National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1884-03-26
Violating the clvii Service Act.

Violating the Civii Service Act.
The able young democrats who fill tho
subordinate places in the house of representa.
tives have formed campaign association.
and have rendered their services to the demo-
cratic congressional committee for campaign
work. This action appears to be q viola
ton of the provisions Of the act of congress,
approved January 16, 1883, commonly known
as tho civil service law Section IL Of that
act provides:
That no senator, or representative, or territorial
delegate Of the congress senator, representative
or delegate elect any officer or cpp'oye Of either Of
said houses, and no executive, judicial military, or
naval officer Of the United StGtcs and
10 clerk or cmployo Of any department
branch, or bureau Of the executive, Judicial
or military or naval service Of the
United States shall directly or indirectly solicit or
receive OF be IN any manner concerned in soliciting
orrccettno any assessment subscription, or coprt-
luton for any political purpose whatever from
any officer clerk, or cmpoye Of tho United States
or any department, branch, or bureau thereof. or
from any person receiving any salary or compen-
sation from m oneys derived from the treasury of
tho United States.
The trainers of the civil service act in
tended to take away every possible induce
ment for employees of tho government,
whether in tho executive, legislative, or
judicial departments, or in the military or
naval service, from engaging in campaign
work. Tho section Of tho law quoted above
ap plies with as much force to au employe of
tn house of representatives as it does to a
clerk in one of the executive departments.
Although exempt from the provisions Of the
bill, which prescribe competitive examina-
tions, employees of both the senate and the
house are subject to all the provisions relat.
ing to political assessments.
A careful reading of tho section of the law
quoted above will convince an employee of
the house that he exposes himself 10 the
penalties prescribed in the fifteenth section
of the act, if he solicits or receives contri-
button for political purpose from any person
who draws pay from the United States treas
ury, or if he is in ang udy concerncdin receiving
or soliciting such contribution. An employee of
the house who assists the democratic congress
with the soliciting or receiving of contribu-
tions from members of congress, or other
persons whose compensation comes out of the
United States treasury, violates the law, be-
cause the act expressly says that he must not
be IN any ,rdy concerned in such work.
The fourteenth section of the act is as fol-
lows:
That no officer clerk, or other person in the
service of the United States shall, directly ind
rectly, give or hand over to any other officer,
clerk person i'll the service of the United States
| or 10 any senator or member of the house of rep
resentatives or territorial delegate. any money or
other udIudble thing on account or to be applied to
the promotion of any political object whatever.
Whether this section applies to an employe
of tho house who volunteers to assist the
democratic congressional committee in cam
paign work depends, on the construction
thing" If the labor of an employee of the
house, who assists the committee, is "a val
liable thing" in contemplation of law, then
the employee is subject to indictment under
this section. The penalty is fine not ex.
ceeding $1,000, or imprisonment not exceed
ing three years. or both fine and imprisonment
in the discretion of the court. 1t might be
we'll for some of the learned lawyers ON the
democratic congressional committee to care.
fully read the civil service act before they
accept the voluntary political services of the
employees of the house.
1t will be noticed that this 10 an association
of "the employees of the house of representa-.
tives" and that the house of representatives
has been by the deliberate act of its employees
arrayed against the civil service act, and
possibly those who have gone into tho combi-
nation expect to escape punishment by vio-
lating the law on masse.