New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-02-13
THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION.
THE HOUSE STRIKES OUT THE APPROPRIATION
FOR ITS CLERICAL FORCE

THE HOUSE STRIKES OUT THE APPROPRIATION
FOR ITS CLERICAL FORCE.
Washington Feb 12.-Afer disposing of business
Of minor importance the House went into Committee OF
the Whole (Mr. PaysOn, Of Illinois. in the chair on
the Legislative Appropriation bill.
Mr.. Perkins. OF Kansas. offered an amendment III
creasng the number of clerks in the Indian Office and
I'm the course OF his remarks attributed the recent
Indian outbreak to a great degree to the inability OF
the Indian Office to respond promptly 10 deihahuS
made on it. The amendment was lost.
In speaking to the Pension Office paragraph, MI
Cooper of Indiana. made attack upon the super
ntendent OF the Pension Building, asserting that he
had stored several hundred bushels OF potatoes III te
Pension Office and sold them to employees, thus turn
ing a Government department into a huckstering estao
shment.
Mr. Enloe of Tennessee attacked the administration
Of the Pension Office and offered amendment re
duclng to "a, 600 the salary Of the Commissioner.
Mr. Perkins of Kansas, came 10 the support OF Com
missioner Raum declaring that the only fault seemed
10 be that he was a gentleman and had been Union
soldier
Mr.. E:nloe said he had asked for an investigation
because charges which he believed to be iustihable
had been madc against Commissioner Raum IL such
charges had been made against him (Mr. Enloe) ne
would have demanded a complete investigation. He
world have had an Investigation worth something, or
no invest CATION at all. lie withdrew the amendment
The reading Of the bill having been concluded, the
committee required the consideration Of the clause
making appropriation for the Civil Service Commission
and Mr. GrosvenOr. OF Ohio raised point lof order
AGAINST II except far it refers to the three Com
mIssioncrs the chief examiner and the secretary on
the ground that II violated existing law. Tie statute
designated that the clerks should be divided into four
cll,scs-I . 3 and 4. II further provided that no
clerks should be examined until they were found quail
fed by a board Of three examiners. Under the law
establishing the Commission II was provided that clerks
should be assigned from " the Departments. Now
It was proposed TO appropriate for them under the
head Of the Civil Service Commission and therein the
bill was I'm violation OF the law.
Mr. McC0mas antagonized the point Of order. and
argued that there nothing In the bill that c0ald
bc construed as being adverse to the creating law
Mr. Adams Of Illinois, and Mr.. ButterwOrh took the
same view.
The Chair in rendering his decision said that the
question was whether the provision OF the bill was
such a change Of existing law rendered IL OBJ
noxous TO the point Of order. The Civil service Com
mission was not a department understood IN this
Government. II a board, and board only
The force provided for in tho creating act was three
commissioners. secretary, manager and one other
cmplOyc. Whatever other force was necessary for
the performance Of business might be selected by tho
Commission from the different Departments, but only
after consultation and with tho approval Of the head
If the Department. Entertaining these Views, the
point Of order was sustained u the secretary be-
cause his salary was raised 1900 ard to all tho
clerks ard employees except one messenger and one
labOrcr.