The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-12-18
A RIDICULOUS PROPOSITION.


The proposition made by some of the
members of the House to the effect that
representatives in Congress name the clerks
and other employees of the government after
the same have been apportioned pro rata
TO the districts is, to put it mildly a very
remarkable one. 1t is in open violation of
the Constitution. That somewhat important
instrument vests all appointments in 1.-THE
President alone, in the courts of law, or in
the heads Of departments, as Congress may
think proper" Congress is prohibited from
vesting appointments in itself, and very
properly. because its functions are legisa-
tive and not executive. In support of the
new proposition it is asserted that it is pro-
posed to adopt the order which governs the
selection of cadets for West Point and An
apolis Thus the supporters of this scheme
assume that there Is some sort of law which
confers the selection of cadets upoa repre-
sentatives. There is no such law; there
could not be without violating the Con-
stitution. The law provides that the Presi-
dent shall make the appointments of cadets,
zone from each congressional district and
representative has no authority to appoint.
but the President and secretary of war cali
upon the representatives to recommend
some persons to appear for examination at
military and naval schools. If the persons
so named pass the rigid examinations, the
President appoints. Under this plan the
most disgusting nepotism has prevailed,
and, in several instances, scandals have
been developed showing that representatives
sold the selection. The best representatives
In the Northern States now open the selec-
ton to all aspirants in their districts. who
appear before board named by the repre-
sentative, the best boy in intelligence and
physique winning-a most heroic merit sys-
tenn.
The scheme of congressional selection
ignores the rigid examination of those Sc
lected for clerkships and employees which
prevails in the case of cadets to the military
and naval schools. If the favorites they Sc
lect should be examined, when they get to
Washington, by some board to ascertain if
they have fair English education and gen.
eral intelligence, it would lose it's attraction
for those representatives who seem to labor
under the assumption that dabbling with
executive appointments is the chief duty of
men who sit in Congress-
This scheme of selection by representa-
tives would work out wonderful results.
Upon the theory that public positions are
spoils and that it is outrage to require
that those seeking places shall show that
they possess any qualification for the posi-
lions they desire to hold, each representative
would have the right to name the entire
quota for his district. AT the end of four
years. the average length of service in In
diana, there would be an entire change in
the clerical force in all the districts. When
a representative of one party should succeed
a representative of another party, he would
demand that all the men from the district
holding office should be dismissed to make
room for the crowd he had promised the
positions during the campaign. Under the
recent provision which gives every sena-
tor and representative a clerk whom each
selects, quite large number of congress-
men have selected their sons, daughters,
| wives or sons-in-law for their clerks. This
proposed scheme would enable the senators
anu representatives. WHO HOM appoint Ttid-
tives to place the whole relationship on the
public pay rolls.
The proposition is absurd. 1t might be
we'll to apportion the positions to the con-
gressonal districts, not because any young
man will be benefited by place in the en-
ployment of the government, but that the
possible injury resulting from installation
of subordinates may fall equally upon
the whole country, but no appointment
should be made without examination or
through the influence of members of the
legislative department of the government.
A washington dispatch says that the
Postoffice Department will urge legislation
by Congress to change and simplify the
present form of postal money orders. The
proposed legislation will probably be in the
direction recently suggested by First AS
sistant Postmaster General Heath of ex-