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5544
     The PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Chair is informed that 
the bill was before the Senate and that the amendment reported 
by the committee had been read.
Mr. ALDRICH.   What is the bill?   Let it be read by title.
The PRESIDENT pro tempore.   The title will be stated.
The SECRETARY. A bill (S. 2000) regulating appointment to 
and removals from civil offices in outlying dependencies of the 
United States.
The PRESIDENT pro tempore. The bill is before the Senate 
as in Committee of the Whole, and the amendment reported by 
the committee will again be stated.
The Secretary read the amendment reported by the Committee 
to Examine the Several Branches of the Civil Service, which was, 
to strike out all after the enacting clause and insert:
That all appointments to civil offices made by the President or any head 
of a Department in Alaska, Hawaii, or any place brought within the jurisdic- 
tion of the United States by the recent treaty with Spain, shall be made 
irrespective of the political opinions of the persons appointed, and, so far as 
consistent with the proper performance of the duties of the office, in such a 
manner as to represent the entire country. In case of removal from any 
such office, whenever practicable, charges shall be made in writing and a copy 
thereof famished to the accused, who shall be afforded reasonable opportu- 
nity to make answer thereto; and the President or head of a Department 
making the appointment may, wherever the public interest shall seem to re- 
quire it, suspend the official pending hearing or investigation of such charges.
The PRESIDENT pro tempore. The question is on the amend- 
ment of the committee, which has been read.
Mr. GALLINGER. Mr. President, when the Senator from 
Vermont [Mr. Ross] a little time ago asked for the consideration 
of this bill, I raised some objection, and it went over. I merely 
rise to-day to say that while I shall not object, as I desire to be 
very courteous to the Senator from Vermont, I regard it as an 
unnecessary and an absurd bill.
    The amendment was agreed to.
The bill was reported to the Senate as amended, and the amend- 
ment was concurred in.
Mr. VEST.   Mr. President, from what committee does the bill
come?
The PRESIDENT pro tempore.   From the Committee to Exam-
ine the Several Branches of the Civil Service.
Mr. ROSS. I will state that the report of the committee is 
unanimous.
Mr. VEST.   It seems to be a very strange bill.
Mr. TURLEY. Mr. President, I am a member of the committee 
which reported the bill, and the Senator from Texas [Mr. CUL- 
BERSON] and myself, the Senator from Vermont, will remember, 
when the bill was in committee, asked, and we understood it was 
agreed to, that the caption of the bill be changed so as to strike 
out the words "outlying dependencies."
Mr. ROSS. There is provision for that in the amendment re- 
ported to the title of the bill.
Mr. TURLEY.   I mean in the title of the bill.
Mr. ROSS. That will be in order after the bill shall have been 
passed.
The PRESIDENT pro tempore. There is a proposed amend- 
ment to the title, which will be reached in time. The question 
now is on ordering the bill to be engrossed for a third reading.
Mr. VEST.   I must confess, Mr. President, I do not understand
this bill. I have never known of any such legislation. We are 
telling the President of the United States - true, it is a mere plati- 
tude - that he shall make appointments with a view to the inter- 
ests of the whole country. I hardly think it is exactly our prov- 
ince to tell the Executive what his duty is about appointments.
That matter is exclusively for him, with the approval of the Sen-
ate.   The Constitution gives him the right to make appointments
on the advice and consent of the Senate; and now we anticipate 
his action and say, if I understand it - a Senator was talking to 
me at the moment and perhaps I did not correctly catch the mean- 
ing of the bill - "Mr. President, you must make these appoint- 
ments with a view to the best interests of the entire country."  I 
am not representing the President, but I rather think he will do 
that, and rather think we are going out of our way to tell him he 
ought to do it. If we had a Democratic President, I should cer-
tainly think so.

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