Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1914-02-06
PRESIDENT WILSON HINTS THAT
HE WILL PROTECT THE CIVIL
SERVICE SYSTEM.
vET0Es FOR ATTACKS ON IT
Probably Sorry That He Yielded in
One Instance-Rider on Postoffice
Appropriation Bill Has Been
Thrown Out.
eY eEoReE cLINToN.

tuOT6 tHttu occasionally Is nlntlnS that
vetoes viii await appropriation bills
or any other kind of bills which con-
tain what can be construed as attacks
on the civil service system. Is it
too blunt or too hard a thing TO say
that the president may feel that to-
day he is paying the penalty Of yield
ing in one instance thereby Civ
ing the cIamorers after place their
chance to try to make him yield
again?
The house committee ON post Offices
and post roads has for its chairman
Representative John A. Moon of Ten
nessee. Mr. Moon was in favor Of
keeping in the post office appropria-
ton bill the provision which exempt
ed assistant postmasters from the OPP
erations OF the civil service. Now it
is fair to say that when the Repub-
licans were in power great many
OF them were in favor of extending
the patronage lists to the depletion
of the civil service lists and so per-
haps it is only natural that now the
. Democrats are in power they should
feel the same way. The rider which
was put on the post office appropria-
ton bill and intended to exempt as
sistant postmasters from the civil
service rules unquestionably was in
tended simply to give 2,400 more
places to the politicians to fill with
men friendly to the present political
order of things in Washington.
AS had been expected. the rider met
with to- objection that 1t was out of
order. and was struck out, so Mr.. Viii
son will not have to interpose the
veto or give reluctant sanction to an
appropriation bill which contains a
clause inimical, as he believes, to the
civil service.
He Yielded . Little Once.
The president has conferred fire.
quently with the Democrats OF the
house. urging them for the sake of
party, and probably for his own sake.
to check the disposition OF some OF
the majority members to attack the
civil service through appropriation
and other measures. Through the
years Mr.. Wilson has declared himself
on many occasions a civil service re-
former. one devoted TO the spirit as
TO the letter of the law, and pet not
long ago he yielded a little with APP
parentiy great reluctance. 1t seems
bad enough for the president 10 have
some of the old time civil service sup
porters writing articles on Broken
Pledges" and other subjects intended
by them to show that their former
idol. the president, wobhles little
1t is probably true that Mr.. Wilson
fully believed when he signed for
mer bill making exemptions to the
civil service law, that veto would
have done einjury to- the public serv-
ice by delaying work for which the
main part of the bill made provision.
In other words. he thought that while
the civil service attack was unjusti.
fabie, he must sign in order to con
serve the country's best interests.
There has been sharp criticism OF
some of the administration appoint.
ments TO foreign Offices. II is said
some of the congressman. eheered by
their success in breaking down some
of the civil service bulwarks, are
turning their eyes to the heights
where the consular service has been
reposing In supposed security. The
civil service law does not cover the
oonsula- and consular agents OF the
government. but the efforts of two
administrations to protect them with
the spirit OF the law thus far have
been successful
Consular Service in Peril.
If the Democrats want to get after
the consular service, 1t will not be
necessary for them to pass Law to
make their work legal. In the case OF
the post Offices they are compelled to
legislate and to meet the opposition
in the feld OF debate, thereby at
tracing full public attention to their
deeds. The consnls and consular
agents can be removed one by one
quietly provided the state department
and the administration shall give
consent.
Some OF the Republicans are charg
ing that in many of the diplomatic ap
pointments of the present administra
ton there has been enough to show
that the state department is willing tc
pay political debts by giving jobs to
the faithful. 1t is not believed. how
ever, in Washington that President
Wilson win allow the bars which
guard the consular service to be
tarolen down. The service today Ii
on good basis and every man in II
has been given to believe that his
job is safe. Some friends OF Mr.. vii
son are telling him that eventually no
mans Job viii be safe il the Demo
Gratis put any more anti-civil services
riders on the appropriation bills.
Aimed at the Pork Barrel.
There is inst as much OF demand