Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-12-11
Extent Of the Antagonist to the
Civil Service Law.
POSSIBILITIES OF THE CONFERENCE
Coalition Between Minority Repub-
Iicans and Democrats.
RESTRICTIONS MAY RESULT

1t does not necessarily follow that the
Pearson's petition for a conference antag-
oristic to the expression of the civil service
classification will vote to repeal the civil
service law. 1t Is not questioned that the
signers of the paper are to a greater or
less degree hostile to the law, but it is
net thought that all of them or any over
wtelmng proportion of them would vote
Tor an entire repeal of the law or for such
"modificatiCn' as would amount to the
same thing.
The hostility of that number of republic
cans is, however, regarded among MEM
bers of the House who believe in civil SER
vice reform as serious matter and as in
dicating that it will be difficult to keep
from dealing with the question in some
way In this, as in all other things the
members of the minority may. as a rule, be
depended on to do what, in their judgment
Will most embarrass the organization of the
House and make available any hostility
that may exist among republicans toward
the policy of the administration.
1t appears, however, that a very large
proportion of the democrats are antag
onistic to the expansion of the CLASH
ficatiOn of the civil service. If the minority
should vote with practical unanimity for
plan presented by the seventy-two, or
would mean that the proposition would
carry in the House if voted on.
Limiting Scope of the Law.
It is evident that this antagonism to the
law cannot be united any proposition
to repeal the law, but it is not impossible
that they may take some action aimed al
the limitation of it's scope
1t is believed that the most they could
do would be to get a majority Of the
House to support proposition to restrict
the applics ton of the law TO the strictly
clerical force of the government and to
the railroad mail service, excluding all
offices whose duties involve the exercise of
any authority and involve discretion in an
administrative way.
1t is not certain that they can do this,
but it is not at all probable that they can
do any more than this.
Representative Hopkins of Illinois, who
has always been in favor of civil service
REFORM says that he does not think it pos
Sibie 20 destroy or TO seriously impair the
efficiency of the law, but that it may be
that some restrictions may be secured ty
these opposing the system. Most OF the
opposition, he is satisfied. arises from dis
satisfaction with the manner of administer
ing the law during the former adIninstr2-
ton. Honestly and fairly administered
there no question that civil service re-
form rad been Il good thing for the coun-
try.
There might be steps taken to confine it
within certain limits. No one could dis
pute. he said, that the department service
in Washington had been benefited by the
application of the law to the clerical force
and it was an acknowledged fact that the
railway mail service had been improved
by it.
There might, however. be good grounds
for objection to its application to deputy
marshals and deputy collectors of internal
revenue, where the chief has to delegate
his power to his deputies, and to the eX
tension of the protection OF the law to
higher officials of the government.
1t is probable that when the Legislative
appropriation bin comes up in the House
next week there will probably be a hard
fight over the iten. covering the expense of
the civil service commission.
The ants at their meeting tonight will
probably appoint committee to consider
the whole subject and to draft some re-
strictive meast modifying the law.