The evening times., 1896-11-24
CIVIL SERVICE At STAKE
Office-SeekerS in Great Numbers Are
Heading Toward Washington.
OLD FIGHT Is ON AGAIN
Executive Department Places Have
All Been Taken From the Spoiis
Hunters by Cleveland -Mckiniey's
Attitude in Il Previous Contest Re-
lied Upon as Il Guarantee of Law.

The civil service law will get such
twist this time as it has never had before
There are numerous Republicans IN thls
country who have only one answer to
Webb Flanig gan's famous question, What
are we here for?''
The Offices have been put little farther
out OF their reach but they do not be-
lieve them unattalnable- They Will nave
some return for their work in the cam
paign other than the reward OF virtue.
Already the advance guard of the office
seekers is here and the applicants are
puttinc IN their bids for Public Printer and
governor OF Alaska.
President Cleveland has put under civil
service. rules every office III the executive
departments here between aborers and
Presidential appointments, except sixteen.
This includes all chiefs Of division and
numerous other good things
The sixteen places still excepted are
TWO private secretaries for each Cabinet
officer. These are still absolutely at has
disposal, but the pay is small. They may
open the wav, however, TO something
better.
WHERE THE TEST WILL COME.
Between this army of office seekers that
is even now moving on Washington and the
wall OF civil service protection there Is
bound TO come a test OF strength. IL ~
not u new fAfIWNAs fNfls hAAAAAAANNA-AAA'A
for twenty years has seen it,
When President Cleveland came in there
We're from five 70 twenty applicants for
every one OF these places, which were
u ken from the control OF patronage by the
order OF May 8 The books Of the Treas
ury Department show forty to NIFTY men
seeking important appointments, and the
files OF newspapers record bitter fights
going on for months, growing even into
year. after the new administration took
control. IL should he remembered too,
that the Democrats have had little oppOr-
tunity in forty years To learn the sweets
OF place holding in Washington. II is the
Republicans who know all about IT and
have grown to regard the offices here
as lecitimateIy theirs and the presence
OF Democrats in them as sort of usurpa-
ton. That they should leave all the best
places in the hands Of President Cieve-
lands friends, as he has arranged, is
hardly to be expected
shining mark in the recently dassi-
fled list is that OF superintendent of the
Bureau of Engraving and Printing, now
held by Mr. Claude johnson, OF Lexington,
Ky This position is second only to that
of Public Printer, but the appointment
is made by the Secretary of the Treasury.
1t is hardly possible that so important
place can be left in the hands OF the
Democracy.
At present there are only three ways of
filling these chi ef positions, many OF
which require good administrative abil-
ity. One is by promotion or transfer, as
was done recently by putting Mr.. Wetmore
in Judge Fleming's place in the Treasury:
Another is by holding a special examina-
ton, and a third by appointment from
the list of eligibles alrc ldy prepared,
most of which are clerk copyists. There
will be found grave objections to any one
of the three.
The next step will be to ask Congress to
change the law. If this is begun, an act
putting many of these places again at the
disposal of the Cabinet officers may be
passed.