The times., 1897-06-20

animation taken last March, was the
next witness.
Mr.. Rhodes would have Public Printer
Palmer, Foreman Brian and Chief Clerk
Collins, all OF whom are practical printers,
formulate set Of practical rules that
should determine whether an applicant
was a good printer, rather than good
mathematician.
TIE committee then adJurned until next
Saturday.
A joint letter. addressed to Chairsnan
Pntcbard by the auditors OF the Interior,
State and Treasury Departments, relative
to the exclusion of confidential clerks from
the provisions of the civil service laws, was
laid before the committee: The letter
says:
1T is important that private secretaries
who bear the relation of confidential clerks
should be left entirely TO the choosing of
those who use or need such clerks Under
the law as it is now the clerks for au-
Jitors for the various bureaus in the Treas
ury Department must be taken by detail
from the classified clerks in the various
bureaus
1--WE hope you and the Committee on
Civil Service win make provision TO ex-
operation OF said law and allow each au-
ditor to name his private secretary from
whatever source he sees fit or make spe-
cial provision for such selection
This is signed by W Youngblood for the
Interior Department, Ernest g. Timme for
the State and other departments, and W.
z. Andrews for the Treasury Department
Chairman Pritchard also laid before the
committee long communication from W.
b. Prescott, president of the International
Typographical Union, at Indianapolis Ind,
relative to the application of the civil sery-
ice rules TO the Government Printing Of
flee. Mr. Prescott writes that he deems 1t
his duty to advise the committee of the
facts, he having been advised that a state
ment was recently made before the COM
mittee that the union was in favor of such
application
''The union is composed Of about 49,
600 journeymen printers, distributed among
subordinate unions located in every city
and town where printing business is OF
rloment,'' Mr.. Prescott writes. Though
doubtful if one has done so, subordinate
union may have taken some such action
as my informant refers to. but in doing
SO it ron counter to the expressed wish
and command of the present body, as is
amply attested by the following resolution
adopted at our last general convention,
held at Colorado Springs, in October. S96,
sixteen months after the office had been
placed under operation of the rules:
That the civil service system as ap-
piled to the Government Printing Office
is hereby condemned, and that the Inter
national Typographical Union, and the in
diyidual members thereof, use their best
efforts to secure the removal of the said
civil service regulations from the Govern
ment Printing Office, and the Officers OF
the international Typographical Union are
hereby directed to petition Congress and
the incoming Administration to that eff
feet"
IN CONCLUSION Mr.. Prescott says:
"The Typographical Union, after over
years experience under civiIservice rules
and under which from 900 to 1 200 ofits
members have been employed-is not of
the opinion that the peoples interests are
being subserved by their application to the
Government Printing Office. Therefore. it
VIII exercise its influence to secure their
abroration. and have the office placed upon
the same basis as the mestsuccesful private
offices.
Briefly, the union is OF the opinion