Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1886-07-23

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in productiveness of every sort. And
this result would never have been attain
ed had the "old regime" continued.
The Edmunds Civil Service Bill
| Provides that the president alone shall
| have the power to appoint all the officers
he has heretofore appointed, with the adj
vice and consent OF the senate, except the
! following:
| Heads of depart ments, assistant secre-
| taries, assistant postmasters-g general as
! sislant attorneys-general, ambassadors
and other public ministers and consuls
Justices and judges Of the courts OF the
| United States, including the supreme
court of the District of Columbia, the SUI
preme courts OF the territories, and the
court of claims. Officers in the military
and naval service of the United States,
collectors of customs in districts in which
| the gross revenues collected in any one
year exceed, the treasurer and assist
ant treasurers Of the United States, con.
| troller of the currency, commissioner of
internal revenue, controller of the treas
ury, auditors of the treasury, commits
sloner OF customs, register of the treasury,
solicitor of the treasury, director of the
| mint The supervising inspector of steam
| boats, supervising surgeon general, solic-
|
bureaus of the navy department. namely,
of ordnance, of equipment and recruiting,
of yards and docks, of provisions and
clothing. of medicine and surgery, and of
| construction and repair. The commits
sioners of Indian affairs, of the land-otlice,
of patents, of pensions, of education, of
| railroads, and of agriculture. The public
| printer, members of the national board of
| health, and commissioners of the civil
| service.
The above would still require confirma-
ton by the senate: but the appointment
of all other officers would be vested in the
president, except those already vested by
law in the heads of departments or other
officers. The bill further provides that
they should hold office for four years but
that whenever the president or the head of
| department superior shall have reason to
believe that any officer so appointed has
been guilty of malfeasance in office, or
neglect of duty, or of any official or per
sonal misconduct, he may temporarily sus-
pend such officer, and application shall he
Immediately made to the circuit justice,
circuit judge or district judge Of the dis
trct Tor if in the District OF Columbia to
the supreme court of the District for his
removal. The judge shall require the Off
why he should not be removed, and hear
'in II summary way" the case and deter
mine and decide whether he ought to be
removed or not.
AS has been stated the bill is in fact
based upon the recent decision OF the SUI
preme court. affirming the power OF Con-
gress to regulate removals in the case of
officers whose appointment is vested in
the president or in the heads of depart
ments or in the courts, under the consti-
tutional authority so to vest the appoint
ments Of inferior officers. Its effect would
be to enable the president to appoint all
postmasters, nearly all collectors and all
marshals, district attorneys, etc, without
reference to the senate, each for "A term
of four years. But he could not remove
any one so appointed without cause estab-
lished to the satisfaction of a United States
judge.
The Edmunds bill would limit removals
in the classes of offices named to causes
arising from considerations Of efficiency
and reputable character and prevent re-
movals for purely political reasons which
are the greatest danger and evil OF the
civil service. 1t would not prevent heads
clerks, AS at present. In a letter quoted by
the Springfield Republican Mr.. Edmunds
says:
think that when the people of the
e United States get TO be really in favor OF
e taking the great mass of merely admins
trative Offices out of the list of spoils and
prizes TO be struggled for by political par
ties, they will see that the only means of
; doing it etfectually will be provisions OF
i the character mentioned i'll this bill ldC
, not know any state in the Union that has
Z even tolerated the idea of authorizing it,
= governor to dismiss public officers at will
- and | think the people Of every state see
J. that it would be totally inHdmissable that
i in respect of officers elected or appointed
their tenure during the period Tor which
they We're elected or appointed should de
pend upon the mere discretion or caprice
of any one man or 100 men. All this is
l. of course, perfectly consistent with the
& fact that there must be speedy means OF
+ eXpelling from the public service officers
a who misconduct themselves. And such
means are best found, | think, in rapid
, summary, judicial proceeding. 1t has long
q been perfectly obvious TO me, and would
l. be TO you or any one else VINO was con
r stantly in the senate, with open doors OF
. closed doors, that the check of the senate
~ on the presidents power Of appointment
II is almost nil. Given vacancy, there has
h not been, | suppose, one per cent OF re)ec
o tons during the period of the government
~ when think there ought to have beer
. probably 20 per cent not because inns Y
II per cent of people were necessarily bad
IS men, but unsuitable men, not represent
If ing the average of the best people of The