The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-03-15
1T OCCASIONS MUCH STRONG TALK
AMONG THE HORDE OF sPOILS
HUNTERS.
WILL M'KiNLEY REVOKE 1T
AS EXTENDED BY CLEVELAND
RECENTLY IN THE CONSULAR
SERVICE?
LoAvEs AND FISHES ARE FEW
And Nothing But n Miracle Will
Make Them Satisfy the Hungry
ThrOnE.
Special to the Glnhe

WASHINGTON, March 13.-Only the
officeseekers remain; but their name
is legion The new administration is
clean, clear and honorable, but it is
embarrassed by self-seeking spirits;
and how they are to be exercised, no
body knows. Pennsylvania alone has
applicants for upwards of 200 consular
positions. Pennsylvania will be in
luck If she gets five good foreign places.
There are fOrty-fiYe states; and the
place seekers are here from every COM
mon wealth. There will be many
heartburnings, and hundreds of COOL
party workers will have in their hearts
hot cells shut up memories of what
they will regard as bitter, burning
wrongs. Although many have called
themselves to Washington, there will
be few chosen. The civil service orders
of President Cleveland have hermeti-
cally sealed the flesh pots
One topic of extensive discussion is
the disposition and the legal authority
OF President Mckinley to revoke or
suspend CIeveland's sweeping or
der which placed all of the
consular positions which pay less
than $1,000 under the protection of
the civil service law; and which placed
under the same protection nearly all
of the best bureau offices in the eX-
ecutive departments. Gen. Grosvenor.
Of Ohio, says:
''The law has been carefully exam
ined. and there can be no doubt that
the president may revoke what the
| =
| difference concerning the individuality
of the chief executive. The president
today may revoke an executive order
issued by the president yesterday, or
last month, or last year. 1t is purely
an executive function"
Senator Gear, of Iowa, who has an
army of office-seel<ers tagging after
him, as all other senators have, says:
Il would like to help out the boys; but
cannot construe the law as Grosvenor
does. 1t seems to me that Mckinley
cannot revoke or suspend the executive
order under the provisions of the civil
service act Of 1888"
Thus it goes all along the political
line. What people want to know is
Mckfnley'S construction Of the law.
Attorney General McKenna is likely
to be called upon for an opinion AMI
upon his decision the president may
be likely to act. The fate of all the
place hunters will depend upon that de-
cisiOn, and upon the subsequent deter
mination Of Mckinley. The attorney
general might conclude that the presi-
dent has power to open up all of the
offices to the spOilsmen, but the pres
ident might not be inclined to act upon
that authority. He believes in the
civil service law; but whether he be-
lieves in it enough to let Democrats
hold all of the best offices is another
matter. The entire subject is specula-
tive, and the parties interested are
talking of nothing else.
There are some available offices, how
ever, of the higher grade, but the rank
and file cannot aspire to them. Only
the strongest and most capable men
can cast their eyes towards the top of
the ladder. The majority are ground
lings. and the bars are before them.
They cannot leap them, nor burrOw I'M
der them. They must stand outside the
executive department, and, looking
through the windows, see Democrats
pushing pens for the government, with
comfortable salaries back of those pens.
1t is exceedingly eXasperating; and no.
body in the throng is singing Cleve-
lands praises today.
There is vast multitude to feed
There are only five lOaves and two
small fishes with which to feed them
How the miracle is to be performed, is
not within the ken of Mckinley. 1t is
universally believed that miracles have
been performed, and nobody doubts
that five loaves and two small fishes
will go a long way, when properly
handled with miraculous power, and
for universal good. More things are
wrought by prayer than this world
dreams Of, and it is possible that Me-
Einley may be praying over this prob
lem. All of the other fellows are swear
ing.
To be accurate, it may be stated that
there are 17S,717 positions in the civil
branch of the federal executive service.
That is a goOdly number. But 81, 107
are in the classified service, and pro-
tected by the civil service law. That
leaves 81, $40 in the unclassified list Of
this number there are 66,725 fourth
class postmasters. That reduces the
available places to 24,8S5.
You see that when the list is ana
lived, it dWindles, SO that the men who
come to Washington after fat places
are confronted with a perpleXing prob
lem Those who are intelligent enough
to make the analysis will pack their
grips and 60 home. The others will
stay and starve.
Look little further into this matter
Of the "a, S85 available places, there are
1854 laborers, and $50 excluded from
classification because they are mental.
That leaves only 0,461 in sight of the
army of Of1iceseekers. But look q
little further at the list. Out of this
10, 461 there must be taken 4,S15 offices,
which can only be filled by the pTesi-
dent, by and with the advice and con-
sent of the senate; and of course those
win go to the big fellows in politics.
That will leave only 5,646 places avail
able for the hungry and thirsty politi-
cal workers of the entire country. I'm
der the circumstances, what's the use
Of coming to Washington?
Of the 4,S15 executive appointments Of
the better class, it must be said that
the Democratic incumbents will hold
them until their various fOur-year
terms expire; so even the big fellows
in their several localities may as well
remain away from Washington until
the time arrives for the eXpirations Of
the commissions of the men whose
places they seek.
1t is estimated that there are upwards
of 20 coo Repu blicans here now, nagging
their senator's and representatives for
positions. Every one Of them wants
a scrap or a bone; but they might as
well remember that, although Mr.. Nc
Kinley may be as we'll disposed towards
them as was Old Mother Hubbard. who
went to the cupboard, to get her poor
canine a bone; the president will find,
in looking over the list, as Mother Hub
bard found when she examined the cup
beard, that 1.-The cupboard was bare,
and so the poor doggie got none"
Republican people who have render
ed conspicuous party service, and who