The news & observer., 1897-03-13
OFFICES AND oFFICE-sEEKERs.
washington Post.)

| The new administration is having some
rather startling and disagreeable sur
prises in connection with the civil SER
vice rules. Secretary Gage was aston-
| ished yesterday to discover that he can
not select the man to fill such an import
ant office as superintendent of the Bu-
reau of Printing and Engraving, which is
now held by Claude NJ. johnson, of
Kentucky, and pays a salary of $4,000
year. Mr.. Meredith, of Chicago, held the
Office under the Harrison administration.
and is a candidate for reappointment,
but Mr.. johnson cannot be removed ex-
cept upon charges, and his successor must
be elected by competitive examination.
The same rule applies to the two chief
engravers in the bureau, who receive
salaries of $4,000 each, to the assistant
superintendent who receives $500, AMI
to the chief clerk II is perfectly proper
and reasonable that the subordinate of
ficers of this bureau should be appointed
by competitive examination, but the SUI
perintendent, who occupies very deli
cate and responsible position, and has
charge of all the government money
should be selected by the head of the de-
partment He gives no bond, and Mr.
Gage must be responsible for his conduct
and honesty, although he has no voice
in his selection.
A similar discovery has been made at
the Post-Office Department, where Post
master General Gary is amazed to find
that his legal adviser, the Assistant-At-
torney- General for that Department,
must also be appointed by competitive
examination. There are dozen or more
candidates for that office, as there are
for chief of the Bureau of Engraving
and Printing, and when Postmaster
General Gary made selection in the
person OF a gentleman in whom he has
confidence, he was informed that the
present incumbent could only be removed
upon charges, and that his successor
must be certified after examination by
the Civil Service Commission. John L.
Thomas, of Missouri, the present Assist
ant Attorney General, is regarded as
perfectly competent, although to Mr..
Gary he is an entire stranger. He was
appointed because he is Democrat, and
by political influence, and was placed in
the civil service classification at his own
request. He can be dismissed for inef
ficiency or dishonesty, but he is not inef-
ficient or dishonest. He has done good
service under the last administration,
and is highly commended by both Mr.
Bissell and Mr.. Wilson, who were MI.
Cleveland's Postmaster Generals. Mr..
Gary finds additional consolation in the
fact that Judge Thomas is a sound
money Democrat, and did some vigorous
writing and talking in Missouri on that
issue during the last campaign, and in
support OF the Republican candidate.
Secretary Alger has discovered that he
has not influence enough in the War De-
partment to appoint his own private sec
retary. Everybody within sight is under
the civil service rules. He brought a
man from Detroit who has long occupied
confidential relation TO him, and de-
sired to continue him in a similar ca
pacity during his official career. But
there is no position in the War Depart
ment open to such person without en-
tering the regular competition through
the civil service examination. II Gen.
Alger keeps him he will have to pay his
salary out of his own pocket
Senator Foraker is opposed to the plan
of making no general distribution Of Of
fees until after the tariff bill becomes a
law Rumor has it that the told the
President so yesterday. Mr.. Foraker
thinks the 'bourgeoise and the men in
blouses," as Mr. Quay calls them, ex-
pected their reward soon after Mckinley
became President, and that they should
not be disappointed. 1t has also been
suggested that the administration would
not hurry the tariff legislation by the
pursuit of the talked OF course; in other
words, that the Senators are not ready
to trade their votes for offices.
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