The times., 1899-01-06
HONORABLE SERVICE ROLL
The Wholesale Dismissal of
Aged Clerks Promised.
NO CIVIL PENSION LIST
Mnny Surprises In the Executive.
LepisIative and Judicial tPpro-
priafion BiII-Mr. TnwncH's Mcns-
ure Not Anectcd-Nnr Clerks En-
ebpt From Civil service Law.

There were several surprises in the eS-
ecutive legislative and Judicial appropria-
tion bill reported TO the House yesterday.
Not the least OF these was a determined
effort to abolish the honorable service
roll of the Treasury and other departments.
The honorable service roll was inau-
gurated about year ago by Assistant
Secretary Vanderlip of the Treasury be
partment as a means of getting rid Of
useless old clerks without the brutality
of turning them entirely out of Office. On
il were placed the names of all clerks
over seventy years of age. The pay of
these was reduced to $500 a year, and
they were permitted considerable laXity
both in their attendance at the Office and
in the execution of their duties.
The House saw in this the insidious be-
ginning of a civil pension roll and de-
termined to nip it in the bud The conf
mittee accordingly inserted the following
provision il the bill:
The appropriations herein made for the Off
GERS. clerks and persons employed IN the public
service shall not he available ior the compensa-
tion OF any persons permanently ncapacItated
by age or otherwise for employment in such seTy-
ice. The establishment OF a civil pension roll,
or an honorable service roll, or the exemption
OF any OF the officers clerks and persons in the
public service from the existing laws respecting
employment in such service, j. hereby pToho-
tied.
Further, in appropriating for salaries in
the various departments all clerks on the
honorable service rolls were omitted.
Under this the clerks on the honorable ser
vice roll will all have 10 be dismissed
unless some means can be devised of re-
turning them 10 work
The civil pension bill advocated by
Representative Tawney will not be affected
by the amendment. as Mr.. Tawney's bill
only provides means by which the clerks
can be compelled to join in a sort of old
age Insurance plan and does not concern
itself at all with Government money
BY means OF the following provision. the
committee tried 10 evade the automatic
the new posts created by the bill.
That the additional CLERKS and other employees
rendered necessary because II increased worz in
cident 10 the with Spain, including the tenn
porarv force ~ clerks and other employees in the
War Department and the Postotiice Department,
the additional clerks and other empl0yes in the
Office of the commissioner Of internal revenue
and the increased force Of deputy collectors OF IN
teTnal revenue appropriated for by tins act, shall
he appointed for a term not exceeding wear.
as authorized, respectively. without compliance
with the conditions prescribed by the act en-
titled An 10 regulate and improve the civil
service. approved January l6. lssS.
Under the rules of the House point OF
order can be made against this paragraph
on the ground that il is new legislation,
and il must be stricken out. but, If So
there is little doubt that the Senate viii
restore it. Without it all the new clerks
provided must be appointed from the civil
service eligible lists, and the clerks now
holding posts on the temporary rolls would
have TO be dismissed on July 80. By strik-
ing out the honorable service roll and other
items the bill is reduced 81, ,031. .S93 below
the estimates Of Secretary Gage. II carries
s23. 229. .237 against S23. .S33, ,0l3 for the pres
ent year.
The whole number OF salaries specifically
provided for in the bill is $50 less than the
number estimated for. and. including
ninety-nine heretofore paid from the gen.
eral appropriation for the care of the Con-
gressional Library building and grounds, is
200 more than the number provided for in
the law for the current year
The only real reductions are made in the
honorable service rolls though in a few
cases the compensation for high priced
clerks is somewhat reduced
Paragraphs of considerable local impor-
tanee are the following:
Clerks and other ernployes provided for by this
&c; for the Office Of the Comptroller OF the Treas
my and for the offices of the six auditors nf the
trssslry Tor the several executive departments
shah he exclusively engaged on the work Of said
oiHees for the fiscal wear 1900.
That the appropriation OF $1,000 made l,y the
deficiency appropriation approved Iuiy :. Is q
10 furnish the old Postoitce Department building
when vacated by the Postmaster General is made
available also for repairs of said building that
may be found essential 10 prepare II for occu-
iznc1 by Offices OF the Interior Department.. and
said appropriation. together with the appTopria-
tiuu - = 00 made 10y said act for expense Of re-
movai - Office Of the Interior Department said
building, hereby made available during the
i.,eal year 1900
The assistant sgIperintsndents oi the free deiv-
cry system shall hereafter he allowed q per diem
business oi the department, or when detailed for
D. C.
That section u of an act entitled An act 20
establish q court ci private land claims and to
provide ior The settlement Of private land claims
IN certain states and territories approved March
3. 1891, a. amended in legislative. executive d
judicial appropriation act Tor the fiscal year IsS
approved February u. lsa., he. and the same is
hereby. further amended To read a. foIlows:
SEC. -. That the powers and functions Of the
court established by this act shall celsc and deter
mine on the 39ih day Of June. 1900. and an pa
GERS, files and records IN The possession Of the
said court belonging 70 any other public Office Of
the United States shall be returned 10 such office
and al other Iapcrs, les and records ia thu pos
session Of or appertainng 10 said count shall be
Interior"
The bill viii be called up for eonsldera-
lion in the House today.
Frerdmnn's Hospital.
Representative Barrows Of Massachu-
sefts has introduced A hill aunropriating