The San Francisco call., 1904-02-16
CALIFORNIA IS FAVORED
FOR A MANEUVER CAMP
Adjutant General Drain of Wash ngon Gives Up Fight
and Asks That Matter Be Postponed--Cvil Service
Criticized and Pension and Cab Bills Harshly Treated
BY S. w. WALL.

place il where il would do the most
good. By this il is quite clear General
Ballaine does not think it should be
spent on the Valdez Eagle wagon road.
Senator Nelson, on the other hand, is
firmly Of the opinion that this is ex-
actly where the expenditure would do
the most good This is only another
instance of that opposition on the part
Of Alaskan promoters themselves that
works to the defeat of every good thing
for Alaska. General Ballaine is inter
ested in the Alaska Central Railway
railway proposed to be built from
Seward, q point on the coast at Cooks
Inlet northward 10 the Tanana River.
The Alaskan Senatorial Commission of
last summer did not visit Seward, but
did stop at Valdez and was we'll re-
ceiVed there, as of course they should
have been, in so far as a little settle
ment on that bleak coast could enter
tain so distinguished a party. AdvO-
Gates Of the Alaska Central speak of
this fact as accounting somewhat for
the difference in sentiment with regard
10 the two places. There are many
representatives Of the Valdez country
here urging the necessity of the wagon
road, and there will be a warm contest
in committee concerning il. Ex-Unit-
ed States Senator Turner of Washing
ton is expected to advocate the Alaska
Central at that time. These same peo-
pie and interests will clash when the
bill introduced by Senator Mitchell
providing for a subsidy Of $4,000 per
mile for every mile of the proposs d
Valdez, Copper River and Tanana
Railroad that is actually laid is passed.
The Alaska Central people viii oppose
this with the simple and probably ef-
fective declaration that they are asking
for no subsidy.
And now comes Mr.. Humphrey of
Washington with a new bill proposing
an appropriation of $500, 600 for mill
tary and DostrOad from Valdez to
Eagle City on the Yukon, another
100000 for a road from Tyonick on
Cooks Inlet 10 Rampant on the Yukon,
and $500.000 for still another road from
Iliamna on Cooks Inlet to Holy Cross
Mission on the north bank Of the
Yukon. The presumption is reasonable
that this generous and doubtless alto
gether proper measure viii also be Op-
posed by Alaskans.
FIGHTING CIVIL SERVICE.
Some weeks ago when the civil appro-
priation bill was under consideration in
the House that body registered a pro-
test against the civil service as it is
operated or as the civil service system
has worked itself out The House,
working in committee of the whole,
voted almost unitedly in favor Of with
holding the appropriation for sustain
ing the civil service. Republicans and
Democrats alike eXcoriated the system
not as a system-a merit system-but
for its development-the condition to
which il had come. The service was
burdened with superannuated clerks,
which embarrassed the work of nearly
every department, and which clerks the
heads of departments suffering from
this embarrassment knew no way Of
getting rid of. OF course, it was admit
ted the law gave to these heads of de-
partments its authority for releasing
these clerks. made a way to get rid of
them, but custom had become stronger
than the law-no one had ever dis
charged these useless clerks, and there
fore no one ever would or ever could.
The head of one department was quoted
as saying that a large proportion Of
his clerical force would be unable to
reach their desks if the elevators were
not running. and that he would under
take to do the work in his department
better and more speedily if he were
given authority to make choice Of 200
young and capable men to take the
place Of the 500 who were on the payroll
in his Office. It was in face of state
ments like this that the committee of
the whole voted to withhold the ap-
preparation necessary to sustain the
civil service, while the members them
selves admitted that to withhold the
money would result only in embarrass-
ment. for the treasury would still be
liable for the service. Therefore, hav-
ing reported as committee of the whole
TO the House this action, the House
when il came to a vote upon the prOpo-
sition reversed the committee and sus-
tained the appropriation by a large ma
jority Nevertheless a protest had been
registered, nor was this the first time.
As a result Of the sentiment created
the House Committee on Reform in
the Civil Service has begun a series Of
hearings that are developing a great
deal of interesting information along
the lines indicated. Just what will re-
suit is an open question. From the
testimony already adduced there ap-
pear to be hundreds of old men on the
pay rolls, men who have grown old in
the service-but who are not only
lengtheniug the roll, but interfering
with the effectiveness of the depart
,11ents. What is TO be done with them
is the thing TO be determined. The dis
position to shy at a new pension roll is
very general in Congress.
CARRIAGE BILLS EXCESSIVE.
Another thing that developed in the
discussion Of that same bill and which
reached no conclusion there has since
borne fruit or is in the process of bear
ing. Representative Lands introduced
a resolution restricting the use of car
riages at the public expense and for
the public service, generally speaking,
To the Executive and heads Of depart
ments If the carriages for the use Of
which the Government had to pay
were strung in line. he said, they
would reach from the Peace monu-
ment-which stands in front of the
Capitol-tO the Treasury, fifteen long
blocks away. Not only were the car
riages used by clerks and private sec
retaries, who might be expected to
take the street car, but the carriages
were driven by coachmen for whom
no provision was made in any appro-
priation. and who, in order that their
wage might be extracted from the pub
lie treasury without protest were list
ed indefinitely as ''laborers." Nor did
this statement create any surprise. In
the very general and interesting dis
cussion that followed ii was admitted
by the old members that this condition
was a matter of common knowledge.
Like the tolerance for the superannu-
ated clerks. it was a custom that had
grown, ard no manor at least no