The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1901-11-22
WASHINGTON LETTER.

1t is we'll recognized fact thai
the Presidents civil service reform
record alone would have been quite
sufficient to have prevented his re-
ceiying the Vice. Presidential nom
ination, could the party leaders
have foreseen that the time would
come when he would succeed to
the Presidency. Itisnow reported
that he proposes to ontdo Mr..
Cleveland in his promotion of the
reform; and that, not only has he
signified his desire for designations
from some Of the party's fayorites,
because of their violation Of the
civil service rules, but he proposes
to extend the classified list to in
clude the laborers in the depart
ments and is even thinking Of in
Guiding the entire consular service.
When Mr.. Cleveland covered
in" as it is called, the bulk of the
department employees, it was rep
resented to him that it would
appear ridiculous to require civil
service examinations from the
laborers and charwomeE and &C.
cordingly he excluded these grades
of labor from his general order.
As soon, however, as Congressman
discovered that these we're the only
positions which their influence
could secure for their constituents
they insisted upon naming all the
laborers and then exerted their
further influence to have their
nominees assigned to clerical work.
This custom is now general
throughout the government service
and accounts for Maclay, of the
Schley Sampson controversy fame,
being carried on the roles of the
Navy Department as a laborer.
Robbed Of the prerogatiye Of SCI
curing appointments for the their
constituents the members of Con-
gress viii be compelled to suffer
the hardship Of appealing to their
constituents for reelection on the
ground of their records in Con-
gress,
1t is also anticipated that, as soon
as the required appropriation of
So, 100000 which the Postmaster
General has asked for, to extend
the rural free delivery service,
that branch of the service will also
be covered In" The regular at
tempt which is made every time
u census bureau is organized,
is nov being made to secure the
transfer Of census clerks to the
classified list Of the Civil Service
Commission. In the past, this
effort has usually resulted in the
transfer of few whose influence
was particularly powerful. The
claim is made this year that clerks
were appointed in the Census Bu-
reau only after having taken a
competitive examination, which is
perfectly true, but nothing is said
about the fact that no one who did
not present the Endorsement of his
Representative or Senator was eli
gibIe to take the examination
With Mr.. Roosevelt in the White
House Is it doubtful II any Of the
census clerks will be placed on the
classified lists.
Almost coincident with the un-
official announcement that Secre-
tary Gage and a number of the
Treasury officials are opposed to
the reenactmept Of the Geary law
because Of its detrimental effect on
American commerce with the Ori-
ent, comes the report of Governor
Taft, recommending the restriction
Of Chinese immigration into the
Philippines. General Macarthur,
writing on the subject, says Of The.
ChineseE 'isach people. largely
endowed as they are With mex
haustihIe fortltude and determine
ltion, ifadmitted to the archipelago
in any considerable numbers dur-
ling the formative period which Is
now ii process Of evolution, would
soon have control Of pretty nearly
Ievery productive interest, to the
absolute EXCLUSION alike Of Philip
lpinos and Awerieaus just what
avtiun will be taken IN tho matter
Isus moi heen decided.
Representative Henry Sherman
I3svseil, whe is in The city. said
lEecenlly That there was no ques.