New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-04-18
HIGGINS'S SCHEME.
HIS PLANS FOR REMOVING REPUBLICANS.
MAKING PREPARATIONS FOR TAKING ADVANTAGE
OF WEAK SPOTS IN THE CIVIL SERVICE Law.
tBY TKLEoRAPK TO TIE Tribunal


MAKING PREPARATIONS FOR TAKING ADVANTAGE
OF WEAK SPOTS IN THE CIVIL SERVICE LAW
tbr TELEGRAPH TO TIE TRIBUNAL
WASHINGTON, April l7.-Although Appoint.
ment Clerk Higgfnsis by willing to admit tuas
the salary he receives from the Governments
Is anything like fair equivalent for the
services Of q of his ability and deserts he
has been able to realize the political Importance of tho
office he holds "This s the key Of the Treasury far
as appointments concerned and must learn all its
uses," said Higgins to himself The innocent Civil Ser
vice Reformers who have been trying exenuate sec-
reary Mannings offence against Civil Service Reform IN
the appointment Of Higgins the President
for his failure to rebuke It, have loudly contended that
the place Higgins occupies is "merely clerical" and
OF very little consequence. They will probably sing
different tune before midsummer. Higgins "means
business" and q great deal of It, He is keen and
shrewd and fertile in resources as well as ener.
getc. duller man and one less experienced In
the arts Of evasion as applied to the laws OF
the land wOud-if he desired to svade them
have read the Civil Service law carefully shaken ais
head gloomiy and folded his hands in despair Of finding
any way to evade its provisions. Not so Higgins. He
reasoned thus: "Ipossess the complete confidence of
Secretary Manning and German will back Here arc
thousands of Republicans in the service OF the
Treasury Department and they must 80
In order to make room for our frieuds
Where shall begtnl Why, Of course, with these who
are ABOVE or DeloW the classes VINO ninK ney are pro-
tected by this internal Civil Service lawthe chiefs OF
division and the messengers watchmen aud laborers.
They be turned out and friends put In without
troubling the Civil Service Commission"
As the first step Higgins lost time in preparing o
list Of all the messengers watchmen and aborers and
he found that they numbered nearly 1000. Opposite
the Of each person set forth all the facts
cessary be kDown-when appointed, politics, by whom
recommended, etc Another list includes the names
of all the clerks and chiefs OF division.
showing the date OF appointment Of
each, bis politics. by whom recommended.
whether appointed under tho Civil Service rules, ETC.
All includedn the first list be discharged and their
places filled by the Secretary at his pleasure IL 10 un-
derstood to be the intention to purge" this list by the
discharge before July OF every person therein named
who is Republican. The same course can and probably
ion, although the process will be necessarily more grad
ua.
classified service comparatively few were appointed
since the Civil Service law and regulations became op.
eratve In the matter OF dismssals the Secretary or
the Treasury possesses full power, but appointments
can be made only In the manner provided by law Here
true. he reasons, that when we wantia clerk we must
choose out OF four whose names have been sent to US
have the of four other persons certified to US s
will be strange IL cannot lind at least one Demo-
passed the civil service examinations" In other words
unless careful and Intelligent observers who are his
friends greatly mistaken, Mr. Higgins proposes TO
supplement the Civil Service examination In each case
| with ofhls invention, TO discover whether or
In conversation with his intimate friends MT Higgins
makes Of his purpose TO discover and take ad
regulations. In still another respect he hopes 70 bo
especially useful. In the Government service In wash
| ington great many men and women
| from Maryland most OF them exUnon soldiers
Mr. Higgins es is engaged in the preparation Of complete
list these only OF those in the Treasury
Department but every other branch OF the Govern
ment service as we-and that cause will be speedily
found for the dismissal OF every Republican among them
The discharge yesterday for political reasons OF Cap
tain wddicOmbe the efficient chief OF division In the
Sixth Auditors office, was the first blow 1t Will thus
be that Higgins Is determined that his unsefsh
zeal shall be cooled his energy abated because
| parsimonous Government has failed to provide him
with salary commensurate with the value OF MS us-
| tinguished services.