Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1898-01-10

was under the civil service law under
the presidential order extending it's
operations so as to embrace those Of
fcers. My opinion is that these seven
positions should be excepted from the
operations Of the laws governing civil
service, and SO recommend should
any change in the civil service law be
contemplated. These officers should
be either appointed by the president
by and with the advice and consent of
the senate or by the secretary of state
who should be as formerly acting for
the president. All of these officers
bear a close personal relation to the
secretary of state in the conduct of the
departments business. It is through
them that under assistant secretaries
are enabled to transact their official
duties, and it would seem to be the
part Of prudence and discretion that
they should be in sympathetic touch
With the head Of the department to
insure cooperation and harmony of
action" The secretary concluded
with the statement that he makes no
complaint against the present occu-
pants of these offices but thinks that
upon general principles the secretary's
hands should not be tied.
HOUSE.
Washington, Jan. 6.-The civil
service debate has begun in the house
IN earnest, based on an item in the
legislative, executive and judicial APP
preparation bill for maintenance of
the commission. 1t promises to con
tinue at least until the end of the
week, with the possibility that it
may run longer. But it is generally
admitted by both sides that the APP
preparation in the bill will stand, as
the anti-civil service reformers do not
seriously contemplate an attempt to
strike it out. The debate, therefore,
IS only preliminary to any program
which the enemies of the law may
house are divided into three camps
on this question-those who stand by
the law, those who advocate it's entire
repeal, and those who desire its mod
ification. These divisions have been
apparent in the debate so far, the
nature of which was not as stirring
as had been anticipated. Messrs.
Moody (rep., Mass.), Grow (rep.
Pa and Greene (pop., Neb.) defend
ed the law; Messrs. Dockery (dem
Mo-, Robb (dem., Mo- and Pearson
(rep., N. CO. opposed it outright;
while Mr.. Lands (rep., Ind.) favored
notifications of the law. Mr.. Lam
dis structures on the self-styled "bet-
ter element" we're severe. They
were, he said, narrow, bigoted, sell
fish and dangerous. They had bull
dozed and cowed national conventions
and hypnotized presidents, while
they managed to sit continuously at
the banquet table. He denounced
Cleveland's methods in his second adj
ministration, describing particularly
what took place in the government
printing Office, to the head Of which,
he said, Cleveland appointed man
who would do "dirty work" On a
single day, he said, Public Printer
Benedict discharged $50 men. That
was known at the government print
ing Office as bloody Monday" On
another day he discharged 420. When
1900 removals had been made and
1900 democrats appointed, Cleve-
land pressed the button and the civil
service blanket was thrown over
them. He then read what purported
to be literal transcription of the
reasons assigned for the discharge of
the republican employees in the Sc
c1et record of Benedict's private sec
1etary. Some of them were very
amusing and kept the house IN
roar. When he had concluded
reading, Mr.. Perkins (rep., PAD
asked if it were proposed to return
to system which made such re-
cital possible. NO." replied Mr..
Lands, "but we want to modify the
law Mr.. Henderson (rep., la.)
protested against the production OF
the record of one man in condemna-
ton of the best system yet devised
LOT Ln0 puIluCdLlOA vi CAAO 3ON u AAAAA G'AAo
service. He said that the civil ser
vice commission did not endorse SUCH
work. Unless the law were modlhed
by it's friends, Mr.. Lands said,
democratic congress would destroy it
root and branch The law must be
rescued from the clutch of zealots.
Mr.. Lands was vociferously ap-
plauded when he concluded. Mr.
Richardson (dem., Temp replying
to Mr.. Lands asserted that the rec
ord showed that when civil service
was extended to the government
printing office only 81 per cent. OF
the employees had been appointed I'M
der the democratic administration
while "A per cent. had been appointed
by a republican public printer