The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1913-04-24
FOR GENUINE
CIVIL SERVICE
SENATOR NORRIS OF NEBRASKA
WOULD INCLUDE ENTIRE p.
O.. DEPARTMENT
QUESTION OF WHICH IS WORST WAY
Republican and Progressive Congress
men object to Leader Mann's Or
g~anization Scheme
(From Our Washington Correspondent

(From Our Washington Correspondent.)
A half dozen republican congress-
men and Progressive Leader Muir
dock, ripped holes in the republican
organization scheme which permitted
Leader Mann to select the minority
committee members. The critics de-
clared that it was pure "Cannonism,"
against which the country, and even
the house rebelled. In answer to the
boastings of the progressives that they
had selected their members in open
conference, and the democratic claim
that they were eminently fair, because
their committee were selected by a
special body of their own numbers,
Mr.. Good Of Iowa, arose to tell the
house why the democratic manners
were worst of all, and this is the way
he puts it: The plan of allowing the
committee on ways and mea to ap-
point these committees is still more
vicious. Look at the situation as il
presents itself today. The commit
tees of this house are not appointed
and they will not be until the tariff bill
has been uassed. The democratic
members of the mouse know all too
well that if they would secure the com
mittee appointments which they seek
they must vote for the tariff bill in
troduced by the gentleman from Ala
bama (Mr. Underwood. They must
vote for the program laid down by the
democratic members of the committee
on ways and means. Now, members
must, by their votes for the Under.
wood bill, buy their committee assign
ments."
Senator Norris of Nebraska, has
taken up his civil service measure for
the post office department, which he
originally introduced in the house.
While the politicians are wasting their
efforts trying to find out whether the
10000 fourth class post masters of the
country should remain in the civil
service, according to the order of ex-
President Taft, and in trying to find
holes here and there in the service, to
be filled in with civil service appoin-
tees, Senator Norris proposes to apply
the merit system to the entire service,
beginning with the Postmaster General
and running down through the entire
department to include the most OBJ
scure roustabout in the service. Sena-
tor Norris is very much in earnest in
his desire to make the post office a
business institution instead of a politi-
cal grab bag, and he believes that the
merit system as it is applied on the
railroads and in great commercial in
situations, would inspire a desire
among postal employees to make the
post Office their life work, as they
would realize that by application and
efficiency the highest places in the
service, even up to the place Of post
master general, would be in their
reach. The Norris measure attracted
widespread attention when it appear
ed in the house, and with the new con
ditions that are coming up in congress
it is evident that with an aggressive
Senator like the Nebraskan back of
the measure, that the sentiment Of the
country is to be tested.
Despite the stereotyped administra-
ton plan Of legislation, which does
not include the subject of guaranty of
bank deposits, Senator Owen chair
man of the senate banking and cur
rency committee, proposes that con
gress shall take up the question of
protecting the depositors of defunct
banks, and that Immediately upon the
failure of a bank that payments shall
be made to %depositors for such por-
ton Of their credits as Is shown to be
warranted by the condition Of the
closed institution. This Is what might
be termed a limited guaranty of bank
deposits.
Congressman Hensley of Missouri,
has been to Panama, and expresses
the belief that the canal will never
pay.
Nearly two years ago Presiden,
Taft appointed Ex-Governor Sloan of
Arizona, a federal Judge. About that
time the Arizona democrats were en-
gagged in stirring up a muss every
time Mr.. Taft started anything, and as
they were satisfied that the appoint
ment was a personal one by the
president, they Immediately began to
make things gloriously hot for Sloan.
The latter was unfortunate enough to
have a record, and in such cases the
viewpoint is easily changed into most
ly any old shape the ~exigencies of
politics warrant. It followed that
when the name Of Judge Sloan got be-
fore the United States senate that it
had been dipped in the tar barrel, and
confirmation was not forthcoming. A
full dozen Arizona democrats who did
MT get to be governors or senators at
the recent election, now aspire to this
particular judgeship. 1t is a place to
be filled by the president. Senator
Ashurst has an idea that the Arizona
law which allows the electors to
choose their federal judges is a pretty
good thing, since 1t embraces the
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