Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-02-21
HOUSE.
Beginning at the wrong End


Beginning at the Wrong End.
The consideration of the bill reported by
Mr.. Willard regulating the employment of
committee clerks was resumed.
Mr.. Wood criticised the Civil Service
Commission for not being able to re- port a
measure of greater Importance. He asked
why was there so much distrust of public
servants. The Generalization that existed
in public life had not extended to private
business. The President had the respons-
Utility of selecting good men for Office,
which he should not shirk by casting it on
Congress.
Mr.. Kerr opposed the bill. He thought
it should be modified so as to make it a
regulation of the House. If the bill was
passed it should include Custom and In
ternal Revenue Collectors.
Congressional Patronage.
While the bill was under discussion, Mr..
Willard, from the Select Committee on Civ
il Service, reported bill providing that any
member of Congress soliciting or recon-
mending appointments, unless called on by
the President or heads of Departments,
shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and fined
from 500 to 81, ZOO.
Considerable debate ensued on making
this special order four weeks from Thurs
day and from day to day until disposed of.
Mr.. Willard withdrew bis bill relative to
the clerks of committees and substituted
this one instead for discussion in the morn
ing hour.
Mr.. Butler, of Massachusetts, offered an
amendment that all applications for Office
be placed in the hand of the claim agents
ov,A v,at1Hlov,,ora around ha Topifpl
Diplomatic.
The morning hour having expired, the
bill went over, and the House went into
Committee of the Whole on the diplomatic
appropriation bill.
Mr.. Swami, a member of the Committee
on Appropriations, who had charge of the
bill, made an hours speech on it, in which
he touched on various subjects: The Chorp-
ming claim, defending the Postmaster Gen
erals course in regard to it; the Catacazy
embroglio, in which he sustained the State
Department and the administration; and
the danger of complications with England,
Russia and Spain. He avowed himself
ready to vote fer bill for the
Recognition of Cuban independence,
and for exacting satisfaction from Spain for
its various outrages on American citizens.
He said
War with Great Britain
would be mere circumstance compared
with the late civil war; that land invasion
was an absurdity, and that in maritime
war we should take dozen English YES
sells where they could not find one of ours.
He criticised the composition of the Ameri-
can Commission at Geneva, referring spe-
cially to Bancroft Davis, as clerk or subor-
dinate of the State Department, instead of
the Commission being composed Of men of
the highest ability and reputation. He I'M
derstood that it was Bancroft Davis who
had presented the Objectionable claims
which had led to the existing complications.
He would support bill for the construc-
ton oftwenty irOn-clads, and would intro
duce such bill himself if no one else did.
On motion of Mr.. Brooks the mission to
Japan was put among the first class mis-
siOns.
Without disposlng Of the bill the commit
eeTose and the House adjourned.