Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1888-12-17

HARRISON AND CIVIL SERVICE.

>A~"Se~VA~ -
There is all kinds of speculation as
TO what the President will do in the
mstssr of appointments to and re-
tnovals from Office. There is certain
class Of civil service to which the Re.
spubEoan party stands committed by
Its platform and to which President
Harrisonlhas repeatedly pledged his
support. This civil service is not
prescribed by the civil service law.
Beyond this neither the. party nor the
President stand com mitted. The
clearest exposition of this whole mat.
ter is stated by the Indianapolis Jour-
nal, md tho article is generally sup
posed to be written by E. w. Hal
ford, the Presidents private secretary:
Above all, our friends the clean
sweepers forget that General Harrison
will be surrounded by some restrict
ions in the matter Of removals and
appointments which he cannot disre-
gard. The Civil Service law must be
obeyed. It has not been altogether
ignored even by tina present admins.
tra.ion, and it would be scandalous
for . Republican administration not
to give it still tairer construction
and better enforcement. That law
does not apply to any commissioned
officers who are appointed for stated
term, nor to postmasters Of any grade.
This at once excludes all officers ap-
pointed by the President and con
Armed by the Senate, all United
States Marshals, District Attorneys,
Postnastcrs, Revenue officers, and
Customs officers, all foreign Ministers
and Consuls, all Territorial appoint.
msnts, and large number Of mis-
csllaneous appoint ments. The places
embraced in the civil service law arc
the department clerkships at Wash
iugton, clerks and letter-carriers in
postofIices whore there are more than
80 employees. The law does not pre-.
vent peremptory removals, but it rog-
ulates the mode of appointment. They
can only be filled by persons who have
passed the requisite examination, and
the appointments must be made with
out reference or inquiry as to politics.
The government printing office is not
embraced in the civil service law, nor
is the railway mail service, though,
there Is talk of extending the law t.
the latter. aud it may be done this
winter. There are over 1900 per
sons employed in the railway m ali
service. 1t is one of the most i'm
portsnt branches of the public ser
vice and ons OF the worst demoral
lied. The new Postmaster General
whoever he may be, should address.
himself Immediately to the work c:
reforming and restoring it. Indeed
this is true of the entire postal ser
vice. There are over $4,000 fourth
.class Enthusiastically pcstmast
.ers, rs they are called-who arc no
commissioned for any stated perioc
and who are subject to immediate 70
,mova|. They can be removed with
out reference to the civil service law
and no doubt many of them ough
to be-.
From what has been said it is evi
dent there are many things to ~
taken into account in connection witt
the demand Of the clean. sweepers
and il they have the welfare of tn
party at heart they will recognize tn
necessary limitation Of the situation
One thing they can rest assured of
The President elect is as old an,
earnest a Republican as any of, them
and can he depended on to do tn
best thing for the party as we'll as 70
the country.