The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-03-04
THORPE'S MEASURE PROVIDING
FOR CIVIL SERVICE IN GRAIN
DEPARTMENT LOST.
FRIENDS OF THE BILL HOPE
THAT THEY WILL BE ABLE TO
GET 1T THROUGH DESPITE
THE DEFEAT.
WHO'S GOING TO CHANGE HIS MINDs
The Opposition Mustered FOrty-Six
Votes, While There Were Only
FOrty-One for the Measure,

The house was treated to a surprise
yesterday morning, when the Thorpe
senate measure Is. F. 23) providing for
civil service in the state grain inspec-
ton department, which it was con-
f1dently expected would pass the lower
house, failed to receive the necessary
number of votes, and is, for the time
being, defeated. The supporters of the
bill explain that the result was due
to m1sapprehensiOn, and that it will
be taken UP again with a result more
satisfactory to those people who favor
placing the grain inspection depart
ment out Of the field of politics. Rep
resentative Dahl voted against the
measure in order to be able to later
move a reconsideration of the vote.
The bill was the first measure on the
calandar which was taken up, with
Representative Grondahl in the char
The roll was begun when Mr. Abbott,
the first man on the list, explained that
he did not in any way favor the civil
service system as applied to states.
and further that he was going to vote
for this measure but did so as reluct-
antly as he had ever voted for any
thing in the house.
This was the first SYMPTOM Of Op-
position, and was promptly detected
by Mr.. Feig who expressed some sur
prise that when the bill was on general
orders there had been no open opposi-
ton. He was also surprised that there
should be opposition to the pro, isions OF
the bill at this time. He wanted
steps taken which would take good,
efficient employees Of the grain in
spection department out Of reach of
political struggles, and allow them to
do their work well, and that when they
had been at work for some time and
became valuable it would be possible
for the people of the state to feel tha&
their servants could not be replaced by
men whose chief recommendation was
political activity.
A bill similar to the one now under
consideration had passed both houses
two years ago, he explained, and had
only been defeated owing to the refusal
Of the governor to sign it. 1t was
understood, he thought, that Gov
CloLgh had in his message and in other
ways expressed his approval of civil
service and would this year aff1X his
sigma ture if the bill passed both houses
The voting was proceeded with until
Mr.. Feig'S name was reached when
the vote stood eleven against and four
teen for. including his vote Mr.. DON
nelly rose and by courtesy was allowed
to speak on the measure after he had
voted. He explained that he had not
intended to make speech on the bin
but to content himself with voting
against it.
Il think the whole civil service out
cry is a fad" he said, land simply
means that if a man gets an office he Is
to hold it forever. Under the law Mr.
Feig proposes, the several hundred men
appointed by Gov. Clough in the grain
inspection department shall hold their
offices continuously, even though the
state should go Democratic or Popu-
listic, or even if some other governor
than Mr.. Clough should be elected. Our
system of government is based on the
theory that one man is as good as
another and that there should be no
monopoly Of public office or anything
else. The civil service system is I'M
American in every respect"
The vote was followed very closely
by the members and was very even
until the finish when it was discovered
that the bill had been lost by a mar
row margin. The clerk announced that
there were nays, 46 and ayes, Al. The
detailed vote was as follows:
Ayes-Abbott, Anderson. Basford Bergley,
Bigelow, Brusletten, Briggs, Coe, Cray, Cum
ningham, Douglas, Dyer, Eigenbrodt Feig,
Finney, Fosnes, Gum, AIicks, HOLSTER, Hol-
men, Jameson. Kendall, Laing. Laybourn
Leach, Littleton, Meyers, McGil. Olds
Reeves Sampson, Scott, Schmidt, Sederberg
Severance Shell, Snyder, Soule, Torson, I'm
derleak, West-41.
Nays-Barta, Belden, Boutwell, Dahl, Dale
baltimore, Davies, Donnelly, Drommerhausen
Dunn, Emerson, Foell, Foss, Frosee, Gilbert
son, GOar, GosS, GrCndahl, Hall Hayter
Head. Heimerdinger. Henderson, Hill. KEEL
ley, Larson, Lehman, Mayhood, Mansfield
Martin, Mattson, Munger, Mcdonald, NOEL
haney, Peterson, Poetz, Sloan Snodgrass,
Staples, Stockwell, st. john Truwe Vigen
Won Lehe, Wilkinson, Yates-46.