Omaha daily bee., 1889-10-24
Houk, of Tennessee, Disguised With
Roosevelt &s Go.
ARMY CIRCLES DELIGHTED.
Two Appointments by Harrison Re
garded as Significant - Wana-
maker and CIarkson Burn
ing tho Midnight oil.


latter seems to be severely criticized by al
most every senator and representative, along
with private citizens. The impression gen.
orally prevails that there will be some
radical changes in either the commission or
the law, although very few feign to believe
that the cardinal principles of the law or the
reform will be altered. There are two re-
publican congressman in the city who take
such widely different views on the subject
that they are worth quoting. One is SIM
onds, of Connecticut, who favors the
whole thing as it now stands, and
says it will remain intact. The
other is Houk, of Tennessee, who
denounces the reform as enforced and every
member of the commission. Mr.. Simonds
says:
Undoubtedly there Is q decided opposi-
tion to the law among the workers of both
parties, but speaking entirely from a partisan
point of view, / think patronage is positive
evil. have no slurs to cast upon man who
seeks Office / think any man may have an
honorable ambition to hold an office and that
he has perfect right to seek it, but the pos
session of patronage is a positive injury to a
party. ana / think the civil service law
should be maintained and extended as far
VA
public service"
Mr.. Houk, who is the Oldest republican
member from The south, declares the
reform under the present commission
to be fraud. He says Comm ssioner
Roosevelt is going around talking as If the
United States belonged to him and that the
people are heartily sick of the humbug. He
believes congress will take it in hand. He
adds, further:
II am not opposed to any meritorious
bod - dr., INN thn hllf
the methods of examination adopted by the
civil service commission are positive out
rage They examine man for clerkship
by the most technical questions. They are
trying to deny that now, but they all know
the charge is true. They talk about spoiis
men, but there are no three worse spoilsmen
on the continent than these three little fell
lows who turn the crank to run the civil SER
vice machine; They take the presi.
about the least thing. If removal
takes place they proceed to inquire why it
was done, when they admit that the law does
not prevent removals by heads of depart
ments | don't believe there is one voter in
every five thousand who will want the three
little fellows to continue grinding away at
the machine. The president of the United
States is the only one who has power to say
who shall hold office. | don't believe that
the commission is constitutional, because the
constitution of the United States expressly
invests the appointing power in the pres
dent, which he executes through the MEM
Sbers of mis- cabinet, and others designated by
him for that purpose. 1 intend to urge this
point upon congress TINS winter"
ARMY CIRCLES DELIGHTED.
President Harrison to-day appointed First
Lieutenant Theodore E. True, of the Fourth
infantry, and First lieutenant John Nc
Ettyde, of the Eighth infantry to be assis-
tant quartermasters with the rank of cap
tain. Lieutenant True is an Illinois man
and was corporal in the Seventh Illinois
infantry in the late war Lieutenant Hyde
was private In company A, Seventy-tirst
New York regiment. There Is great delight
in army circles that civilians were not ap
pointed to these positions. President Cleve-
land was prone to reward his political
friends in making appointments in the
army, hut those of to-day are regarded as an
indication that President Harrison intends
to stick by the army rules in making these
selections. The young officers are growing
tonight because the president has
selected what they term "old hulks," an
appellation West Pointers OF late delight to
use when referring to the lieutenants who
have come into the regular army from the
volunteer service and who are an inherit
ance from the late war. Secretary Proctor
intends to reward as far as he can these old
officers and believes that within eight or ter.
years there will be no more lieutenants who
have come up from the volunteer service Of
1861.
wANAMAKER AND oLARKsoN.
First Assistant Postmaster General
Carlson is doing an immense, amount
of work incident to the completion of
Postmaster General Wanamaker's re-
port. Both officers are working
| night and day with view to completing
| their labors by the middle of next month.
| The annual report of the postmaster general
| is always volumnous, sometimes occupying
| 1000 closely printed pages. much of which is
| tabular work. The newspaper experience
| of General Clarkson serves him we'll at this
| time. He is q rapid and methodical COM
| poser, besides being one OF the most indus
trious men in the public service. There is a
| good deal OF midnight gas being burned now
| by Messrs Wanamaker and Clarkson and
| they are said to be the hardest worked of
| any of the departmental officials at this time
| Secretary Windom, however, is doing a
great deal of work getting his report ready.
When Mr.. Wanamaker went into the post
office department, it was said by some he took
| the position merely for the honor and that he
| would use ii to bring himself into prominence
| without doing any actual labor, that he was,
| in fact a retired merchant, so FAR as actual
| physical work was concerned. Mr.. Wanna
| maker has averaged fully ten hours out of
| every twentyfour of each of the six days in
the week with the hardest kind of work
| since he became postmaster general. Ii one
| would look upon him at his work in his room
| at the postotfice department, or at his resi-
| dence, early in the morning, through the en-
| tire day and until late at night, he will be
/
| was not laborer IN the busiest vineyard
| of the country. He has displayed great
l adaptabilty in his work and takes hold of il
| with a relish. 1t is understood that his re-
| port will be more voluminous than that of
| any of his predecessors, and that il will con-
| tain MANY important recommendations. Be-
! sides all this work that Mr.. Wanamaker is
| doing in connection with his official position,
| he is directing his immense interests in Phil
| adelphia, special wire rnnnIng into his prI-
vate room at the postofiice department. He
| has an operator there and is in constant com
munication with his private office, and every
detail of his business is directed by cleo
| tricity.
STRONG BACKING.
Papers were filed with the comptroller ot
the currency to-day recommending the ap
pointment of Colonel John II. Drake, oi
| Aberdeen, S. d., as national bank examiner
for the district composed of the states oi
North aud South Dakota and northern Ne
braska aud Wyoming. Colonel Drake's rec
concentrations are probably the strongest ol
any applicant for the office in the northwest
and he will undoubtedly secure the
appointment, Among the pile o.
papers filed are very strong per
sonal endorsements from Senators Moody
and Pettigrew, Governor Mellette, the TIVE
members of congress from South Dakota ant
all Of the state officials aud officers Of thu
legislature, together with memorial from
the constitutional convention and probabl,
| one hundred and fifty of the leading re