The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1886-06-10

he same plane, as it affects community,
s one of the things that common sense
cannot understand. nor which the intelli-
gent farmers Of this section, at least would
submit to. The bill as it passed the
House by vote of 1T to l01, is in effect,
Is follows: Butter is defined to be food
product made exclusively of milk or
both, with or without common salt and
with or without additional coloring mat
lea. Oleomargarine is defined as all sub
stances made of oleomargarine, oleo, cleo
oil, butterine, lardine, s,line,
and natural !; all mixtures and compounds
of Oleomargarine, oleO, oleOmargarine Oil,
butterine, lardine, suine, and neutral all
lard extracts and tallow extracts land all
mixtures and compounds of talloW, beef
fat, suet, lard, lard oil, vegetable oil, an
MOTTO, and other cOloring matter, intesti-
nal fat, and offal fat made in imitation OF
semblance of butter, or, when SO made,
calculated or intended to be sold for but
ter. Special taxes are imposed as follows !:
On manufacturers, $500; on wholesale
dealers, $3.50; retail dealers, $4S. The ex-
listing internal revenue laws, SO far as APP
plicable, are made to apply to these special
taxes. Penalties are imposed on any per-
son who shall deal in oleomargarine with
out paying the special tax. Provision is
made for the proper stamping and label
ing of every package of oleomargarine. A
tax of five cents pound is imposed on all
manufactured and sold, and
a penalty is prescribed for the purchase or
reception of eleomargarine not branded or
stamped according to law. A number of
sections of the bill are devoted to provid-
ing machinery to carry the law into eff
feet.
All the Virginia members voting on the
bill were againt it, except Messrs. Brady,
Republican, and O'Ferrall, Democrat. Mr..
Tucker opposed it on constitutional"
grounds, of course. What its fate will be
in the Senate is not known, as no canvass
of that body has been made. When the
farmers of the State come to pass on it
at the ballot box, those voting against the
measure will learn something for their in
struction. if not to their advantage, espe-
cially if either of them should ask for re-
election.
The ''civil service reform sentiment is
not as rampant with the Democrats as it
was about the time Mr.. Pendleton intro
duced the law in the Senate, or when the
Mugwumps were being button.holed and
palavered just before the last Presidential
election. The pretense of reform served
its purpose for that occasion, but now the
law is cursed both deep and loud by the
very men who descanted upon its beauties
and grew eloquent over it's virtues. The
House Committee on Appropriations seem
determined to paralyze the Civil Service
Commission. The appropriation of $21,.
900 for the salaries and expenses of the
Commission is anchored to clause maxi
ing it available only when the rules of the
board are so amended that the head of a
department, when he has vacancy. may
call for the names of all the applicants
who have passed on examination, instead
of having only five names at the head of
the list as at present. This, of course, is
to give the Cabinet officers chance to Sc
Iect Democrats. The Commissioners had
a conference with Mr.. Randall and Mr..
Holman on the subject last Thursday, and
tried to convince them that such condi-
tion would destroy the non -partizan theo-
ry, upon which the civil service rules are
based, and urging that the prOviso may be
stricken out of the bill. But they might
as well have asked a mountain to arise and
cast itself into the sea- They found Mr..
Randall and Mr.. Holman infexible and
determined upon this point, and were told
very plainly that no money should be ap-
propriated to support the commission as
long as it was conducted Oh the present
plan. This is a Democratic administra-
ton, they argued, elected by Democrats,
and Democrats should have the benefit of
it. The departments were now full of
Republican clerks, and all vacancies occur
ring should be filled, at least, until the two
parties were equally represented. They
were not opposed to the examination of
applicants to discuss their qualifications,
but they did not want any more Republi-
cans appointed. The Commissioners
called the attention of the committee to
the failure to provide the money to pay
the rental of the building they have leased
from the 1st of July. The commission is
now occupying quarters in the Agricultu-
raj Department, which they will have to
vacate before the end of this fiscal year
The Old Kennedy mansion on Fl street,
formerly occupied by the Chinese Lega-
ton, has been leased, but the Committee
refuse to make any provision for the rent
al, because there was no authority from
Congress to make the lease. Thus the
Civil Service Commission is to he both
kicked out and starved out, unless Messrs.
Randall and Holman, the headlights Of the
Democratic party in Congress. are graft
fed in the adoption Of the provision re-
ferred to above, by which all vacancies in
clerkships can be selected from Democrat
ic applicants. Dorman B. Eaton and the
New York Times are bowling over the per-
versity of these reformers, as though they
did not know when they supported the
Democratic nominee for President that if
the Democratic party was not a spoils par
ty, it was nothing. Randall and Holman
mean to stand to Democratic traditions and
convictions and make all that is to be made
out of the accident which gave their party
the Executive department. of the govern
ment, knowing that after March 4, 1889,
their last chance will have gone glimmer-
ing and the places that know them now
will know them no more forever.
A most extraordinary and disgraceful
record was that made by the House of
Representatives on Friday. By a vote of
140 to 81 it overturned the report of the
Committee on Reform imthe Civil Service
recommending the expulsion of Luther
F. Warder from the office of Assistant
Doorkeeper of the House and adopted a
substitute resolution of censure, for the
offense of using money to secure an appro-
priation Of 1000 for the Jeffersonville,