Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1897-07-30
KANSAS SENIOR SENATOR RETURNS
FROM WASHINGTON.
TALKS OF NATIONAL AFFAIRS.
SAYS THE NEW TARIFF LAW Is AN
ADMIRABLE MEASURE.
Kansas Industries Well Protected
No Chance for Currency Com
mission BiII-CiviI Service
System Denounced as
Fraud.

I.eavenworth, Kas., July 29.-(Special)
United States Senator Lucien Baker ar
rived home from Washington at noon to-
day and found a big mail awaiting him.
Local officeseekers started calling on him
during the afternoon, and, judging from
kilograms received, the advance guard of
Karsas piehunters will be here tomorrow.
The senator will remain only three days,
when he will leave with his family on a
visit to Colorado.
During the afternoon The Journal cor
respondent called on Senator Baker at his
law office. In response to the question,
What will be the effect of the new tariff"
the senator replied:
The effect ought to be good. 1 think It
is q better bill than we ever had before
the best measure since the war. 1t affords
mere protection to industries than any
other bill. 1t is in the interest Of the farm
er, because it places a duty on hides, a
duty on Mexican cattle and duty on wool.
Cattle and sheep are higher than they
were before the passage of the bill. 1t
also affords protection against Canadian
hay and products and furnishes protec-
tion to the salt manufacturing industries
in Kansas and the manufacturers OF gyp-
sum in Kansas. The manufacturing indus
tries OF the country are grahually pelnS
opened and laborers are finding more en-
plOy ment and general prosperity will come
again, probably not so rapidly as some
would wish, but it will get here, all the
same
What about the currency commission.
seEa tori"
1.-The president sent message to con-
gTess right after the passage OF the tarln
bill, on July "a. and We adjourned the
same evening at O'Clock. Inc house
passed a bill for a currency commission,
but in the senate the bill was referred 10
the committee on finance. and, as the COM
mittee is now constituted, il must sleep
there unless it is converted into free
silver bill. In my judgment no such Dill,
creating a currency commission, can pass
the senate as the senate is now constituted.
so far as the currency is concerned, our
money will all he good for at least four
years. with the dollars ali equal, and there
will be no change in the tariff for the
same length of time. These questions be-
ing settled definitely, naturally some de-
gree of prosperity must follow
What do YOU think about the civil
service SYSTEM"
the most stupendous fraud of the nine
teenth century. 1 believe that civil SER
vice rules should be applied only to GER
tain departments of the government. 1t Is
all right to apply them to the railway mail
service, to the weather bureau, to the high
er branches OF the geological survey. and
to a few technical departments, but there
ought not to be above 1900 or 5000 places
covered by them. The remaining positions
of the party in power. An examination by
civil service methods is no just test of
mans ability to discharge the duties OF a
public office Business men do not submit
questions TO applicants for positions, be-
cause they know II is no true test of
mans qualifications. l know cases in which
three or four members of the same family
are in the civil service dra wing good sal
aries, never returning to their state to
vote, nor do they subscribe to campaign
funds These preferred people hold office
while the men and the boys do the voting.
"All the offices in the government outside
Of probably 500 or 800 are under civil ser
vice rules. and Mr.. Cleveland debated with
himself for long time as to the propriety
Of putting 5000 fourth class pOstmasters
into the classified service. More than two
thirds of those under civil service rules
owe their tenure Of office to the action of
Mr.. Cleveland. and IL looks as II President
Mckinley Is about to perpetuate the fraud
forced upon the people by Mr.. Cleveland.
The issue of civil service ought to he made
Squarely in the election next year. and in
the years to come until the present civil
service system is modified or abolished
Senator Baker refused 10 discuss the En-
poria DOstoffice fight or to talk about fed
eraI positions in Kansas. He said that he
had been getting OF an average OF 200 let
ters a day since the inauguration of the
new administration and most OF them were
about offices.