The Portland daily press., 1871-12-12
BY TELEGRAPH.

BY TELEGRAPH.
XLIId CONGRESs..SECOND SESSION.
SENATE.
| WASHINGTON, Dec. 11.-At his own request
Mr.. Sumner was relieved from the chairman
ship of the Election Committee.
PETITIONS.
Special petitions were presented for the re-
peal of the salt duty; against the government
manufacture of stamped envelopes; for the re-
peal of the income tax; for the passage of sup
Elementary civil rights bill. Referred.
IMPORTANT BILLS
The general amnesty bill from the House was
reported from the committee and its passage
recommended.
Mr. Sumner introduced a bill abolishing the
Internal Revenue Commissionerreducin taxes
asking its reference to the Finance Committee
Mr.. Sherman was doubtful of the power OF
the Senate to originate bill of this character.
MIR. Sumner claimed that it had the power as 1t
was bill reducing not raising taxes. After
discussion it was referred to the Finance Com
mittee
Mr.. Conkling moved the consideration of the
resolution directing the Military Committee to
inquire into the defalcation of Paymaster
Hodges. Mr.. Trumbull suggested that they
had better wait action on his concurrent resolu-
tion appointing a special committee on re-
trenchment aud civil service reform. Mr. Will
son favored Mr. TrumbulPs proposition.
Mr.. Ramsey introduced bill to establish the
territory of Ojibway and to provide Temporal
ry government there. The proposed territory
lies between the 46th and 49th parallels, ex-
tending from Minnesota to Montana.
Mr.. Howe introduced bill for refunding the
taxes on dividends, interest and profits earned
or added to the surplus named in section 10 OF
the act of July 4th, 1870, during the last five
months of 1870.
Mr.. Scott introduced bill providing for the
punishment of contumacious witnesses before
committees OF the two Houses, no witness to be
privileged to refuse to testify or produce a pa
per. on the ground that it would criminate him.
self, and no testimony of a witness to be used
in any criminal proceedings against him except
for perjury in such testimony.
MR.. TRUMBULL ON RETRENCHMENT.
Mr.. Trumbull moved to substitute his resolu-
ton for Mr.. Conklings and read from the re-
port of Joint Committee ON retrenchment on
the abuses in New York Custom House, show
the necessity for the revival of that COM
mittee. That report showed that the salaries of
Supernumerary weghers alone amounted to
$57, 900 year; that by the warehousing system
In use, importers were robbed of immense sums
annually, and a great many other kinds of
plundering were going on in the name of gov
eminent. 1t was generally believed through
out the country that the patronage of the gov
eminent was used for mere partizan purposes,
or worse in many cases, for personal purposes,
and the time had come when it was necessary
to investigate in every department of the gov
eminent whether these things were as charged.
To expose them if they were SO and if not to
set the public mind at rest by a statement of
the truth.
In olden times removals from subordinate.
government 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 came into
power, found the offices filled with his po-
litical adversariss, removed only thirty mine
persons During his two terms Madison re-
moved but five in his eight years. Monroe only
nine, and John Quincy Adams only two In
those days men were appointed to Office for fl
deity to the Constitution, their ability and in
tegrity and not for mere partzan reasons
jackson, however, made great many remov-
ais and introduced the spois doctrine which
has ever since been poisoning the purity of the
civil service
Party organization was necessary and proper
and when a party came into power it ought of
course to select for all offices requiring the ex-
erclSe OF discretion persons in harmony with it
self, but when it came to filling subordinate
and merely ministerial offices, the question
should not be about mere party connections but
about their fitness to perform the duties of the
office and their integrity. He did not believe
in using the patronage and power of the gov
esnment for the purpose of perpetuating party
rule but for the purpose of promoting the meas
ures best for the interests of the whole country;
and, therefore, he was in favor of filling subor-
dinate government offices with the most up
right and capable men who could be found to
take them, instead of mere politicians. Every
Senator knew the principal grounds upon which
Office was sought and obtained now were that
the applicant was poor, or unwell, or had been
unfortunate in business and wanted govern
ment to give him an Office by which he could
retrieve his fortunes, or else on the ground that
he had been very influential at some election.
In this connection Mr. Trumbull read an ex-
tract from the report of the Committee on Re-
trenchment, who, on being asked what influ-
ence had obtained for him his position in the
New York Gastom House replied that ;d it Was
Trumbull, 81 want the committee for the pur-
pose of following up the investigations that
have been made in regard to this question of
the use of patronage. want reform, and
substantial reform of the civil service. be-
leve that it would be long step towards re-
form to pass a law dsconneeting members of
Congress with appointments to office, and / in
PRODUCED a bill to that effect some time ago. If
that were law so that no man should be APP
pointed to any office who had obtained rec
ommendation from any member of Congress,
it would have very salutary effect not only
upon the applicants for office, but upon mem
bers of Congress and head of departments also.
The independence of members of Congress can
not be maintained when they l.s~e-4s put Thorn
selves under obligations for the appointment of
friends to office, and the independence OF the
heads of departments cannot be maintained
when they are liable to be assailed by mem
Der unless they show them favors in the way of
appointments to Office. 1t is no unusual thing
even in this body for appointments to be held
back til other appointments are made. Atleast
such things have occurred in former times
l think there is abroad a general impression
hat haro ic Dton in the Duhlic
vice. The late exposures in New York have
marked public sentiment on this subject
throughout the nation; but how was it possible
for Tammany to perpetrate these frauds? 1t
never would have been possible except upon
this principle of partizanship in official posi-
tions. Do you suppose that the men who have
been arrested for robbing the people of New
York of so many millions have got those mil
lions? doubt not that they have considera-
BILE portion, but believe they have had to spend
many of those millions to keep themselves in
power. Year after year this money has been
paid to persons with political inauence-pad
for the packing of conventions and the carrying
of elections by ballot stuffing
Let us separate the federal government from
any such use of patronage. Let us have higher
state of morals among its officials Let us ele-
vate both official integrity and public authority
by insisting that the public patronage of the
country shall no more be used for mere selfish
and partzan purposes. Let us do this, and
with the government SO fortified, repub
lican institutions may be continued;
but unless we can have purity
in the administration of the govern
ment the prediction of Clay that the republic
would go down in a despotism worse than that
of Constantinople must sooner or later be full
fled
Mr.. Edmunds thought that Mr.. Trumbull
had taken great deal of pains to demonstrate
what all were agreed upon, namely, that cor
ruption is very bad thing and the system for
administering the affairs of the New York Gus
tom House and many other custom houses
could be improved. Certainly it was not nee
essary to revive the the Committee on Re-
trenchment to establish either of these PROPOSE
TONS The question was not whether it is nee
essary to purify the public service but what is
the wiseSt and most effective way of doing it,
There were difficulties in the way. The Sena-
tor from Illinois had authorized the appoint
ment of men to office on account of political
services but where would he draw the line? He
had commented severely the answer of witness
Horton in the New York Custom House in
vestgation. That he owed his position to his
political status, but if any one should ask the
Senator himself to what he owed his position in
the Senate he would have to make the same
answer and so would every Senator and mem
Der of the House. They were allowed their po-
sitions to their political status and had been at
tanned by some service done their party The
Senator said he did object to certain important
offices being filled by party men but had not
stated where he would draw the line. 1t was
reasonable to presume however he would have
to go pretty far down in scale of public officials
before he could trust to having the policy faith
fully and efficiently carried by those men who
were opposed to it.
He (Edmunds) was sorry to hear the Senator
say the President had stated in his message