The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-08-03
SENATOR BAKEK AT HONE
Gives an Interesting Talk to Reporter.
LeaveuWorth.


Gives an Interesting Talk to Reportees1t
Lsavenworth.
Leavenworth. Kan, July 3o-Ur.,ted
States Senator Lucien Baker arrived
home from Washington last Friday
and found big mail awaiting him.
Local office seekers started calling on
him during the afternoon, and, judging
from teieg1 ans received. the advance
guard OF Kansas pie hun lers VII DC mere
tomorrow. The senator viii remain only
three days when he will leave with his
family on visit to Colorado.
During the afternoon Senator Baker
was called on at his office. In response
To the question. What viii be the ef-
fec; OF the new TARIFF" the senator re-
Piled:
The effect ought TO be good. I think
il is better bill than We ever had be-
fCre-the best measure since the war.
Il affords more protection 70 industries
n. any other bill. l, is in the inter
esC OF the farmers, because il places
a du@y on hides. duty on Mexican cat-
re and a duty on wool Cattle and
sheep are higher than they were before
tn passage OF the bill. 1t also affords
products and furnishes protection TO the
salt manufacturing Industries in Kan
sas and the manufacturers or gypsum n
Kansas. The manufacturing indus
tries OF tns country are gradually being
opened and lahOrers are finding more
employment and general prosperity Will
come again. ppb1Oly not so rapidly as
some would wish. but it vii get here.
all the same"
What ABOUT the currency commits
sion. senator?"
The president sent message 20 con-
gresS right after the passage OF the tar
If bill, on July "a, and we adjourned
the same evening a O'Clock. The house
passed a bill for a currency commission
but in The senate the bill was referee
10 the committee on finance, and. as the
committee IS now constituted. il mus:
sleep there unless itsis converted into a
free silver bill. In my Judgment, no
slch b.,l, creating a currency commits
sion can pass the senate as the senate
is now constituted.
$50 far as the currency is concerned. b
our money will all be good for a: leastil
four years. with the dollars all equaltl
and there viii be no change in the tariff :,
for the same length of time. These
questions being settled definitely. nat
urally some degree OF prosperity must
follow"
What do you think abou. the civilp
service SYSTEM"
''My own private opinion is that II is
the most stupendous fraud of the nine
teenth century I believe that civil ser
vice rules should be applied only 10 GER
tain departments of the government. It'll
is all right 70 apply them 20 the railway
mail service, to the weather bureau toll
the higher branches of the geological
survey, and to a few technical depa-t-tl
mcnts. bu. there ought not to be abovetl
1000 or 1900 places covered by them1
The remaining positions ought 20 be leftE
open to the representatives of she party'l
in power. An examination by civil
service methods IS no Just test OF al
mans ability 10 discharge the duties of
a public Office. Business men do nots
submit questions 70 applicants for posis
tons. because they know K is no true I
test of a mans qualifications ! knows
cases in which three or four members OF
the same family are in the civil serv'ce'
drawing good salaries, never returning,
TO their state to vote nor do they subj
scribe II the campaign funds. Theseii
preferred people hold Office while then
men and boys do the voting.
"All the offices in the government ou.-
side Of PROBABLY 500 or 400 are under
civil service rules. and Mr.. Cleveland
debated with himself for a long time asp
to the propriety OF putting 5000 fourth
class postmasters into the classified sor-i
vice More than two-thirds OF those
under civil service rules own their ten-,l
ure of office 10 the action OF Mr.. Cleve-t
land and I; looks as IL President Nc.
Klnley Is about 10 perpetuate the frauda
forced upon the people by NJ. CIeve-il
la nd. The issue OF civil service ougncA
to be made squarely in IN election nextil
year, and in the years to come until tneil
present civil service system is modified,
or abolish
Senator Baker refused TO discuss the
Emporia Postoffice fight or talk about
federal positions m Kansas. He saidl
that he lad beel getting on an average
of 200 letters day since the inaugura-
ton and most Of them were about offices.
THE KLONDYKE GOLD FIELDS
OF ALASKA ARE REACHED THE
QUICKEST VIA THE GREAT ROCK
ROUTE. ONLY 81 HOURS
AND 40 MINUTES TO SEATTLE
HAL 8 RAY. D. p A.
Wichita Kan