The San Francisco call., 1897-12-12
Efforts to Be Made to
Change the
Law.
Carter'S Bill Providing for the
Next Census Will Be
Passed.
All Appointm ap.S to Be Made In
the Spirit of the Spoils System
Pure and Simp'e.
Special Dispatch to THE CALL
CALL OFFICE RIGGs House, }
WASHINGTON Dec. ii.


CALL OFFICE RIGGs HOUSE
WAsHINGToN Dec. IL. (
The civil service system will be given a
! hard blow in the Senate next week. SEN
ator Carter has secured for his bill to pro-
| vide for the preliminary preparations for
taking the census of 1900 the right of way
early next week, and 1t seems very prob
! a bic that the bill will be adopted without
much waste of time. The bill is drawn
in the spirit of spoils pure and simple.
/ 1t provides that the Superintendent OF
the Census shall make his appointing nts
at his discretion, subject only to such ex-
animation as he may prescFib The civil
service commission Is absolut ely and pur-
! posely ignored.
Indeed The bill distinctly states that the
examination shall be such-as the Superin-
tendent of the Census shall direct an d
mot otherwise" This means that when
| the appointment OF the census clerks is
! begun every member of Congress who is a
/ Repu blIcan (and probably some who are
/ Democrats) will be given a lair chance 10
! put some worthy followers or friends in
| Office for iewy years. The new census will
lie what civil service reformers are FOND OF
! calling ''saturnalia OF spoils."
! The bill when will be adopted by the
! Senate next week will provide for only
/ The appointment of the Superintendent of
/ the Census who will as soon Gs pract:ca be
after his appointment report to Congress
his plan Tor the scope of the work and his
method of carrying out mis- projects.
Congress itself will detetermine just
/ what Will be the character OF the next
! census. 1t is certain that the next census
Will not be rs am oltlouS as was the last.
! The census of 1890 cost $11 500, 600, and
/ undertook to do so much tnat half OF il
was never finished. The statistics gath
| ered in 1890 are not ali yet fully compiled
| and pub lshed. AS matter OF fact many
| investigations never will be published
! also the mass of reports sentin by agents
all over the country. The next census
Will be limited to an enumeration of the
! inhabitants of the United States, their
nativity, color, etc, and probably a sta
/ tlstical report of the commerce and mau-
ufactures OF the country will be added.
largely attended meeting OF Repub-
Hcan ntatives IN Congress was
held tonight at the River and Harbor
! Committee room 10 devise means for Sc
curing 4 change in the present civil
J service law. About sixty mem bers were
( present, representing most OF the States
having Repub blican delegations in Con-
gress. Il was noticeable, however, tha.
/ Speaker Reed, Mr.. Dinrley and other
J mem bers OF the House did not attend.
AS indicating he representative char
/ acter of the meeting, 1t was stated twenty
/ two States wpre represented, including
! fourteen chalrmen of committees.
Representative Hepburn of Iowa acted
! as chairman. The discussion took a wide
| range, bu; in the main was temperate and
! conservative. The man speakers were
| Representatives Grosvenor OF Ohio, Con-
molly of Ill nois, Evans of Kentucky, Fer
/ rls of Indiana.
! 1t was finally determined to name a
| com mittee 10 devise 4 plan of action, ana
! the following resolution was adopted:
! Resolued, That The chairman appoint com
! NIT ee of seven, the chairman OF which shall
! be Representative Grosvenor of Ohio, with tho
| chairman OF this meeting a mem Der, who
/ shall examine the bills pending before the
/ committee on reform of Civil Service and re-
! port 10 subsequent meeting of this confer
/ ence by bill or otherwise.
| The chairman named the following
committee: Grosvenor, Hepburn, Iowa /;
! Pearson, n, c.; Tawnev, Minnesota; ;
Evans, Kentucky; Odell, New York, and
! Steele, Indiana.