Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1922-01-12
G. 0. P. LEADERS
WANT POSITION
CIVIL SERVICE RULES OF
APPOINTMENT MEAN
COMPLICATION

The term of postmaster for the city
of Wausau expires this next Septem-
ber. and there is naturally more or
less speculation regarding the presi-
dental appointment. Three candi-
dates are mentioned: DR.. A. W. Trey
lit, for sixteen years in the office;
Louis H. Cook, a stalwart Republi-
can and at present assemblyman,
and George j. Leicht, district attor-
ney and one of the most loyal sup
porters of Representative E. E.
Browne, in whose hands the recon-
mendation is supposed to rest
The matter of the appointment of a
local postmaster is more or less COM
plicated because of executive orders
practically classifying first class post
office appointments under civil SER
vice regulations
Want Civil Service
For many years there has been agi-
tation for the placing of all presi-
dental postmasters under civil SER
vice. President Wilson recommended
this in his message to congress but
finding it Impossible TO obtain CON
gresional action extending this classi-
fication to cover all postmasters, he
issued an executive order on March
81, 1917, providing that vacancies be
filled by his sending to the senate
for confirmation the name certified
to him by the civil service commits
sion as the high eligible as a result
Of an examination held by the COM
mission for the appointment
The records of the civil service show
that under this fair arrangement out
OF some 2500 appointments of post
masters made under the Wilson or
der and during his administration, ap-
proximately 100 were Democrats and
1900 were Republicans, the balance
being independents or belonging to
other parties.
On April 23rd, 1920, President Will
son modified this order giving a pref
erence to veterans of the war, and
after this modification Mr.. Wilson
nominated 243 postmas;ers, of whom
PIG were ex-service men On May
10, 1921, President Harding revoked
the Wilson order, part of it due to
stalwart opposition to recognition of
ex-service mems preference He is
sued instead an order providing that
vacancies in these offices be filed as
a iCouit VI opCI iDDClltlNc tAdIIlI-
nations held by the civil service COM
mission to test the fitness of appli-
cants of applicants.
Destroys Preference
The order of President Harding va
ries in two particulars from the Will
son order In the f1rsl place it de-
Stroys the preference for veterans CIV
en- in the Wilson order, and in the
second place, it provides that the post
master general shall submit to the
president for appointment the name
of one of the three highest eligible
instead of the highest eligible Ac-
companying this order President
Harding issued statement to the eff
feet that all postmasters should be
under classified service but that this
required an act of congress which he
hoped would be passed, and that this
order issued that day was move
in that direction and that the intent
was that appointments should be
based on the qualification of appli-
cants and be made without regard to
politics in the same manner as they
are now made in the classified civil
service.
Local aSplrants Tor the postmaster
ship are evidently not considering this
angle of the situation, giving some
basis to the current rumor that Post
master General Hays resigned because
of Republican appointments that are
loaded onto the post office service,
without regard to qualifications.
If the old method Of appointment
still prevails, it may be assumed that
Representative Browne will recon-
mend one of his supporters for the
Wausau office. who will go through
the formality of an examination be-
ing certain of appointment.