Evening star., 1914-01-18
GOOD ROADS FUNDS
PROPOSED AS BAIT
Democrats Would Unite Post
Office SpoiIs Scheme With
Highway Appropriations.
OLD-TIMERS ARE DAZED
BY AUDACITY OF PLAN
Weakened House Members Could
Then Support Raid On Civil
Service.

Service.
For first-class. highest-style-o
art, long staple, kiln-dried. copper-dis-
titled piece Of legislative log rolling. the
pending proposition in the House of Rep
resentatives involving 2,4Oo assistant
postmasters and s25, 0OOOJ good roads ap
preparations, was yesterday declared to
be the limit to date.
Shades of Mark Hanna, Matt Quay
and Tom Platt,' cried the dazed but en-
vious old-timers. They were but p.kers;
they didn't know the rudiments Of the
game.
This trrevelent defamation was elicit
ed in the gossip about the amazing situa-
ton in which the committee on rules
found itself by the pendency of sugges-
tions to make good and valid some pro-
posed iron-shod escorts to amendments to
the post office appropriation bill.
Gist of Proposition.
Stripped of all disguise and standing
forth naked and unashamed. the PROPOSE
ton amounted to this: that II the House
would agree to take 2,4OO assistant post
masterships from under the protection of
the civil. service. and throw them into the
arena of political spoils, the House could
also participate in dividing some $2o,-
100000 of good roads appropriations.
The proposition looked good: 1t was
catching them coming and going" said
some of the members Why hadn't 1t
been thou=h hit of before? 1t wasn't
trade; it was grabbag, said others.
According to the explanation given by
some of the insiders. it fell out this
| way. When the appropriation bill was re-
ported it carried rider exempting these
| 2.4O0 assistant postmasters from the clvll
service, much to the delight Of the rank
| and file of the faithful. But this rider
| was subject to q point Of order, and the
faithful feared a roll call on 1t, because
President Wilson and Postmaster Burle-
| son were known to be opposed to this
rabid onslaught on the civil service
Dreaded a Showdown.
Every mothers son Of them in the
| House would be glad to have the thing
go through, but they dreaded a show
down of a roll call. The flesh was will
/ ing, but the spirit was weak.
| Some Of the boys needed urging to
stand up and be counted for such bald
inroad upon cherished civil service tradi-
| tons. Chairman Moon Of the post office
committee was equal to the occasion.
Looking about him he espied the
| Shackleford good roads proposition Ian
gushing.
So yesterday he tackled the shackleford
100000 good roads bill onto the post
office bill and asked the committee on
rules ito report special rule making
| both propositions In order With an as
sistant postmastership and slice OF
good roads appropriations 1t was thought
that most everybody would be armed
against criticism from home.
Twenty-Five million dollars for twenty
four hundred assistant postmasters was
considered pretty good pabu.um. II was
regarded as the upset valuation for as
sistant poStmasters.
Borland Leads Attack.
Representative Borland was the first
to attack the plan in the House.
II am strongly opposed" said Mr.. Bor-
land, in debate yesterday. ''to the pro-
vision in the post office bill removing as
sistant postmasters from the protection
| of the civil service and throwing them
back again into the spoils system. In
the first place, 1t is new legislation. which
| does not belong in the post Office bill at
al. 1t could not be made in order in the
| bill without the adoption of an arbitrary
gag rule, against which democrats nave
repeatedly protested when they were In
the minority.
at does not simply repeal the execu-
| tive order placing assistant postmasters
| in the ClaSS1f1ed service, Dut, ny positive
enactment, it excepts them from the OPP
Grafton of the civil service law and. gives
the President no option to extend the
law to them.
Reveals the Purpose.
TT has no purpose in view except to
provide jobs to be filled by political ad-
herents who may have no qualifications
for the ofice beyond the party service
which they have rendered. In many cases
the appointments would be to reward
services which are not party services, but
are political services to the senator or
representative who is clothed with the
powe: of making recommendations. 1t
does not require great stretch of the
imagina ton to see that these services are
expected to continue not in behalf Of
the country, but In the interest Of the
political fortunes of the senator or rep
resentative through whom the appoint
ment was secu: ed.
The democrats of the committee on
rules took up the rule yesterday but did
not finally pass upon it. 1t was consider
ed practically certain. however, that the
rule, with some changes, would be re-