The times., 1897-07-21
END OF THE INVESTIGATION
Civil Service Reform Law Inquiry
Gees Over for d Time.
Chairman Pritchard Says That 1t
VIII BE Resumed at the De-
eember Session.


which has been carried on by Senator
Pritchard and his colleague of the Senate
Committee ON Civil Service for the last
few months is ended for the present ses-
sicn ~ meeting OF the committee was
To have been held in Senator Pritehard's
roalns III the Maltby, Building yesterday,
as usual on Tuesday, but when the wit
messes and others arrived they found Sena-
tor Pritehard absent, and the Information
only that no more Investigation would be
carried on this session
Senator PriIchard gives it as his reason
that Congress Is 20 adjourn this week
and the SENATORS. win be engaged with
tariff and other important matters and
Gould not attend the meeting for the
investigation or civil, service reform If
they wished to. senator Pritehard is
member Of d subcommittee which Is to
make inv estigations OF some kind In the
West during September. and for this reason
will not do any further work In looking
into how the departments are run in
Washins ston until December, or some time
after the beginning OF the next session
This Investigation was called forth by
the strenuous complaints from Republican
officeseekers who found tile doors closed
to- them when they reached Washington
after Mr. Mckiniey's Inauguration The
wrote about IL To the wspap pers and 70
their Congressman and Senators, accusing
the IN st Administration OF having put
everything under the civil service ella ssi-
fication that was not already there, for
the PARTISAN parposs Of keeping Mr.. Cleve-
lands friends in office.
Their aninnosty was directed chiefly
toward the Government Printing Office,
the POSITIONS Of chiefs of divisions In the
various departments, and the positions OF
IAborers and others below tue regular cIassi-
fled civil service. These were The prin-
cipal places included in Mr. CieveIand's
last civilSeryice reform proclamation. TIE
offIcese eEers and their friends q hi not con-
fine themselves to attacking these places,
however They declared themselves vio-
Iently against the Whole civil service re-
form system, ard many of them advocated
going hack to the spoils system itself or
long way toward that officesee ekers'
Paradise.
These gentlemen wer e in Washin gton and
out of ork. with nothing on their hands
except frequent calls on the President AMI
their Influence, and they spent greatdeaI
of their time In talking about the iniquities
Of civil service reform from the stand
point Of the outs. when Senator Pritchard
called his committee together he frankly
told fines reporter that he was In favor
of civil service eform law but that he
believed that many beneficial cha nges might
be made in the present system He seem
ed especially in favor of investigating tbs.
offices and places which Mr.. Cleveland had
included in his last dalliance with the re-
form law.
A large number of witnesses have been
examined since the meetings began Most
OF them were from the Government Printing
Office. ard they expressed themselves on
both sides Gf the question as to whether
the present system Is the best for obtain
ting results IN the office A good many
men who were formerly employed In tn eof-
flee were clso examined, and they were
of the opinion that the system was wrong
Public Printer PaImer's testimony, which
occupied parts Of two or three meetings of
the Committee, was at first very violently
opposed to the VI hole reform system and its
results Toward the hast, however, he
acknowledged that he had not given the
system a thorough trial. and that he was
probably likely TO find many good points
IN it a time went on
The testimony up To- the present point is
probably considered by most of those who
have heard It at all to be in favor of civil
service reform rather than the spells svs-
tenn or anything approaching it. 1t is still
thought by many, however. that changes
may be made In the present law with good
results. yf
Commissioner Proctor, of the Civil Ser
vice Commission, has heen In attendance
at all the meetings Of the committee,
partly as 2 guest, but semf officially as n
crnss-exarniner for the commissioners side
Of the case.