Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1897-03-15
THE POLITICIAN.

| in and around InuJ eSIaOllSnlne uur-
ing it's occupancy by Mr.. Cleveland
comments upon this change. The
crowds which haye flocked to the
White House during the past week
have not been treated as unwelcome
intruders, but as friendly callers. And
all this without any gush on the part
Of President Mckinley, or of MIR. Por-
ter, his secretary. Senators and Repre-
sentatives are once more treated as
though they had an equal share in
running the government. In fact, so
far as appointments are concerned,
President Mckinley has let be known
that they will have more than an equal
share. While it has been virtually de-
cided that only those appointments will.
be made at once which are considered
absolutely necessary, the information
has been given to Senators and Repre-
sentatives that the state delegations
must get together and agree upon the
applicants for the prominent appoint
ments before they will be made and it
has been strongly intmated that the
division of state delegation will be
fatal to an applicants chances. Be
yond appointing the assistants to the
members of the cabinet the Ambassa-
dors and more prominent ministers,
and filling vacancies there will be
very few appointments made for sever
al months to come, as President Nc
Kinley is more intent upon giving the
country prosperity than upon filling
few offices, and until the work of the
extra session is completed he will de-
vote his best energies to the entire
country rather than to the compare
lively few who want Office.
There is almost or quite a quorum of
the next House already in Washington
The republican caucus for the nomina-
tion of officers will be merely ratifl-
cation meeting, as it is an absolute
certainty that Speaker Reed and all
the other officers will be renominated.
Chairman Dingley says there Will be
no delay in reporting the new tariff
bill to the House at the extra session.
Speaking of the reported intention of
the committee to provide in the new
bill that the duties therein should go
into effect upon the day the bill is in
troduced, Mr.. Dingley called attention
to constitutional barrier to making
law retroactive, and said that the most
the bill could do was to provide that
the higher duties should be paid upon
all importations which might be in
bonded warehouses at the time it be-
comes Il law.
Senotor Hanna gives his private Sec
retary Mr.. S. A. Perkins, who entered
politics as President of the Repub bli-
can College League a few years ago,
and who was on duty at the New York
headquarters of the Repu blcan Ma
tional Committee during the late cam
paign, $4,000 year. probably the larg-
est salary drawn by any private secre-
tary in the country
Secretary Long this week issued adj
vertisements for the proposals for fur
nishing 500 tons of armor plate for
the Illinois, the Alabama and the Wis
consin, the price for the same not TO
exceed $500 ton, as provided by act
of the last Congress. The bids will be
opened in April and they will be look
ed forward to with much interest, be-
cause of existing doubt as to whether
there is solid foundation for the talk
about new bidders entering this field,
and whether the Carnegie and Bethle.
hem Co.'S will bid
1t seems that most people failed TO
realize the enormous extensions of the
civil service rules made under the last
administration. Every day intelligent
men can be heard expressing their sur
prise on this subject after they have
called at one Of the big departments to
make enquiries about places. Stated
in brief excepting the assistants to
members Of the cabinet, their private
secretaries, AMBASSADORS and Ministers,
laoorers and scrubbing women and
postmGsters, the heads of half a dozen
bureaus such as Pension, Education,
and Labor, the entire line of govern
ment employees are embraced in the
classified service which is controlled by
the civil service rules. Along about
next summer, after the tariff bill has
become law and more pressing mat.
ters haye been looked after, it will not
be surprising if President Mckinley
overhauls some of those civil service
extensions made by Mr.. Cleyeland and
considerably modifies, if he does not
rescind some of them outright There
is hardly doubt that some of the ex-
tensions have proved more beneficial
for individuals than to the government
service.
The following Senators have been
appointed steering committee with
authority to decide what shall be done