Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1894-01-25

administration. He called the attention
OF Mr. WHITE. Of California. who spoke
In favor of the law, to an oversight in
his Interpretation OF it. He said:
The Senator speaks about the extension
OF Jhe elvil-service law and the retention Of
| postmnsters under that law. There q not
| one iettcr, nor one tCOrd. nor one line In the
elitirc ciUt-seTUlcc ldiD iohfch holds any man IN
o0ee. The Senator from California is
therefore entirely mistaken when he at
| tributes 70 tue civil-service law tho reten-
ton OF any Ropublican postmaster. The
eich-serUicc tdio lbs 40 barring irit0tcUcr upon
me retention OF onyboay IN am Office.
The debate which We quote from the
Congressional Record continued as fol-
lows:
Mr.. White, of California; did not rs
sert / think, that the ctvil-seryice law pro-
| vdes for the retention ia Office OF any post
| master but the theory upon which post
| masters have been retained is that 10 is in
| accordance with the spirit Of that enact
ment and the tendency OF the legislation,
| view with which / do not agree, l will say.
| MIR. COCkrell-There is no such tendency
| in legislation. The civil service law was
passed with the distinct understanding
! and with the open declaration on this floor
| made by myself and every one who advoca-
| ted the passage OF tho bin at that time that
| II had nothing on earth d. 30 trith uic crit
from O8icc. 10 tCus OHiu guard upon me en-
| trance tn Office 10 door and not the crit.
| There Is not lime H me cicn scrUtce idiC that
| rdcrS 10 ne retention Of an dppOintcc under
That lar EUcB dpp0iHtoe under tho ciUil
| acrrics lac can tomorrow, WITHOUT any Utold-
ton OF hdt i0lr. be- discharged. 10 u no UtO-
| idtioH Of that LAM.
mr.. Mitchell, OF Oregon-Does the Sen
ator understand there is nothing in the
law 10 prevent the head OF the Treasury
Department, for instance, from removing
a third-class clerk or n fourth-class clerk
IN that department, who is there under the
classified servicei
MIR COctrell-I say there is nothing in
the law 10 prevent it-uot letter, not
syllable. not word, not "A line, not sen
tence. Republican pOstmRsters In fourth
class Offices under Democratic admins
tration retained i'm their offices, are there
az the will OF the Democratic Postmaster
General. Under a Republican administra-
lon Democratic postmasters Ia fourth
class offices retained IN their Offices are
there at the will aud pleasure Of the Re
publican Postmastcr-Genera IL is be-
cause the Postmasters-G eneral under
either administration prefer the retention
, OF Republican or Democratic postmasters
10 the appointment OF those Of their own
; political faith.
do not want the civil service law to be
made subterfuge for anything else. Let
IL stand or fall upon its own merits. but do
not let II be saddled with the preferences
and the likes and dislikes of this or the
other head OF department. The civil ser
Vice law Is no preteXt and no excuse and
no mitigation In any shape manner or form
Tor the retention OF anybody IN fourth
class postoffice beyond the pleasure and
will of the Postmaster General.
Mr.. Mitchell, OF Oregon-I understand
that 10 DO the case so far as fourth class
postmasters are concerned, but ! confess to
my ignorance in reference to other matters.
II IL Is as the Senator states, and have no
doubt IL is
Mr. Coclgrell-There is no question about
II. When the civil service law was passed
and had the honor Of addressing the Sen
ate upon 10 at great length, / showed be
yond any doubt, and no one disputed IL,
that the President Of the Unitrd States
under the then existing laws had together
with the heads OF departments every right
and power which the civil service law
would give him when it was enacted. The
ctvil-service law did not vest IN the Presi-
dent OF the United States and the heads of
Departments any right or power or au.
thority which they did not then possess
under the law. / voted for il because
there was then a Republican Administers
ton and had been for years, and the lead.
ing Republicans said their civil service
needed reform and the law was necessary
Ihere was an open and frank admission
on the part OF the Republican party at
that time that the civil service needed re
forming, and IL was asserted that the law
was necessary. IL was passed.
Is was intended, and was so declared by
| Dorman y. Eaton and others who wrote in
regard TO the proposed law, simply to
guard the entrance into office. and had
nothing to do with the back door or the
exit N protected no man in Office
IL was simply 10 relieve the Departments
and all from the pressure for appointments
and changes in subordinate positions in
the Departments, and TO make test OF
| fitness and qualification for those places
before appointments were made
As to the construction put upon the
law by the Civil Service Commission
that reasons must be given for remov-
ais, Mr.. COCKRELL showed what farce
it was and how easily the rule was
avoided, by quoting the orders Of Presi-
dents ARTHUR, CLEVELAND and HARRI-
son. Each at the end of his term or
dered the extension OF the law, and his
successor nuliifed the action by extend
ing the time when the order should 20
into effect sufficiently to permit those
then in Office to be turned out and men
Of his own political faith put in. Mr..
CoCKRELL said in this connection:
An the actions Of the Executive Depart.
ments that are not agreeable are charged
20 the civil service law, and 10 is made the
scapegoat Of many sins for which IL is not
responsible DO is made the scapegoat to
retain inefficient officers, which 10 does not
DO, as ] have said. ~ has nOflfu i5i fhf
ieord 10 do iCih tlc retcuton of anybody $40
oHer
10 has been extended 70 such an extent
thot 10 embraces offices that ought never %
hav, been brought under "a civil service
Dec" and opened 20 competitive cxamina-
ton, because In many Offices something
/ more tua1 mere technical knowie edge
/ which can be- developed by 20 civil service
/ examination Is essential. Take physician
, 1 20 au indian agency. Flo may be "A graduate
OF what is said 20 oc ono Of the finest med
icdl schools iu the world, as the Duiversitl
| or Virginia. but may SNOW very littil
| about actual practice. and set he will pass
90 % higher grade than physician VINO mas
necn pra. tie.ng years and years. 10 be- thl
, I same W-T with tearniug school. young
graduate may come BRA aud pass tne high.
| cot pOssu. examination who has never
bad an hours experience in public schoo
teachiug
mr tocEEELL'- position was not dis
puted. 10 could not be. Mother ia,
spirit nor the lottor Of tho civil servIc,