Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1912-05-21
FINLEY BLOCKS gag RULE"
Has Provision Affecting Postal EN-
ployes Stricken from Bill,

| SISSNS SSNS noLG.
Has Provision Affecting Postal EN-
pIoyes Stricken from Bill.
During the consideration of the leg
islative, executive and judicial appro-
priation bill in the house, recently,
says the Washington correspondent of
the News and Courier, Representative
David f. Finley, of the 5th South Car
olina district, secured the elimination
from the bill the following provision:
THAT no person separated from the
classified service under this provision
shall, directly or indirectly, solicit en-
! dorsement for reappointment through
any member Of the legislative depart
ment, and any person violating this
provision shall be denied reappoint
head of an executive department shall
receive or consider from any men,
Der of the legislative department any
request for the reappOintment of any
person seeking employment in the clas-
sified service, and 1t shall be consid
cred a violation of the law for any
member of the legislative department
to submit to any executive officer
request for the reappointment Of any
person in said classified service"
! The provision to which reference Is
made in the portion to which Mr.. Fin
ley objected was that all members Of
the classified service in the District of
| Columbia whose appointments ante
long to the service June 30, 1917, and
that reappointments and appointments
after that date should be for periods
of five years.
Mr.. Finley, who is the ranking men,
ber Of the house committee on post
offices and post roads, and who had a
large share in the framing Of the post
Office appropriation bill, recently
passed by the house, perceived at once
that the provision just quoted would
have the effect of multiplying the con-
Guiding provision of the following sec
ton of the postoffice appropriation bill,
which was intended to remove the gag
rule" from the employees Of the postal
service:
THAT no person in the classified
civil service Of the United States en-
ployed in the postal service shall be
removed therefrom except for such
said service and for reasons given in
writing, and the person whose removal
is sought shall have notice Of the
same and of any charges preferred
against him, and be furnished with a
copy thereof, and also be allowed a
reasonable time for personally answer
ing the same in writing; and copies Of
charge, notice Of hearing, answer,
reasons for removal, and Of the order
of removal shall be made a part Of
the records Of the proper department
or office as also shall the reasons for
reduction in rank or compensation;
and copies of the same shall be an
nually reported to congress and fur
nished to the person affected upon re-
quest, and the civil service commits
sion also shall, upon request, be fur
nished copies of the same or the orig
inals thereof:
Provided, however, that member
ship in any society, association, club
or other form of organization Of postal
employees having for its objects,
among other things, improvements in
| the condition of labor of its members,
including hours Of labor, and compen-
sation therefor, and leave Of absence.
by any persons or groups Of persons
in said postal service or the present
ing by any such person or groups of
persons Of any grievance or griev-
member thereof, shall not constitute or
be the cause for reduction in rank or
compensation or removal of such per-
son or groups Of persons from said SER
vice."
Representative Johnson, of the 4th
South Corolina district, who had charge
of the legislative, executive and ju-
dicial bill on the floor in his capacity of
the subcommittee of the appropria-
tions committee which drew the meas
ure. said that he hoped the house
would not adopt his colleagues motion
to strike from the bill the provision
mentioned at the beginning Of this dis
patch unless the house wished to re-
turn to the spoils system. On the ayes
and noes, viva voce, the chairman,
(Mr. Underwood0 announced that the
noes seemed to have 1t. Mr.. Finley
called for a division, and when that
was taken the ayes were So and the
noes were 3S, and his amendment was
carried.