Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-03-19
A CIVIL SERVICE FLAW.
EX-CONFEDERATES DISCRIMI-
MATED AGAINST.

No One who Served in the War Eligible
to Once Under the Examination
Hays Work for Cleveland at Chicago
The Corridors Crowded During the
Executive Session.
WASHINGTON, March 1S.-Maj. Z. a.
Burke, of New Orleans, being interviewed
said: 'The Civil Service Commission reg
ulatiOns practically shut ex-Confederates
out of so much of the civil service as is
governed by them. The average age of
enlistment in the Confederate army was
from 10 to 20years. There certainly must
have been very few enlistments under
fifteen years. But you will see by these
regulations that as twenty-fOur years
have elapsed since the war began and the
period within which a person can become
an applicant for position in the post
office is fixed at so years of age, unless he
is discharged Union soldier,
no one who was in the Confederate army
can come within these regulations if he
was more than IL years of age when he
enlisted, and it is under the Post Office
Department that the vast majority of the
appointments are to be made in the
| Southern States, and no one who was In
the Confederate army, in a like manner,
could secure an appointment under the
| Treasury, under the civil service rules,
who was over q years when the war
begun. If these rules are to be rigidly
enforced we shall demand a re-eXamina-
tiOn, under the civil service system, of all
| the Federal officials who now hold office
in the South.
FEW ELIGIBLE TO APPOINTMENT.
eff you take even a hasty glance at the
civil service requirements you will see
! that very few of the persons now holding
| offices pOni6 bn rnannOiOfp6 nn6pr
| such conditions. There is probably not
one-twentieth part of those in office who
! could pass an examination under the
civil service system. We shall bring this
! question prominently to the public notice,
and do not know of any other way in
which we can make the demand known.
| Should that be refused, our only remedy
would be either to insist upon a
| modification of the regulations or
! a reorganization of the Board of
| Civil Service Commissioners. 1t is
pretty vital question for the people from
| our section, and l do not believe that the
! people Of the country are quite ready to
admit that man is to be deprived of SER
| vice under the government because he
served in the Confederate army"
Dorman b. Eaton, Chairman of the
! Civil Service Commissioners, being inter-
viewed, said that the point was anew and
surprising one to him. While the state
ment was virtually correct in part, the
conclusion that any discrimination
! against eX-COnfederates is made is en-
| tirely uDjustified and preposterous.
The limitations as to age had
proved eminently wise and proper.
| Any change in them would
be to the detriment of the service. The
civil service regulations do not in any
way discriminate in favor of the Union
soldier or sailor except as the statutes
| md do iroiV
Confederate soldiers at all. It's true that
nobody who was over II years of age
when the war broke out can enter the
postal service, and the requirement is
entirely just.
HAYS WORK AT CHICAGO.
Ex-Representative Malcolm Hay, of
Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, nominated this
| afternoon for First Assistant Postmaster
General, arrived here this morning in
response to a suggestion of VIM. L. Scott,
OF Erie, who presented his name to the
| President, that it would be well for him
| to do so. Mr.. Hay saw the President and
| Postmaster General Villas with Mr.. Scott
this morning. His appointment is due in
| part at least to his sudden change of front
at the Chicago Convention. He was the
first of the Randall men to turn
to Cleveland. From the time that
he changed from Randall to Cleveland
| effective workers for the nomination of
| Cleveland. Mr.. Hay was made the CON-
promise temporary Chairman of the Com
mittee on Platform by the Cleveland
men. His services in the interest OF har-
| mOny in that committee were regarded as
very valuable. Mr.. Hay said tonight
| that he had not sought the office. If he
consulted his own wishes he would not
accept it. He said that he had no other
desire than to continue to practice law IN
| Pittsburg, but he seemed to be needed
here, and so had determined to come. He
wanted it understood that he was
no mans man. He was not the
his appointment to President Cleve-
land and to no one else. He was COM
mitted to no one. He would administer
the trust impartially and in the interest
| of no faction. His relations with Mr..
Randall, he says, are friendly. Asked
for his views of civil service reform he
said that he thought every efficient nom
partisan office holder ought 10 be kept in
his Office during good behavior. Mr.. Hay
will begin the performance of his duties
at once. The present First Assistant
| Postmaster General is very anxious to
| get away. 1t is now surmised that the
Second and Third Assistant Postmaster
Generals will be Western or Southern
men. The Postmaster General has shown
| ferent sections of the country.
THE CROWDED CORRIDORS.
The corridors of the Senate were so we'll
| filled with eXpectants during the eXecu-
tive session of the Senate to-day as to re-
| call the Garfield days when the Senate
| corridors were at times impossible. They
were waiting for the nominations which
Col. Lamont had said would be sent to
the Senate to-day. When Private Secre-
tary Pruden arrived with the nominations
| there was a rush for him. He got into
the Senate all right without revealing his
| secret. Then he came out with the tissue
paper lists of the names sent in the nomi-
nations. The eager men surrounding
him almost tore the tissue pa
per in their desire to read the
names. Like almost everybody else in
town they were very much surprised.
People are beginning to find out that this
administration knows how to keep its
counsel. The nominations made to-day,
like those already made, show that the
President prefers the men who are not
talked about in the newspapers in making
appointment to office. The nominations
are all regarded as good by both Demo-
Gratis and Republicans. Malcolm Hay
will make vigorous and cautious First
Assistant Postmaster General. Martin
V. Montgomery, of Michigan, nominated
for Commissioner of Patents, has
the respect of both parties.
His name was first presented to the Presi-
dent this morning by the leaders OF both
the Michigan factions. Within an hour
Secretary Lamar had been summoned to
the White House, and had expressed his
approval of the proposed appointment.
The President promptly set aside the other
names before him, and nominated Mr..
Montgomery. He will make, the Mishi-
gan men say, an admirable Commissioner
of Patents.
Congressman Milton J. Durham, of
Kentucky, is friend of Speaker Carlisle,
and was recommended by him. He may
not write such vOluminous opinions as
the present First Com ptroller, but they
win probably pc quite as good. Neither
Messrs. Hay, Montgomery or Durham
have been ''mentionedD heretofore for the
places given them.
MR.. HILLS APPOINTMENT.
Ben. II. Hill, Jr., was appointed District
Attorney of North Georgia because he was
the best man presented for the place.
Attorney General Garland has informed
Ben Hill, DR., first District Attorney ap-
pointed by this administration, that he
can find no law authorizing the appoint
ment of an Assistant District Attorney,
and that therefore he does not propose
that any shall be appointed. District At
t0rheys Will have 30 do all the work of
their offices themselves. Mr. Hill will be
promptly confirmed. Senator Brown will
not vote against his confirmation, Mr..
Hill leaves for Atlanta tomorrow night.
Attorney General Garland said to-day
that Georgia had right to be proud 'sot
Ben HiH's son." The appointment is
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