The Portland daily press., 1886-10-01
FROM WASHINGTON.
A Proposed Change in Civil Service
Rules Regarding Examinations.
The President Asked to Help the
Democratic Ticket OF PennsyIva-
MIA
Patent to a Maine Inventor.

Patent to Maine Inventor.
| WASHINGTON, Sept. 30.-The following
patent was issued this week..
| C. Fl. Howard, Auburn slasher
off On Visit.
Mrs. Cleveland and Mrs. Folsom have gone
to Buffalo, N. T., for visit of about ten
| days.
Civil Service Rules.
Civil Service Commissioner Oberly says
the proposed change of civil service rules in
relation to the examining board is intended
entirely to guard against possible favoritism
| in marking examination papers. 1t is i'm
| the various towns and small cities where ex-
| aminations are held that will not be person.
ally acquainted with, or at least, know
| something about nearly every applicant who
easy for them to regulate the marking to suit
| their preferences. Moreover, different local
| boards mark differently SO that a man who
would pass with high percentage before one
board would fail before another. What the
new rule proposes is, in place of depart
mental board of fourteen here, to have
/ board of six or seven whose duty it will be
| to mark all papers for the whole country
| without knowing the names OF any OF the
applicants This will secure uniform grad
! ing and perfect fairness.
The Pennsylvania Democratic Ticket
Lieutenant Governor Black Of Pennsylya-
| mia has come to Washington to induce the
| President to come to the relief OF the Demo-
| cratic ticket of that State, Mr.. Black wants
| to be elected Governor, and he has been a
| candidate long enough to have learned that
the Randall -HenselH Harrity method of plac-
ing the offices, while good thing in the man
| agement of conventions, has broken the
| Democratic party in the State into. SO many
| fragments that not one of them is able to
stand alone. Mr.. Blacks present purpose
appears to be TO bait those sections of the
Pennsylvania Democracy not now cordially
supporting him with few offices. If Mr..
Black tells the whole truth about the situa-
tion in Pennsylvania, MIR. Cleveland will be
very much grieved at the way in which his
confidence has been toyed with by those who
have handled the Pennsylvania end OF the
Administration.
The Delaware Republicans.
The Republicans of Delaware have de-
cided to place no State ticket in the field.
The Feeling Between Germany and
France.
Lieut.. Schuetze of the Navy, who has re-
turned from Siberia, where he distributed
the rewards of the United States to those
who assisted the unfortunate crew of the
Jeanette, is of opinion that war between
Germany and France will be one OF the his
torical events nf the next few years. He says
that he cleaned enough information to salts
fly him that Bismarek's fOndest hopei is to
cripple France so that she will not recover in
century. 1t is apparent in France that the
French people are only awaiting an opportu-
nifty to bear down on Germany, and Bismarck
intends to anticipate such action by attacking
France before she is prepared for war.
The Charleston Earthquake.
Mr.. A. B. Mullett, ex-Supervising Archi-
tect of the Treasury, says that it is mis-
take to estimate the violence of the earth
quake shocks in Charleston by the amount
of damage done. He thinks that if Wash
ington, for instance, had been subjected to
the same shocks, the comparative damage
would not have been more than half, if so
much. The buildings in Charleston are al
most altogether very old The mortar and
cement used in their construction is from the
immediate locality, and is of very inferior
character 1t would never have been used
in the buildings in this section of the coun-
try, except for those of a second-class char
acter. Under existing building regulations,
the use of such material would not be per-
mitted at ALL
The Printing Office Dismissals.
Persons who have been discharged from
the government printing office claim that the
public printer has in a great many instances
retained less competent single men, who are
well-to-dO, and has discharged heads of fami-
1rac who have less nO1itipa1 inf1upnoa