Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1891-02-24
NATIONS CAPITAL.
Shall Architects Come Under
Civil Service Law?
Senate ADOPTS Conference Report on Ia.
dian lfliiFs.
Resolutions intended to Threaten
Speaker Reed.

eco. was agreed to; yeas ~, nays IA.
Mr. Platte offered resolution which va,
referred to the committee On contingen!
expenses, authorizing the committee on ter
ri.ories to visit Alaska during the recess and
inquire into its resources ard as to its need
Of a more efficient system of government
with power TO employ clerk and s.eno'
grspher and to send for persons and papers
The conference report on the bill pro-
viding for allotment Of lands in sevsralfy
to Indians. was presented and agreed to.
Frye offered q resolution, which went
over, authorizing the committee on rules
TO examine the manuscript Of the parlia.
mentsry history of Congress, compil ed BY
L. II. Smith, journal clerk Of the House
of Representatives, and report as to the ad.
visibility Of purchasing and printing the
same for use Of Congress.
The Senate confirmed the nomination of
J. 4. Dodge for collector Of customs at
Portsmouth, N. II.
The nomination of Charles Foster to be
secretary Of the treasury was laid before
the Senate and referred in the usual course
to the committee on finance.
After q brief executive session the Senate
proceeded 10 the consideration Of the
sundry civil appropriation bills. In the
discussion IS to the new postoffice bui,ding
at Washington, Mr.. Vest commended the
81 stem Of government by district commits
sioners as one that prevented plundefins
through popular elections, one through
which the miserable outrages and thieving
processes that obtained in many great cities
of the country escaped.
An amendment permitting the secretary
lNxs he, tran to akn Earn
pointments Of architects, skilled drsughts.
men, civil engineers in the sflice Of the
| supervising architect was the tex. of the
| discussion upon the subject Of civil service
examinations. 1t came out in the discus
| sion that the purpose Of the amendment
was to get rid of the requirement Of the
civil service exsminstion for such EN-
ployes.
German criticised The civil service com
missioners for denouncing the senator's
representatives and cabinet officers as beine
hostile to the civil service law. Ths
trouble with the commissioners grew out Of
their want Of ability to enforce the law il
practical and fair way.
Yes. said there was . vast amount oi
hum5ug in connection With the civil service
law. 1t had some good features, which
had been msgnife5, some monstrous de
fects which had been minimized. In somt
departments it operated we'll, in others il
| had been sham aod fraud; he though
that vas becoming the opinion Of the intel
ljgent portion of the American people
Congress, be thought. ought to legisiats
dire city that. from this time forward, civil
service examinations have not been required
for The bureau OF Srchitect of the treasury
Cockrell said thst instead of the execu
tive officers coming TO Congress aud askiug
it to override the civil service law they
should 20 to the President and ask him to
withdraw the executive order placing such
officers under the civil service law.
| A Allison said the amendment was not in
tended as A reflection on the civil service
commission, or on the President or any
body else it was merely interdsd to sup
plement the existing state of the law ant
orders of the President by allowing tn,
temporary employment Of skilled architects
outside Of the civil service law
The architect Of the treasury had told ths
committee tha. in bis belief the plans fol
many public buildings ought to be made
by architects outside of Washington, and
in that opinion the committee generally
agreed. For instance, public building il
to be erected at Burlington, Iowa, costing
| $i25 600. There were very good archi.
tects in Chicago and Burlington, Iowa, ant
all along the line, but rs the law nov
stood the plans. specifications, drawing and
details of all kinds hsd TO be made IN th'
office of the supervising architects.
| Reagan moved TO amend the amendmeu
by making it apply permently Instead o.
temporarily.
A lorg debate followed as to the power
Of the President to revoke or modify Sc
much Of the executive order Of July, 1888
as applied TO the architects office. The
discussion was still going on when the hou'
of arrived. The Senate took recess
till 8.
| = the consideration of the sundry ciyl
appropriation bill was resumed at the even
ing session. The amendment under dis
! cusion when the recess was taken wa
agreed to. There wss no discussion OF
any items of the bill until the Mnendmer
wss reached to pay $1,000 to th'
daus htars Of the late Joseph BeDry, secre
tary Of the Smiihsonsian Institution, fol
valuable public service rendered by him
After considerable debate the amendment
wss agreed to.
| The amendment to strike from the item
for the national geological park the pro
vision that half should be paid from rev
enues Of the District OF Columbia. agree'
-. Having disposed of IS of the lie psge
cf the bill, there being no quorum presen
the Senate at II adjourned.