The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-12-09
CIVIL SERVICE
C|.'H|INE..SjE |. J SYSTEM.
Commission Bitterly Denounced
in Hcusc-Cry Made for
Rctrenchment.
CALL Halt, Z: 5 SAYS AVS, MADDOX I,l]': X.
cru,n Case B9}bs S: Up il Senate.
Tillman Wants Report
From Committee.
CALL HALT, SAYS MADDOX
(By Associated Press.)

4
4 syYASHJNG5LS.>.g Y ". g u, DAcember S.
The annual fight oq the Civil Service COM
mission was begun III the House to-day:
during consideration Of the legislative
approprfa ton bill. The opposition came
from Messrs. Bartlett, Of Georgia; Hep
burn, OF Iowa, and Grosycnor, of Ohio.
The Legislative bill was scrutinized care
fully In consoHance with the Presidents
Recommendation against &extravaEance. &
Mr.. Bi,sg ham, in charge Of the bill, was
afleqniredIs constantly to explain some par
ticularsS Snppontmcn The pay OF the
stenosrap pl.Hs 10 commI tees OF the House
was reduceI from 5000 per annum TO,
5000 and the House refused to accept
\ the provision increasing the pay OF the
hecretary to the Civil Service Commission.
But Iit.le progress WAS made on the
bill. 81
General Discussion.
rho provision appropria,ing the salary
for a janitor to the House Committee on.
tho Library met With some Democratic
4 alopposition, led by Mcssrs. Bartlett
FiGcorgiil). Maddox tGeorgia) and Clnr'is
I (AIissourD. and prccipitated a general dis
fcussion. The latter said there were many
Ssupernllrnerary officials around the House
who ought 10 be got rid of. The Presi-
dents message, hs said had urged econ
ou,y. and Mr.. Clark contended thut II tho
House was going 10 ecOnonize, the best
place to commences was the House Itself.
In Il few vigorous remarks Alr. Living
I ston (C;eorgia) defended the committee
lie replied to u criticism by Mr.. Maddox
that members had not had sufficient time
10 examine tho printed bill, by saying
4 that even II the members were given =
week to examine II they would come III
hero rs ignorant as q man from lortOs
Rico" IIe lamcntcd the fact. however
1l,at bills aDprnpriating millions OF dol
lars should be hurried through In fifty.
two days. f Il 5 y- 81
.!!Et'grhis hurried legislation ought to STOP
no declared. "Consrcss ought 10 meet
in May. aud thus give II decent time TO
tho legislation or tho country When the
first ors519creriher was fixed there were
not oO,gs,,010 people to eg!slate for, but
now there were sDhN,O0. S
Need for Retrenchment.
q The parag graph relating to the Civil Ser.
vice Commission ELECTED from Mr.. Mad
dox (Georgin) severe criticism. because.
OF the proposed Increase OF twtnty-three
employees 10 constitute the rural carriers
examining board lie declared there was
no necessity for thcm, and that 1T was
1il, duty OF this Congress to rctrcnch IL
the statement of the Secretary OF the
Treasury bca atrlle. sl5s3
5"C;od k11ows,D he said 81 want this gov
crninent to stand and be able to pay its
debts without issuing bonds or raising
additional taxes,
This Ii t,erance brought from Mr.. Llt-.
tauer (New York; an endorsement OF Mr.
N1addox's retrenchment Ideas. but he said
The case in point happened to BIO one Of
the few items OF the bin where Tetrench-
lnent was brought about by the action
4 OF the committee, because the twenty
/ three clerks referred to already were at
work by detail from other offices
~ a.I, ft,Jt t1,o Inn,
of3the salary of the secretnry of the conf
mission, The committee had increased 4
from $3.50 10 5000, but an amendment
gly Mr.. Bartlett (Gcorgiu, putting It back
to tho former amount, WAS adopted,
Denounced Commission.
Mr. Hepburn Qowa) offered an amend
ment to strike out the appropriation for
commission and In bitter terms denounced
7 tho Civil Service Commission. He was
not, he said, opposed to n proper civil
service, butfhe declared, In comparing the
old spolls system with the present merit
system, the civil service was not being
Improved. IT was not, he said, us good
rs 1t was twenty years ago. 1t was con-
stantly dcteroa tlng, becoming every year
more and more of an expense and less
and less efficient.
MI. Glnctt (Mussachusetts) defended
tho commission. ts Il
" After Mr.. Williams (AIlssisslppD. tho
minority leader, had offered II sugges-
tion that II would be an Improvement
operthf present system to fix a certain
period, foI%s which a. employe should
serve the government, Mr. Grosvenor
st(Ohio) referred toea package OF papers,
wll!ol, lad come TO him to-day from u
rural CARRIER who had been propounlea
certain questions by the commission rs
Z. to whether orSnot he had used his inllu-'
enco III behalf OF the election Of Prcsl-
s-v----
ts (Continued on Third Eage) a&