The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-12-15
Some GlimpSeS at
Congress at Work
special to the Scranton Tribune.


feeling brought out by the discussion
seemed to be against any further increase
in pensions, on the theory that after n
lapse of thirty-three years, since the close
of the war. there appears to be no good
grounds for increasing the pension APP
bill The bill was passed with
out amendment, although the secretary
of the interior and the commissioner OF
pensions both recommended a repeal OF
the law allowing pensions TO widows
who may become such-aitor the passage
of the act containing this proNiso. Dhe
reason given by the commissioner of PEN
sions for the recommendation i'm question
was that in many cases comparatively
young women marry old soldiers for the
single purpose of securing pensions for
life at their husbands death, the chances
being nine to ten that the wives will out
live them.
Congressman Connell, in speaking to me
on the day the bill passed regarding his
views on pension legislation generally
said that while the amount seemed large,
yet SO far as he was concerned he didn't
bCgrudgc the boys who served this ma
tion a single cent in the way of pensions,
and If a measure was proposed in the
house of representatives providing for
service pension, along the lines of
equity and justice, for every veteran who
was hOnorably discharged from the SER
vice. it would receive his hearty support;
but he was not in favor of giving certain
widows of distinguished officers fifty or
Il hundred dollars a month pension simply
because their husbands wore the stars of
a general aud putting the widows of the
private soldier Cwhose valor and sacrifice
actually made the general his reputation)
down to a siN, eight, ten and twelve dol
lar a month basis. All should fare alike,
and any other course. i'm his opinion, was
in the nature of unjust discrimination.
The civil service is viewed by n great
many representatives and senators in
congress much in the nature Of n great
ina aginary sCa-scrpCnt or other submarine
monster that has come to destroy or
swallow up the rich spols of official pat
rCnaEC that ought to go to the NiCtOrS OF
the political battlefield. And the minute
it pops it's unhallowcd head above the
surface of the sea of discomfort which is
fast beginning to surge with suCn violent
fury on the floor of our national congress,
every fellow who has read the story of
Adam and Eve ana the unfortunate apple,
and has taken natural dislike to reptiles
generally, loses no time in Seizing what
ever weapon he can lay his hands on and
heaving it with all the force at his COM
mand against the hulk of the beast,
which, after short breathing spell and
considerable of snOrting. spOuting and
blowing of steam and salt water, quick
ly disappears beneath the surface to
gather strength and to return again in a
more savage mood But the fellows on
the other hand who pretend to know all
about y, say too much indulgence in cap
turcd SpOilS and other things, have made
their brethren drunken, and that the
great official snake they see coling and
twisting around them is only imaginary
and should excite no terrOrs in the
minds of any but the timid and bilious
office seeker or political boss.
The argument of the pro-civil service
champions on the floor of the national
house of representatives. boiled down to
a minimum, is about as follows, viz. {:
That the civil service does not create a
privileged class of life tenure people as
alleged by its enemies; but that the old
spOilS system did create such class, in this
way. 1t was composed of political bosses
and managers who formed "a trust and
farmcd out the governments favors to
their own exclusive advantage having
no thought of the government welfare
nor the welfare of those they put in office
longer than such people could serve them.
These offices were not open to COMPETE
tion, only such competency as affected
the welfare of the bosses being cOnsld-
cred. The people who paid the taxes
We're not consulted nor recognized direct
ly or indirectly. 1t was simply game in
which bosses won with loaded dice and if
the civil service law We're repealed, and
the spoils system i'm full swing, it would
prove a boomerang to the bosses for the
scramble for place would not only be un-
preccdentcd but the bosses would lind
that where they pleased one man in max
ing their selections they disappointed
twenty Others-and that at the next eleC-
| tions these disappointed men would
march upon them at the polls and over
| whelm them.
The anti-civil service adherents come
back at this line of argument by stating
| that the wholesale blanketinS into the
government service of any man or set OF
| men through the exclusive operation OF
| an executive order by the president, eX.
| tending the protective arms of the law 50
as to encircle and shield this class of NOR
who have never passed an examination as
| required by the organic act, is not only
unfair but unjust to those who did com
| ply with all the technical demands ant
| environments of the system. and dmin
| ishes thereby the chances Of promotion
| and preference to which this worthy elias!
! is entitled. In arguing from this stand
| point the Republicans ciaim that undel
| President Cleveland's regime a syste
| matte wedding out of Republicans tool
place, and the vacant places were filled
| by Democrats, after which Cleveland, b,
a selfish exercise of his presidential pre-
| rogative, swept in under the civil servic,
| by his orders of transformation com
| petitiVe eNdminatiOn-eVery aVailaDl
| place from Char-wOman up to that of hi
own private secretary, including officer
| of governmental lunatic asylums and pen
| itentiaries. That this wholesale gobbl
| was from partisan and not a patriots
| standpoint, and should not be allowed T.
stand. They, the Republicans, cite as al
| example that before the celebrated or
der in question was issued, German, o
| Maryland, had a hundred and seventy
five persons of the Democratic faith il
| the government printing office-and tn
same number in tho Washington nav,
yard. That Richardson, of Tennessee
| had seventy-tive people i'm the govern
| ment printing office, which facts were Ies
titled to before the Pritchard scnatcria
| investigating committee. That the rem
nant of the force employed in the las
| census-some ninety in all every on
Democrats but two was quietly Classlhe
and scattered through the governmen
departments, where they are now, with
out competitive examination.
Many plans for a rehabliment Of tn
civil service on more satisfactory basi
have been suggested, among which is
very meritorious one proposed by Con
gresham Connell Mr.. Connell says tina
he is not in favor Cf an absolute repel
of the civil service law but If | ha
exclusive control of the machine" sal
he, ! would run il on business princi
pies. | would exempt from eXaminatio
all places below the actual clerical force
as Waterman, messengers laborers, fire
men, char-women, etc, and such above q
includes what might be termed the eN