Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1903-02-03
TOO MUCH CIVIL SERVICE LAW
Two Rival Measures Already and Two
More Reported Adjoining.

Springfield. Ills. Feb. 3.-CIvil Serv-
ice legislation is breeding much strife
in the legislature. The two rival state
civil service measures have been clash
ing since the first week of the ses-
sion. and word comes from Chicago
that there viii he fierce competition
between two bills to apply civil serv-
ice in the county building. 1t was
heralded some time ago that President
Foreman. of the county board. would
send merit law here placing all the
county employees under civil service.
Now the report comes that the civil
service reformers are not entirely salts
fled with that measure and intend to
have Il bill of their own.
The new bill has been drafted by
members of the Civil Service Reform
League. and will he introduced early
this week. The name of the intro
Queer is withheld ut his own request,
as he fears that the bill will be marked
for slaughter If its authorshipis known
prior to it's introduction. The new
county civil service bill is short and
simple. 1t merely amends the present
law by extending its jurisdiction to ali
employees except those who are heads
of departments or handle money. The
trainers of this bill take the ground
that. although the present law falls
far short of what a genuine civil serv-
ice measure should he. what there is
of it has been declared constitution
al by the state supreme court. and the
shortest way to secure an adequate
statute is to amend this law and there
by avoid preparing and considering an
entirely new one, which would mean
beginning all over again.
In presenting Il different proposition
the civil service reformers wish to cast
no reflections upon President Foreman.
They feel. however. that they may be
able to achieve better results than he,
for the reason that Foreman has OPP
position in his own official family cir
Gle. That is to say. certain of the
county commissioners are known to he
bitterly opposed to the Foreman bill,
and while not fighting it in the pres
ence of the president of the board, they
have passed the word along to their
friends i'm thelegislature that the meas
ure is either to be killed outright or
amended to death.
The Foreman bill will be introduced
i'm the house by Representative Wilker-
son and in the senate by Senator Clark,
neither of whom, the reformers have
been informed, is an ardent advocate
of the merit system. The reformers'
bill may receive the support of the
Sherman element in the house and the
Democrats, who hope to make trouble
for the majority party. Much depends
upon the complexion of the civil serv-
ice committee to be appointed by
Speaker Miller. as the committee will
have thepower to designate practically
which bill shall be reported on the
floor.
Representative w. NJ. Owen. a law
yer living at Leroy, Mclean county.
has been slated for chairman of this
committee, out the speaker may change
his mind before the Off al list is
given out. Owen was Sherman
man during the first part of the speak
ership fight, but Joined the Miller camp
when he was needed. That is why he is
likely to get n Craftsmanship.
Factory Inspector Davies has COM