Show MUST ACCEPT LESS SALARY FOR WORK Bad News for Old Fellows Holding Down Govern Government ment went Positions TARIFF ISSUE NEXT YEAR CONGRESS IS TOO LIBERAL IN APPROPRIATION MATTERS Washington Nov 6 The best evidence that the heads of the several executive departments mean to reorganize and re reclassify r reclassify classify the tho employee under their Juris Jurisdiction jurisdiction jurisdiction diction Is contained In an opinion recently rendered by Attorney General Wicker Wickersham Wickersham sham shame who In response to the President decides that In the matter of reduction In n salary and rank and ex sailors and their widows and orphans are entitled to no preference whatever but stand on an equal footing with other em For many years and their widows and orphans holding positions under the government have been een looked upon as the wards of the nation In other words they were given the preference in the matter of appoint appointments appointments appointments ments promotions and dismissals When occasion arose that necessitated a reduction of ot the force in a department or separate parate bureau of the government as asfor asfor asfor for instance the government printing of office office office fice the civil war veterans and their widows and orphans would be the last to go Later this same preference was extended to the Spanish war veterans And even een when It came to cutting expenses ex expenses expenses by reducing salaries in the de departments departments departments the preference still held good Never before so far as can be ascer amen ascertained ascertained tamed has the attorney general been asked for an opinion on the law cover covering coverIng covering ing this subject The fact that the preference for war veterans and their widows and orphans does not apply to a reduction Deduction of salary salar or rank is construed to mean that in the shakeup In the treasury department soon to take place who have entered the service through the civil service In the last few years will fill the places of those who have become super superannuated superannuated superannuated in the service and thus there will be a redistribution of salaries Secretary MacVeagh does not want to todo todo todo do an Injustice to anyone but he realizes that It is necessary to give the young clerk a chance and pay him what he is worth This can only be done by reducing reducIng reducing ing those clerks who have given their best time and energy to the government and who have now passed the age when they can meet the requirements A very large number of ot the In the treasury department belong to the class known as civil war veterans They The hold preferred positions in the matter of salary It is they the who are to be re reduced reduced reduced thus making way for younger blood It is said Bald this plan has ben bean adopted in preference to dismissal and calling on the civil service to fill till va vacancies vacancies Vacancies The opinion prevails that the other de departments departments departments will adopt the MacVeagh plan and that the outcome will be legislation providing for the of at super superannuated superannuated ln in the classified servIce service servIce ice Secretary Sec tary MacVeagh l is said to be favorable to fo the Gillet bill which was reported report d to the house in the last con congress congress congress gress There seems to be no doubt but that many congressmen feel fesl confident that the tariff will be a leading issue in th congressional elections ele next year ear The Th basis for this opinion is the fact that more mere than two million copies of th the speeches delivered In the house and sen senate senate senate ate during the extra session have been ordered by members of the house and senate The Democratic congressional commit committee tee It Is said will circulate thousands of copies of speeches delivered by Senators r LaFollette and Cummins three of the leading Republican progressives in to inthe the senate i These senators charged that the Payne bill felt short pf keeping the promise made In the Chicago platform and in fact severely attack the Payne bill In every ever schedule It is 15 this discontent in fn the west we t that gives members of the Democratic congressional committee encouragement and hope for Cor a Democratic house in th next congress If it was not intended that the tariff should figure In next years elections It is h highly Improbable the millions of copies of tariff speeches would J be circulated when as a II matter of fact no elections were at hand handIn In administration circles the statement stat m nt Is made that President Taft will be sat satisfied satIsfied to have the tariff as an issue i 1 Ithe i ithe the campaign next year ear The two month during which the Payne bill has been In fore forc Indicates that It will be a revenue reet u producer and that while it may not yield revenues the first year equal to the ex expenditures expenditures I It Is likely that within two years cars provided the administrations pro program program i inam gram nam of economy is continued It will pro produce produce 1 duce a surplus This of course includes revenue from the corporation tax oJ Congress has been been most moat liberal In the matter of appropriations during durin the last two years cars and the thc expenses of oC the gov government government government have hae increased beyond all r ra a ason Eon son For Instance for the fiscal year ear ended June 30 1007 1907 the ordinary dis disbursements disbursements of the government amounted to In two years from that date to br bf more exact for the fiscal year ended June Juneio 30 W 1909 the ordinary disbursements reached the enormous sum of an increase of over It is said on high authority that i iwas it was this statement showing the tho increased cost of running the government that caused President Taft to issue the order to the heads of the departments to devise ways and means of reducing expenses |