156 



CONGRESS. (THE FINANCIAL MEASURE.) 



The Executive order of May 6, lS!)ti, extending 

 the limits of the classified service, brought within 

 the operation of the civil service law and rules 

 nearly all the executive civil service not previously 

 clas-sitied. 



Some of the inclusions were found wholly illog- 

 ical and unsuited to the work of the several de- 

 partments. The application of the rules to many 

 of the places so included was found to result in 

 triet ion and embarrassment. After long and very 

 ..ireful consideration it became evident to the 

 heads of the departments responsible for their etfi- 

 riency, that in order to remove these difficulties 

 and promote an efficient and harmonious adminis- 

 tration certain amendments were necessary. These 

 amendments were promulgated by me in Executive 

 order dated May 29, 1899. 



The principal purpose of the order was to except 

 from competitive examination certain places in- 

 volving fiduciary responsibilities or duties of a 

 strictly confidential, scientific, or executive charac- 

 ter which it was thought might better be filled 

 cither by noncompetitive examination, or in the 

 discretion of the appointing officer, than by open 

 competition. These places were comparatively few 

 in number. The order provides for the filling of 

 a much larger number of places, mainly in the 

 outside service of the War Department, by what 

 is known as the registration system, under regula- 

 tions to be approved by the President, similar to 

 those which have produced such admirable results 

 in the navy yard service. 



All of the amendments had for their main ob- 

 ject a more efficient and satisfactory administra- 

 tion of the system of appointment established by 

 the civil service law. The results attained show 

 that under their operation the public service has 

 improved and that the civil service system is re- 

 lieved of many objectionable features which here- 

 tofore subjected it to just criticism and the ad- 

 ministrative officers to the charge of unbusiness- 

 like methods in the conduct of public affairs. It 

 is lelieved that the merit system has been greatly 

 strengthened and its permanence assured. It will 

 IK* my constant aim in the administration of gov- 

 ernment in our new possessions to make fitness, 

 character, and merit essential to appointment to 

 office, and to give to the capable and deserving 

 inhabitants preference in appointments. 



The 14th of December will be the one hundredth 

 anniversary of the death of Washington. For a 

 hundred years the republic has had the priceless 

 advantage of the lofty standard of character and 

 conduct which he bequeathed to the American 

 people. It is an inheritance which time, instead 

 of wasting, continually increases and enriches. 

 We may justly hope that in the years to come 

 1 he benignant influence of the Father of his Coun- 

 try may be even more potent for good than in the 

 century which is drawing to a close. I have been 

 glad to learn that in many parts of the country 

 the people will fittingly observe this historic anni- 

 versary. 



Presented to this Congress are great opportuni- 

 ties. Wi tli them come great responsil>ili ties. The 

 lower confided to us increases the weight of our 

 obligations to the people, and we must be pro- 

 foundly sensible of them as \\e contemplate the 

 new and grave problems which confront us. Aim- 

 ing only at the public good, we can not err. A 

 right interpretation of the people's will and of 

 duty can not fail to insure wise measures for the 

 welfare of the islands which have come under the 

 authority of the United States. ;ind inure to the 

 common interest and lasting honor of our country. 

 Never has this nation had more abundant cause 

 than during the past year for thankfulness to God 



for manifold blessings and mercies, for which we 

 make reverent acknowledgment. 



WILLIAM MCK.IXLEY. 

 EXECUTIVE MANSION, Dec. 5, 189V. 



The Financial Measure. The most important 

 legislation of the session was the passage of the 

 bill "to define and fix the standard of value, to 

 maintain the parity of all forms of money issued 

 or coined by the United States, to refund the pub- 

 lic debt, and for other purposes.'' It was intro- 

 duced in the House of Representatives on Dec. 4, 

 1899, and on Dec. 7 the member of the majority 

 having it in charge proposed its immediate consid- 

 eration by unanimous consent. In behalf of the 

 minority objection was made that the measure 

 had been prepared during vacation by a special 

 Republican committee; that it had never been 

 acted upon by a regular committee of the House; 

 that the Democratic members had no knowledge 

 of it; and that they wanted time to study it and 

 discuss it. Dec. 8, the Committee on Rules re- 

 ported a resolution shaped to provide for its rapid 

 passage. The special rule ordered consideration in 

 committee of the whole to. begin on Monday, Dec. 

 11, general discussion to continue until Friday af- 

 ternoon, then discussion under the five-minute rule 

 until Saturday afternoon, when the bill was to be 

 reported to the House with amendments. The vote 

 on the final passage of the measure was set for 

 Monday, Dec. 18, after the reading of the journal 

 The space of forty minutes allowed for the discu: 

 sion of the proposed rule before a vote on it wa 

 spent apart from the usual bickerings about in 

 consistency by the minority in a protest against 

 hurried action in a matter of such importance and 

 by the majority in citing Democratic authority 

 for this method of dealing with an emergency. 

 The rule was adopted by a vote of 1G4 yeas t 

 144 nays, 46 members not voting. 



The debate that followed covered points tha 

 have been discussed directly or indirectly in Con 

 gress year after year, and no summary of th 

 long discussion in both branches of Congress woul 

 be feasible, or perhaps desirable, though many abl 

 speeches were made in the House and in the Sen- 

 ate, and a wealth of financial information is spread 

 over the pages of the Record. It may be worth 

 while to give, merely as su gesting various points 

 of view, three illustrative extracts. 



Mr. Overstreet, of Indiana, who was in charge 

 of the measure in the House, in arguing for the 

 necessity of a declaration in favor of the gold 

 standard, reviewed briefly the national legi-- 

 lation, and maintained that we had already en- 

 tered upon that policy and that it was essential 

 to formulate it in the law. He said : 



" The first effort in this country toward estab- 

 lishing a monetary standard was in 1786, when 

 the Congress of the Confederation chose as the 

 unit of value the ' Spanish milled dollar,' con- 

 taining 375.64 grains of pure silver. There wa- 

 then no mint in the United States, and the 

 'milled dollar' was never coined in America. 



" The first coinage law under the republic was 

 enacted April 2, 1792, and sought to establish a 

 double standard of gold and silver at a ratio of 

 1 to 15. Whatever the result of the operation of 

 the law, and the failure of the two metals to main 

 tain the relative values fixed by statute, neverthe- 

 less it is quite clear that it was the intent and pur- 

 pose of the lawmaking power to provide and legal- 

 ize a double standard of value. 



" The subsequent act of June 28, 1834, changing 

 the ratio from 1 to 15 to 1 to 111. by reducing the 

 weight of the eagle from -270 grains to -2M grains. 

 was in the hope of maintaining the double stand- 



