St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1897-04-30


president steel inspection board, navy
department from June. 1888, to March,
1890: member of lighthouse board, treas
ury department from March, lo9o 10
July, 1892 captain Of the Mare lslaIu
navy ward from Aug. l, 1892, to July H.
1899: ordered as commandant to com
mand of navy yard, Mare island ana
station. from July II, 1888 subsequently
commanding U. S. s. Oregon; promoted
TO commodore. March o. 1897, and or
dered to Boston navy yard as command
ant M
One peculiar thing in connection with
this long and honorable service Is that
Commodore Howison's first sea duty was
as midshipman on the old Wabash, when
is now the receiving ship at the Boston
yard.
The most talked about thing In Wash
ington these days Is the civil service law.
The order which Mr.. Cleveland issued
lust previous to his leaving the presl-
dental chair. practically placing all gov
eminent positions not heretofore under
the rules of this bureau, has stirred w
nearly everybody who had expected to
get some office out of the present ad-
minstration. They make up their mlnds
that they want this place. Upon inves-
tigation they find it Is under the rules
of the civil service, and that the present
incumbent usually a good Democrat,
cannot be removed except for cause
Then the hungry office-seeker gets his
eve on another place he would like. He
laws his plans to get it. Another inves-
tigation reveals the fact that that, too,
is subject to these rules. And so 1t Is.
Even the most insignificant places, like
watchmen. messengers, etc, are now
under these rules, and those who are de-
eirous Of serving their country under
Mr.. McKinleys leadership are findint
that the places not in the classified ser
vice are few and far between.
Consequen " considerable acrimonious
talk about repeating the whole civil ser
vice law is heard. Undoubtedly some
people would go at 1t hammer and tongs
Il Mr.. Mel inley had not come out SO
strong in favor Of the law in his in
augural address. Notwithstanding this
fact however, one of McKinley's close
as his spokesman in the house of repre-
sentatives, General Grosvenor Of Ohio
has introduced bill which is intended
to revolutioni2e the civil service law, II
not do away with 1t altogether.
The bill provides that the civil service
law shall not be construed TO embrace
any Of the employees of the government
printing Office or in the bureau of en-
craving and printing, both very large
establishments and employing some 500(
men women and others, nor to embrace
any person merely employed as a laborei
or workman, nor shall 1t allow the ap-
polntment to office or promotion in Office
of any person who has not passed a com.
petitive examination or is shown to bt
exempted from such examination. Al
appointments to office in the severa
branches OF the classified service whic.
has been made since March 4, 1898, with
out q connective examination on thu
part of tho so appointed, or unless !
appears that such appointments ar
specially exempted from such competi
tive examinations, are declared to b
Illegal and contrary to tie true inten
and spirit the civil service law.
The bill further provides that all per
sons now in he classified public service
who have been appointed since March
1893 and who were not prior to their sal
appointment in the classified service ur
, der the civil service law, shall With
30 days from the passage of this bill al
pear before the proper board of civil sci
vice examiners for competitive exan
, nations. Said examination. howeve
shall not give to them preference owe
: other citizens duly qualified for ent'
into the several classes of the publ
service. but they shall stand upon equi
, footing in all respects as to said compel
tive examination as though they ha
never been appointed to the places.
a It is Apr hended that If free rein we
1 given to let islation at this time one
I the things that would first come to II
[ front would be proposition to repe
= or to greatly modify the civil servi,
f law It Is believed that at this tim
- when attention is being pointedly call,
: to the partisan purposes for which N
!. Cleveland used this law, and when hui
= cry Office seekers are thronging Il
= White House, proposition to repeal Il
= civil service law might have an unna
d ural strength in congress, Being fore,
# to face this question. or one to serious
S change the law, many members of 4
t house might feel compelled, against the
e better judgment, to yield to the deman
e Of those of their constituents who a
1t now crowding around them demandil
n patronage
Is Congressman Moody of Massach