Pike County press. (Milford, Pa.) 1895-1925, 1897-05-14
WASHINGTON LETTER.
Republicans Dissatisfied with Tar
iff Bill.
President Mckinley Expects to Attend
the Memorial Day Exercises at West
Point and New York City-Civn
Service. Rules Should BE Cur.
taiIed-Notes and Doings
(From Our Regular Correspondent.)

service lGuAes bnOuiu Att OuE-
taiIed-Notes and Doings.
(From Our Regular Correspondent
Washington, May 1O.-President
Mckinley told delegation of
G. A. r. men from New York City
who called to pressingly invite him
there, that he expected to attend
the memorial day exercises at West
Point, but would endeavor to re-
turn to New York on the afternoon
of Monday, the 31st inst, in time to
also take part in their exercises. On
the 18th inst, the President and his
cabinet will attend the dedication of
the Washington in Phila
delphia.
Many Republicans in both
branches of Congress are dissatisfied
with portions of the amended Ding
ley tariff bill, last week reported to
the Senate, but they are not dis
posed to publicly criticise the bill
because they feel confident that
changes which will be made will re-
move most, if not all, of it's objection
able features. The bill is to be
taken up by the Senate on the 18th
inst, and pushed through that body
as rapidly as possible. Many
changes are likely to be made be-
fore it passes the Senate and still
more before it gets out of the Con
ference Committee. No fears are
felt that the bill will not be as good
a measure as can possibly get
through the Senate in the absence of
a straight Republican majority when
it finally goes to President McKin-
Icy for his signature.
Secretary Bliss, Pension Commits
sioner Evans. and Land Commits
sioner Hermann, each wrote a let
ter to the Senate committee that is
investigating the workings of the
civil service law and rules, advocat-
ing u curtailment of the extension
of the rules made by Mr.. Cleveland.
Secretary Bliss said; "The chief
clerk of this department and the
chiefs of divisions should, in my
opinion, be exempt from the classi-
fled service. These officers occupy
confidential relations to the Secre-
tary, and on their briefs or recon-
mendations he is dependent to a
large extend for the proper con-
duct of his Office. am of the opin-
ion also that the special agent, such
as land and timber inspectors, min
eral land commissioners, and parti-
cularly the special Indian agents,
and the appointment of such, should
be more directly under the control
of the Secretary, who is responsible
for their actions, and who must de-
pend upon them very largely for his
knowledge of affairs in distant re-
gions." Land Commissioner Her
mann said: "The existing rules of
the civil service should be modified
30 far as the bureaus of all the de-
partments are concerned in respect
to their applications TO chief clerks,
chiefs of divisions, receiving clerks
and confidential clerks, to inspectors
and also to all the special agents of
the Departments. If it is assumed
that the dominant party should
shape the legislation of the country
in consonance with the policies
which it sustains, it has a right to
know that the chiefs of divisions
who first shape recommendations as
they are called for through the vari-
ous divisions, are in perfect sympa-
thy with the party policies. The
most important legislation in Con-
gress emenates from these divisions
in the form of reports on measures
pending before Congress, and which
are usually first submitted to the
heads of departments, and by them
to the heads of bureaus, who in turn
submit to the chiefs of divisions. p"
These are common scnse arguments.
Another batch of evidence showing
the unblushing partisanship prac-
ticed by the Cleveland administra-
tion under the cloke of civil service
reform was submitted to the COM
mittee at its regular weakly meet
ing.
Speaker Reed was one of the coun-
sci in the case in which the United
States Supreme Court decided that
pension examining surgeons were
not government officials. This de-
cision was made in 1878, but was
either overlooked or ignored by the
Cleveland administration, which
placed the boards of examining
surgeons under the civil servics
rules. The closing words of Mr.
Reeds argument in the case were
as follows If party should con-