The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1920-03-04

taken by the men who frame the laws
in the construction program proposed
by the navy department. An inquiry
! into the situation that EXISTS in con
\ greSs with respect to military and
naval legislation shows that most of
the congressman have got an impress
throughout the country against mill
! tary or naval legislation and for this
! reason, and this reason alone, they
are dsincined 10 support any great
forward step of a military or naval
nature.
! No sooner was the senate bill with
! its universal training provision out
! in the open than the members of the
house, regardless of political afiilla-
| tons, began to let it be known that
/ they were opposed to universal train
| ing in any form. On the Republican
/ side the leader, Representative Mon
| dell of Wyoming, came out hatfooted
| against the training feature of the
| senate bill and his position was sup
| ported by the members of the house
/ committee ON order of business. The
| effect of this was to discourage the
| house committee on military affairs
from going ahead with the idea that
| it should report bill providing for
universal training The Democrats
| Of the house, with the notion that they
could gain some political advantage
Ivy taking a stand as unit against
universal training, caucussed and al
! most unanimously voted to oppose
this training. This action was taken
after President Wilson had written
the caucus letter asking it not to
take Il stand against universal train
ing.
War Department Will Suffer.
The upShot of 1t all is that the lead
erS have decided not to try to get
through universal training legislation
at this session. They believe the main
features of the Wadsworth bill will
eventually he accepted by the coun-
try and by congress, but they realize,
SO they say that nothing, perhaps,
| could be gained by putting that bill
through the senate at this session and
sending it to the house to be Slaugh-
tered
The uprising in congress against
military legislation leaves the war de-
partmcnt i'm most unsatisfactory
| couditNn 1t had counted on legiS-
lation by the end of the fiscal year
providing for the peace military es-
adjustment. Now it will have to 90
along in Il makeShift way until con
gre>N acts. Meantime nearly all the
new branches of the service that were
built up during the war, like aviation,
motor corps, gas and flame. etc. are
rapidly deteriorating for lack of
funds Between now and the end of
the fiscal year, June 80, the regular
army appropriation bill will he
passed and it is the thought of the
men in congress who are dealing with
the situation to make provision in
that bill for tiding the department
over until a permanent policy shall
have been decided on.
Women Seek Equal Chances.
Women, through the woman'S bu-
reau of the department of labor,
are moving TO obtain equali-
~ Of opportunity in he government
service. Last fan this bureau ar
| ranged to make n study of positions
in the government service open by eX-
animation tn women as compared
with those closed to women. The
study was begun in September On
I November ,, ten days after receiving
n partial report from the bureau, the
civil service commission passed a ruI-
ing opening all examinations TO both
| women and men, leaving it TO the dis
/ erection of the appointing officers to
specify the sex desired when request
| ing ceuitication Of eligibes.
On November 10 a bill Vas intro
| duced in the senate by Senator Me
( Lean of Connecticut. amending the
statute now in force which dates back
TO 1870 and provides that, ut the dis
/ rreton of the head of any department,
women may be appointed 10 any clerk
4 ship in the government service. The
amendment provides that i'm request
/ ing ii register of eIigbles for appoint
ment the nominating and appointing
/ sex is a physical barrier TO the prop
/ or performance of the duties TO he
fulfilled. Thus one of the ends de-
sired has already heen almost com
pletely accomplished.
The largest employer of labor in
the country and the employer of the
greatest variety of labor, the United
States government, has as its employ
mcnt agent the civil service commits
sion This commission is responsible
for securing the proper person for al
most every position in the govern
menl service except hose of unSkilled
labor in some states, and those filed
by presidential appointment The APP
poinmcnt of women to any govern
ment position is still regulated by II
statute written in 1870, which de-
cared that women may in the discre-
ton of the head of any department
he appointed TO any of the clerkship>
therein authorized by law From this
statute has sprung the custom of
opcuing examinations To both sexes