New-York tribune., 1871-12-15
XLIID CoNGRESS-IID SESSION


XLIID CoNGRESS-IID SESSION
CIVIL SERVICE REFORM IN TIE SENATE.
ANOTHER ANIMATED DIscUssIoN-MR. TRUM-
BULLS AMENDMENT DEFRATED-AN ATTEMPT
TO ENFORCE THE GAG LAw-rHE APPOR-
TIoNMENT BILL PASSED IN THE HOUSE.
IBY TBLRGRAPH TO THR TRIBUHg
WASHINGTON, Thursday, Dec. Il, 1871,
Gen. Grants Administration received Q &C.
yerer wound to-day at the hands Of ts prossed friends
than It has suffered before in many days. Senator VII
con struck the keynote Of the whole question before tho
Senate and before the country when, IN the opening
speech the subject, he called the attention OF TIE
Senate fact that they never could make the country
believe that they meant have any reform, while the
declared themselves Of It, they seemed to place
stumbling blocks in the way Of investigation He sDoke
eloquently Of the great improvements that had been
made in the Civil Service under the present Admnisra
ton, but warned the Senate that II was OF no
use to tell the country that this Administration Ia per-
fect that everything possible in the way OF reform
had been done 90, while he agreed with all that had
been said in praise Of Gen. Grants Administration hs
was in favor OF Mr. Trumbuls amendment. The funny
speeches Of tho day were made by Senators Nye and
Upton The former Of these gentlemen, while annoupc
ing that he in favor Of progress leaving behind the
things Of the past by which he meant, must be In
ferred such investigations as tnst begun by the last K
trenchment Committee in the NewYork CustOm-IIouse)
and going forward He then explained what he understood
by progress It evidently did any inquiry into
the expenditures Of the various branches OF tho Govern
ment, to whether any Offices ought to be abolished.
any salaries allowances ought to be REDUCED what are
the methods Of procuring accountability in public OIL
agents In the and disbursement OF public
moneys, whether moneys have been paid out illegally.
whether there any unnecessary offices, or how the
expenses of the service of the country be craid
for he took every ono OF these points In their ordf
and rdiculed the proposition
Mr. Nye's speech put everybody In good nor. hIt IL
bad for the Of the majority, since IT eVinccd
disposition, the part Of the speaker at least to shrk
Investigation. Mr.. Tiptons funny speech on tho
other side Of the question He does not believe that the
present Administration is immaculate especially in It's
distribution of political patronage, and IN avery anus
ing way he gave Q short history Of the mutations
in ofhce In his own State to suit the ends OF
party. A now deal must now be made
he said to reward the friends Of Senator Hitchcock last
elected and he pton) only asked that he might have
time to stop his and bandage bis eyes, that he might
not hear the crack Of the political rife, see the poi-
cal gbbet from which his friends were suspended Nor
did he think that tho present Administration has tho
best of records in regard to appoutmens the Senator
himself had opposed the election Of high officer in his
State (Gov. Butler) because he knew that when the
Cyclone Of corruption passed, that did not leave
more than he took. When the Senator returned to
Washington, he met on Pennsylvaniaave. and told
that he had reported at headquarters and that no
need expect to have patronage at his disposal
Since that time the officers whom he opposed had been
impesched for the very crimes then charged against him
Cipton). He was not Of those who believed that
any man who did not shout for Grant was good Re-
publican. Has It come to this, he said, that man
who does not believe that the intellectual Co
lossus who sits in the White House 10 tho
best man who could be there, il to be read out
of the pary As to the resolution agreed to by the eau
GUS he said that 1t proposed committee and gave
name but gave IL nothing to do. Senator schurz also
made another crushing speech onhe General Order bus
ness IN the NewYork Custom House. and repeated, with
suggestive effect his assertion that there must be
power greater that Of public opinion and greater
even than the Secretary Of the Treasury to keep the
shameful robbery of the merchants Of New
York after the whole matter had been fully
exposed Nor was this all; men who testified
that they were IN tho habit of taking brbes o; the
merchants had never been removed even after their
sworn testimony to that fact had been printed.
When the vote taken the following Rcrub':con
Senators voted for Trumburs amendment: Acorn,
Davis tof West. Va), Fenton, Ferry of Conn.,. LaH,
Patterson. Robertson, schurz, Sumner, Upton, Trum
bull and Wilson, It was defeated BY vote OF "a TO 3j.
The resolution was then passed.
The after the passage of the resolution
long to be remembered. Mr. Trumbull moved 10 T.. rue
the Committee to proceed to the same class - ricE.
tions formerly intrusted to the Retrencncai cona,c
and took occasion to the charge m1.e ~ -.
to throw dirt the Administrative H. cct!
not how ferreting out abuses
attack the Administration upon tie party. No"
toms reply very angry one rcteratiug he rhr'.
and impeaching Trumbups Republ.cansm. wh.n
he ended, half Q dozen Senators ro.s At oic =.
and Mr.. Trumbun was first recognized. but
called to order by Mr. Sherman, the ground
that he had once spoken the Question Th's
proceeding was unusual, that it caused III,
greatest surprise, and gave Mr.. Trunbu good ground
for indignation at the attempt to gag him. Mr. shcr
opposed the present consideration Of the resolution
and in excited manner charged the majority With bad
motives for its action in the whole matter BY the tno
Mr. Sherman was done, Mr. Trumbull fully reused.
and his speech was full OF telling blows During his
long service in tho Senate he had had that rule
forced upon him to stine discussion before.
and be showed that the whole of
the majority had been, first, not to have
any Committee at all, then to have without the
necessary power, in other words they did not mean
to have an investigation at all In reply to Mr.. Nor
toms impeachment Of his Republicanisn, he Informed
the Senator from Indiana that he did not TO him
for his Republicanism When Mr.. Trumbull sat down,
the Senate seeing that it the end than
when it began went into Executive session. and then
adjourned till Monday.
The Apport1onment bill was proceeded with In the
House to-day Immediately after the reading Of the jour.
nal Tho discussion first upon various amendments.
providing for uniform time Of holding elections for
members of Congress In all Gen. Butler pro-
posed that after 1874 the nrst Tuesday after the first
Monday In November should be the day. This was OBJ
jected to on ground that In several States the days
for tho elections xed BY their constitutions, which
could not be changed in time to obvate this dicuty.
Amendmanta vere offered to Gen. Buffers amendment,