending in the house as {
special order. The senate bill will 20 tt
the speakers table when the house meet.
again and at the earliest opportunit,
Mr.. Hiscock of New York or some othe
: friend OF the bill on the republican sid,
will move to have it taken from til,
; speakers table and considered. Thi
/. motion will be antagonized by MIR Kas
son, who will move to proceed to tn,
? consideration of his bill, and on thi
3 question of consideration vote will b.
taken which will test the strength of tn,
two measures in the house. The indica
l tions are that the democratic member
4 who will vote for civil service measur,
!. at all will vote for the Pendletol
! bill, while republican mem
: bers may be about equally divided q
: between the Pendleton and the Kassol
: bills. This may throw the preponde,
4 ance in favor of the former. Whicheve
Q bill is taken up, the debate upon
: promises to be very protracted. A
members of the house are more directl
+ concerned in the matter of political pat
! ronage, it is probable that the bill
: finally passed by it will differ yer,
!, radically from the senate bill. Th
: questions of congressional influence
: tenure of Office and methods of making
: of appointments will be discussed from
} Q somewhat different point of view, 8,
' that when the bill goes back to til
, senate, it will, no doubt, be 80 material
+. " altered and amended as to force il
, reference to a conference committee
! There the bill will have to be agail
!, modified so az to harmonize the tw,
!, houses, or the committee may not b
able ct all to reach an agreement, an
! thus the bill will fall, so to speal
!, between the two houses.