Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1894-12-21

Il hHlSNI W. koS
NhnhlMW& and even then cXpe-
rience has shown
:41$8HH8 - that they are practi-
{(111J FLSS@Ncally useless. In the
@@7MsS recent case of. Eu-
=yS.- fM.srslT1 T gene Gaddis. who
~IlMNlIII.1 ~~ww- applied for an i'll
dM nm; 81 A!al$ &: $ $::! !: s'' ' .$::
partlnent by Secretary Carlisle for polit-
ical reasons, the court held that there
was nothing in the Civil Service rules
that required the head of an executive
department to give reasons for dispens-
ing with the services of a clerk. and
therefore the law will permit u cabinet
officer to dismiss rs many clerks as he
pleases for my reason whatever. His
power of removal is absolute, and the
Civil Service Commission is not advised
of his action in this respect except where
appointments are made to the vacancies
thus created. Tho commission has juris-
diction over appointments only.
1 have been endeavoring to ascertain
the actual number of persons removed
from the executive departments during
the present administration, but find it al
most impossible to obtain accurate inform
alton. During the fiscal year ending
June 30. 1894, according to the records
of the Civil Service Commission, there
were 1856 appointments in the eXecu-
tive departments of the Government. OF
these 2,2S1 were made to fill vacancies
caused by dismissals and 2,44O to fill va
cancies caused by designations. but there
is nothing to show how many of these
designations We're voluntary md how
many were compulsory. The number of
vacancies caused by death was only 22334.
These figures do not include the changes
in the government printing office. where
it is estimated $500 persons have been
discharged by Mr.. Benedict since he sue
cceded MIR. Palmer as public printer last
spring. Nor does the total include 600
persons who have becn dismissed from
the census Office since Col. Wright took
charge in October. 1893. But their re-
moval was necessary and proper because
h work OH which they We're engaged
was completed, and they have understood
from the beginning that their employ
ment was only temporary. The census
is taken once in ten years, and it usually
requires about four years to prepare the
returns for publication. There are now
$50 persons in the census Office. and the
ilOSN vi u WIFI uOL Uc ucVueu HIInH
March 1.
On July 1 last. by act of Congress. the
offices of Commissioner of Customs md
Second Comptroller of the Treasury were
abolished, which threw out of employ
mcnt, permanently, 1854 clerks, and made
an annual saving of 100000 in the nav
rolls of the Government, but only about
ninety of the clerks have been actually
dismissed. The remainder are retained
to close up the affairs of the bureau UNI
der a special appropriation of $4,000.
put their employment will continue only
a few weeks longer. There were also
4OO persons discharged from the War
Department under the act of Congress
reducing the force of the record and pen-
sion division because their services were
no longer necessary, and this caused a
reduction of over $50O,OOO in the annual
pay roll of this department.. The total
number of changes. therefore. since the
present administration came into mower
has been S.5G4. of which $3.50 were re-
movals. and 1855 new appointments have
been made.
Report Is Missing.
There is Il good deal of inquiry Mt tho
Capitol for the annual report of the SER
geant-at-arms of the House, which. nm
der the law. is required to be submitted
at the beginning of every session. 1t
was laid on the Speakers desk the morn
ing Congress met, but was not presented
TO the House. nor were any newspaper
correspondents allowed to see it, The
Speaker returned it to the sergeant-at-
arms for revision md it has not been re-
turned. No explanation has been given.
nut 1t Is. understood that the portion of
the report which refers to the deductions
made in the salaries of members for nh.
sence is not satisfactory. Early Inst ses-
sion when the Democrats had such hard
work to keep a quorum in Washinpton
the House got very ~virtuous and passed
n resolution directing the sergeant-at-
arms, who is their paymaster, to enforce
the law n to require from each member
a sworn certificate saying how many days
he was present during the month. and
then to deduct his pay for the days
he was absent. There was a great deol
OF kicking ut this, and the judiciary
Committee made n report that the Inv
was repealed several years ago when the
sectlon OF the statutes regulating the nay
OF members was revised. and it is UNDER
stood that the order of the House has not
been enforced. Those who voluntarily
informed the pay clerk that they were
absent have been locked, but those who
said nothing about it or drew ON the ser
g~eant-at-arms for their salary through
some bank did not suffer,
A HOrrifying Discovery.
The swagger society in Washington Inns
just received a severe shock upon the dis
covery that a certain wealthy widow.
who assumed and was supposed to be dc.
scended from ancient and famous anccs-
try, is only the daughter of an honest, en-
ergetic and successful Irish contractor in
the city of Philadelphia, who made a
large fortune digging sewers and cellars.
grading and paving streets. building ro;l.