The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-03-13

Representative Fletcher Is mot op-
posed" to civil service reform. and
neither is the Minneapolis Tribune. For
the truth Of this we have the assur-
ance solely Of the Tribune. This i'm
portant information is vouchsafed the
public in an editorial on an interview
with Congressman" Fletcher. as the
Tribune styles him, in which the Trib-
une and its congressman suggest that
the president rescind the orders of his
predecessor extending the classified
lists so far as to even up and give
the Republicans a fair show for the
Offices" AS further aid to the even
Ing up process, it is suggested that
1t might be we'll to order any Of Presi-
dent Cleveland's appointees suspected
of incompetency for REORGANIZATION. !"
All that the Tribune and your Uncle
Loren want is fair deal"
Mr.. Fletcher is further quoted as saw
ing that ''Mr. Cleveland has, either bv
himself or cabinet removed nearly ev-
cry man and woman from the service
OF the government and filled their
places with Democrats They have
been relentless in their wholesome re-
moVals." We take it that Mr.. Fletcher
said wholesale" instead of "whola-
some Tor 1T is not probable that a
man who is capable of asserting that
nearly every man and woman" was
removed to make places for Democrats
could contemplate any removal of his
fellow partisans as wholesome " It is
charitable to suppose that Mr.. Fletcher
III making this statement, did not know
what he was talking about It is nor
true that nearly every man and wo-
man in the service was removed. IF
Is true that in the treasury department
there were removals made solely to
make places FOR Democrats. for Secra-
tary Carlisle held the same views about
a 1alr DEAF that Mr.. Fletcher does
AND 1t is true that Mr.. Quincy worked
the consular service in the sama x,,a,,
during the brief period he was assist
ant secretary Of state But. in the
treasury, removals were limited to
chiefs of divisions who had been ex-
empted from prior orders placing the
employees of that department in the
classified lists, and of no other depart-
ment is Mr.. Fletcher's statement
true, 1t is also undoubtedly true that
appointments thus made wouId rosn1+
IN putting more or less incompetent
persons in place, and the Tribune pIan
would produce the same result. IF sucb
Is the case, there is no need for re-
examinations; the heads of the denart-
ments can summarily dismiss them.
ana for our own part, we expect and
hope they will.
But this will not help the expecta-
lions of Mr.. Fletcher and the Tribune
Tor 1t Is not within the power of tho
president to rescind the executed order
or his predecessor any more than he
can rescind the act Of congress author
izlng the order. 1t is one of those
delegated powers that exhausts itself
In the execution Whatever removals
may be made will have to be replaced
either by promotions or from the engi-
bic lists, and the party affiliations of
those in line 'cut no ice" If among
the chosen there are Republicans, it
will be because they are really compe-
tent and not because Uncle Loren or
any other Congressman" would like
to reward personal services by pension
ing his workers on the civil salary
list.
But 1t is said that President CIeve-
land did not extend the list until after
wholesome" removals had been made
and Democrats were snugly tucked into
the vacated berths That is, that he
purposely extended the list to secure
from removal the Democrats who had
been appointed meanwhile. There is
Just the grain Of fact in all this kind
Of talk that gives SAVIOR to the mass
81 fiction enveloping II. The impress
slon seems 20 prevail that all the presi-
Gent ba0 % DO was 20 write a sweep
Ing 0rcer transferring places to the
cfTi llst The fact IN that no one Of
the executive orders made by Mr.
Cleveland on any Of his predecessors
VsS H9s1s until after the civil service
CrwDiseicD had fully examined the