Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1871-12-12
OONGgEssI0EAL. 4
- sE@zEri q. 80 .a'Es
A Broadside from Senator Trumbnll.

SENATE.
! WASHINGTON, Dec. 11.-Mr. Summer at
his own request was relieved from the
Chairmanship of the committee on priyi-
leges and elections. SItik Is a
| Petl1ons were presented and referred
asking the repeal of the duty on salt y y
| The House General Amnesty bill was re-
ported from the committee and its passage
| recommended. sasgrzalo alff0
| Mr.. Sumner introduced his biIlto abolish
the Internal Revenue Commissionership
and asked its reference to the Finance com
| mittee. A-Aud Ef3 ~ y
Mr.. Sherman doubted whether the Sen
ate could originate bills of this character.
MIR. Sumner claimed that it had the DOW
er, as Il was bill for reducing, not raising
taxes The bill was referred to the Com
mittee on Finance.
Mr.. Morton presented a joint resolution
providing for the adjournment of Congress
on the third Monday In May, 1872. Laid
9ss5o,ooet Chteaaxoo.s EEsao
Mr.. Trumbull presented bill to restore
the records of the U. S. Court in
the Northern District of Illinois. Also, a
bill for the relief of the United States Mar
shal OF that District. Referred.
BY Mr.. Logan, a joint resolution legalizing
the issue of food, blankets, ETC., by the
Secretary OF War to the Chicago sufferers.
| Tabled.
OJfbway.
| MIR. Ramsey introduced bill to establish
the territory of Ojibway and provide tenn
| porary government therefore. The pro-
| posed territory lies between the 10th and
18th parallels, extending from Minnesota
| to Montana.
Mr.. Howe introduced bill for the re-
! funding of taxes on dividends, interest and
profits earned or added to surplus named
in section 10 Of the act of July 4, 10, dur
ing the last five months of 10.
| COntumaciOus.
Mr.. Scott introduced bill providing for
the punishment of contumacious witnesses
before the committees of the two Houses.
! No witness is privileged to refuse to testify
or produce a paper ON the ground that he
would criminate himself. No testimony of
a witness can be used in any criminal pro-
ceeding against him, except in prosecution
for perjury in such testimony.
Defaulter Hodge.
Mr.. Conkling moved the consideration of
the resolution directing the Military Com
mittee to inquire into the defalcation of
Paymaster Hodge.
Mr.. Trumbull suggested that they had
| better wait action on his concurrent resolu-
ton appointing Special Committee on Re-
trenchment and Civil Service Reform.
A Searcher.
The following is Mr.. Trumbull's resolu-
ton:
Resolved, That, the House ofRepresenta-
tives concurring, a joint select committee
on rerrenchment, consisting of four men,
| bers Of the Senate and seven members of
the House, be appointed by the presiding
| officers of the two houses, and that said
committee be instructed to inquire into the
| expenditures in all the branches of the
service of the United States and TO report
! whether any and what offices ought to be
abolished; whether any and what salaries
or allowances ought to be reduced; what
are the methods Of procuring accountability
| in public officers or agents in the care and
! disbursement Of pubic moneys; whether
| any officers or agents, or other persons
have been or are employed in the
service without authority of law
or unnecessarily, and generally how and to
what extent the expenses of the service of
| the country may and ought to be curtaied;
and also to consider the eXpediendy of so
amending the laws under which appoint
ments to the public service are now made as
! TO provide for the selection of subordinate
officers after due examination by proper
| boards, their continuance in Office during
| specified terms, unless dismissed upon
| charges preferred and sustained before a
| tribunal designated for that purpose; and
| for Withdrawing the public service from be-
| ing used as an instrument of political or
| party patronage; that said committee be
authorized to sit during the recess of Con-
| gress, to send for persons and papers, and
| to report a bill or otherwise, and that said
! committee may appoint a clerk for six
months and no more.
Mr.. Wilson favored Mr.. TrumbulTs prop
| osition.
Mr.. Logan argued that the Committee on
| Finance should investigate the Hodge case.
TrumbuIFs Arraignment of Grant.
| Mr.. Trumbull moved to substitute his
resolution for Conkling's, and read from
| the report of the joint committee on re-
trenchment on the abuses in the New York
/ Custom House to show the necessity for a
| revival Of that committee. That report
/ showed that the salaries of supernumeTary
weighers alone amounted to $4,000 year;
| that by the warehouseing system in use i'm
! porters were robbed of immense sums an
! nually, and that great many other kinds
| of plundering were going on in the name Of
the government. 1t was generally believed
| throughout the country that the patronage
| of the government was used for mere
| partisan purposes or worse, in ma
/ ny cases for personal purposes,
and the time had come when it was neces-
sary to investigate, in every department of
| the government, whether those things were
as charged, to expose them if they were so,
and if not, to set the public mind at rest by
statement of the truth. In the olden
| times removals from subordinate govern
ment offices were of rare occurrence. There
were only nine removals during the eight
| years of WashingtOn's administration, and
only ten during that of the elder Adams.
! Even Jefferson, who when he come into
power found the offices filed with his polit-
| ical adversaries, removed only thirty-nine
persons during his two terms. Madison re-
moved but five in his eight years, Monroe
only nine and John q. Adams only two.
! In those days men were appointed to office
for their fidelity to the constitution, their
ability and integrity, and not for mere par
| tisan reasons. Jackson, however, made
a great many removals, and intro
duced the spoils doctrine which has
ever since been poisoning the purity of the
civil service. Party organization was ne
cessary and proper and when party came,
| into power it ought of course to select for
| all offices requiring the exercise of persons
in harmony with itself, but when it came to
! filling subordinate and merely ministerial
! offices the question should not be about
mere party connections, but about their fit
ness to perform the duties of the offices and
their integrity. He (Trumbul) did not be-
! lieve in using the patronage and power of
the Government for the purpose of perpet-
uating power but for the purpose of pro-
noting measures best for the interests of
| the whole country, and therefore he was in
favor of filling the subordinate Government
| offices with the most upright and capable
men who could be found to take them, in
stead Of with mere partisans. of late
| years, however, appointment to office under
| the Government had become not merely a
party matter but in great many instances
a personal matter. Every Senator knew
that the principal grounds upon which Of
| fee was sought or obtained now were tha5
the applicant was poor or unwell or had
| been unfortunate in business and wanted
| the Government to give him an office by
| which he could retrieve his fortunes, or else
! Al 81 l. III 10.