The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1897-08-07
WASHINGTON LETTER.

ments to the civil service rules,
made public after his departure on
his vacation, are the most impor-
tant made since there was a civil
service law. His first amendment
provides that no removal from the
classified service shall be made ex-
cept for cause and upon written
charges of which the accused shall
have notice and an opportunity to
make defense; his second amend
meat includes the employees of all
Custom Houses in the classified
service, and his third excerpts from
the civil service rules the following
places: In the customs service
one cashier in each district, one
chief or principal deputy collector
in each district, and one principal
deputy collector in each SUPPORT or
station. Internal revenue service
-one employee in each district, who
shall act as cashier or chief deputy
or assistant collector, as may be de-
termined by the Treasury depart
ment, one deputy collector in each
district where the number of en-
ployes in the Office of the collector
exceeds four, and one deputy col
lectOr in each stamp Cor branch)
office. 1t was expected that the
chiefs of divisions in the executive
departments would be excepted,
but they were not. They may be
later on.
Assistant Secretary Howell, of
the Treasury, who has high repu-
tation as tariff expert, and who
will have immediate charge of the
enforcementtof the Dinghy tarM,
has been studying the new law
very closely and as result says
of it; "The new tariff is particular
ly free from antiquities, which
despite the most careful efforts, are
liable to creep into such measures
II is revenue measure and, in my
opinion, will produce at least
$lS5,O00,OO0 during the present ifs.
Cal year, and | look for it to pro.
duce at least $22OOO0,O0O during the
next" Mr.. Howell's estimates are
close to those of Senator Allison
and Chairman Dingley as to the
amount of revenue the new tariff
will produce.
Secretary Long decided that the
battleship Indiana should be dock
ed and cleaned at Halifax, Novs
Scotia, because it was not consider
ed entirely safe to attempt to docl
her at Port Royal, S. c., and the
New York dock is in bad condition
While Secretary Long would lave
liked it better to have had docl
of our own big enough and goo(
enough to be used, the practice o
docking our ships in foreign docks
is old enough to have ceased tt
arouse indignation in naval cir
Giles.
1t is regarded as practically GER
} tain that Secretary Long will fine
it necessary to appoint board o
naval officers to frame a plan fol-
, the establishment of a government
plant for making armor plate fol-
our vessels. He is only waiting t.
, hear from number of ship-build
, ers who have been asked if they
wished to furnish armor plates a
the stipulated price, $500 a ton, a:
, the Carnegie and the Bethlehem
Steel companies have already re
/ fused to do so.
At first the decision OF the Treas
ury department, that the tariff law
signed on the afternoon of Saturday
by the President went into effect al
midnight of Friday, strikes you as
, being wrong, but the more you
, study it, the stronger it becomes
The law does not recognize any
fraction of day, and the tariff bill
having provided that the law was
to take effect when signed by the
President, it must necessarily take
effect from the first second of the
day upon which it was signed
Such has been the decisions of the
courts and the Treasury officials
are confident that they will be up
held in the appeals that have been
taken to the courts. The amount
of money involved is not over 5000,
600.
Secretary Wilson, ever on the
alert in behalf of the farmers of
this country, has sent two Agri-
, cultural Department agents abroad