The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-03-10
Chief Deputy United States MarshaIs
and Similar Offices to Be Taken
from the List.
SENATE COMMITTEE REPORTS
SEVERAL RECOMMENDATIONS FOR
POPULAR NOTIFICATIONS.
The President Advised Regarding
Certain Changes That May BE
introduced at Once.

WASHINGTON, March. Ex-senator
Pritchard chairman of the committee on
civil service, to-day presented the report
of that committee on the recent investiga-
ton of the classified service embodying the
conclusions of the committee. These con-
clusions are divided under two heads, as
follows:
First, that the executive has the power to
make such notifications as may be found
advisable and therefore no legislation is
needed.
Second, the committee is agreed that
the classification has been too extensive
and that certain places that have been
cation, so that appointments may be made
to them not through examination, but at
the pleasure of the head of the department
or bureau.
1.-THE committee, therefore, is Of the opin-
ion that the President should make certain
notifications in the existing civil-service
rules and should restore to the heads OF
departments and the heads of bureaus the
appointment of certain classes of ofhcialS
The committee, however recognized that
it's province in the matter is purely advis-
DRY since 1T has no legislation to propose.
Among the offices which the committee
recommend should be excluded from the
classified service are the following: Deputy
commissioner and deputy collectors Of in
ternal revenue agents, who are employees Of
the commissioner of internal revenue; tenn
rorary storekeepers and gaugers; certain
lighthouse employees, shipping commissioner
at the various ports. inspectors of hulls and
boilers; all positions III the custodian serV-
ice, assistant attorneys and special agents
in the Department of Justice and deputy
United States marshal. 1t is recommended
that number of employees in the Interior
Department, including the chief clerk of the
department and the chief clerks Of the va
rious bureaus special agents and law eX-
aminers be exempted. The exemption rec
commended in this department Is quite ex-
tended and includes generally the positions
of individual responsibility, the temporary
places and the places of minor responsible
ity. 1t is also recommended that private
secretaries be in all cases exempted.
The same recommendation is made as to
the chief clerks in all departments, also
to postoffice inspectors and special
agents of the Agricultural Department. A
competitive departmental examination for
technical positions at navy yards is recon-
mended.
The committee expresses the opinion that
the classification of the Government Print
ing Office was not authorized by law, but
that even if 1t. was many places in that Of
flee were included which should not have
main in the classified service the appoint
mentS should be apportioned among the va
rious States These exceptions, they say,
do not in any way interfere with the prin-
ciple of regulating the appointments to the
classified service, but merely take from the
classified lists those persons whose relations
to their chiefs are either of a fiduciary or
of an executive nature, the principle being
that where an official has to impose Pc
culiar confidence either in the honesty or
the executive ability of an officer the selec-
ton OF that officer should be with the per-
son who is directly responsible for his acts.
The recent order of the President in re-
gard to removals seems to have been inter-
preted more narrowly than in the opinion
of the committee the order justfies. They
say that, while the power of appointment
to the civil service may well be regulated
so as to open the service impartially to all
the people of the United States under suit
able restrictions, the power of removal
should be very broad. Where a clerk is
deemed by his immediate superior to be in
efficient, it is clearly in the line of public
policy that the clerk should be discharged.
and there should be no impeachment placed
in the way of such a discharge except such
as may be necessary to secure Justice to
the person removed"
The committee further recommends that
the President be requested to change exist
ing relations, so that when a vacancy oc-
Ours and under the rules three names are
certified as eligible for such vacancy. the
three names shall be forwarded to the local
Ofncer in charge of the Office where such
vacancy exists, and such local officer shall
designate the person to be selected for such
vacancy, subject to approval by the head of
office
Senators Chiffon and Kenney also sub
mitted brief report, saying that, while
they agree that no legislation is desirable
they consider it inadvisable to make any
suggestions to the President. Senator Lodge
presented his views in a separate report,
which, while it agrees in the main with the
report submitted by Senator Pritchard does
not present so long a list of persons whom
ne would have exempted from the opera
CiVf!-SerVic1 Ia