Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1872-05-16


We know of clerks who have resigned
to go into this practice because they
could do better, and we have no doubt
that men seek certain positions for the
express purpose of thus qualifying them
selves for the practice. There is, no
doubt, tampering, completely and whis-
pering behind the doors in many of the
departments which ought to be stopped;
but in the plan proposed dive see no prom
Use of effectual remedy, only a gross in
reference of individual rights. What
right has the government to cease the
paw of clerk, turn him into the world
debarred from entering avenues of bust
ness open to all the rest of mankind? It
his experience as clerk enables him to
establish the validity of claim, then
let the claim be paid, and nobody IS
wronged.
The Government can have no desire
to avoid the payment of just claims, and
if it has possession of information estab-
fishing the business of claims it can at
least afford to be honest with its subjects
and render to each his own. But it is
claimed that ex-clerks, by knowing the
ropes and avenues of the office, have
peculiar facilities for getting through
fraudulent claims by collision with aud
ting officers and procuring unjust de-
cisiOns. This is practiced to an unknown
extent, not only by eX-clerks; but by
agents which have never been in the
departments. and the question for the
Government to settle is one of civil ser
vice reform, and not of claim agents
reform. The Government can make
the official eXccutiOner, and even the
pentcntiary remedies for clerks thus
tempered with. and while it may reason
ably place such restrictions as it pleases
upon its own employees. and also such
regulations as right shall demand upon
all claim agents, to attempt to remedy
existing evils by prescribing certain
classes of agents would be, to use home
ly comparisons, like trying to stop
leak in mill-dam upon the outside, or
trying to kill the Upas by looping a
branch here and there. The Govern
ment should exact the utmost fidelity
on the part of it's auditing officers, at the
same time it cannot afford to withhold
any honest evidence, even though it
may tend to establish the validity of
claims.
Most conspicuous in the weeks his
tory have been the old bones of cOnten-
ton, mixed schools, amnesty and civil
rights, civil schools, rights, mixed am
nesty and everything else in a way to
confuse the will and bother the under
standing. 1t first started upon Mr..
Summers bill providing miXed schools
in the District of Columbia. Mr. Ferry,
Of Connecticut, made a speech in which
he favored mixed schools, but more
strongly favored submitting the question
to the voters of the District. He had
attended school in Connecticut with col
ored children, but in all cases he would
leave this to the people to decide for
themselves. Further on in the debate
this idea was embodied in a motion by
Mr. Blair. which was lost by % to 30
votes. Then the Senate, by vote Of
80 to IA, amended Mr.. Summers school
by adding the first section of the House
amnesty bill. This made a school and
a something else bill of it.
Then to this, by a vote Of 81 to q
was added the second section Of the
House Amnesty bill, which made a mix
ed Observation-Disclosures bill of
it. Before another story was added to
.'the house that Jack built the Senate
was brought to face the square question
VI UNI idllllCNl dillilt0tN Wy III lliI-
bull moving 10 strike from the bill every
thing but the amnesty clauses. Excite
mpnt began to develop. The vote result
ed in a tie, being tWenty-eight upon
each side. The Vice President having a
vote in case of tie, voted no; this
raised applause and excitement in the
galleries. Then followed series of
amendments which were either tied, and
determined by the Nice-Presdent, or de-
tcrmned by one majority Of the Senate
until Sumner moved his civil rights bill!
Us an amendment, which was tied by
tw"nty-cight, ard passed by Vice Presi-
dents vote in the affirmative. BY the
time vote upon the final passage of the
bill was reached, excitement became
intense The vote stood 80 for and %
against; rejected, not having the requi-
site twO-thiTdS vote.
Tuesday was signaliZed in the House
by one of the most brilliant parliament
tary achievements of the age.
When the House went into committee
of the whole on the tariff, PIG IRON
ProtectioHist Kelley, and II. L. (Honest
LiberaD ProtectiOnist Dawes, stood con-
fronting each other, each disOWning the
bill reported 10y the committee, and each
having his own pet bantam ready to run
out for the house to consider and substi-
tute for the tariff bill, and each backed
by their army Of adh"roTfs on the floor
Dawes made the first move: it was
that the House strike out the tax on teas
Kelley, to save time, moved to strike
out the enaCting clause of the bill. which
was done. Then he moved to refer it
back to the committee on ways and
means, with instructions to report his
bill instead.
Dawes moved to amend Kelley's mo-
ton, instruCting the committee on ways
and means to report the tariff bin.
striking out the clause relating to iron
and cotton, and substitute therefor his
bill making general tariff reduction
of ten per cent. on the duties now i'm
posed under that section. Dawes
amendment was carried by III to II.
and the vote on the main question was
then taken and the committee were in
structcd. by a vote cf III to - to report
forthwith, the tariff bin with Dawes
substitute.
1t is counted tlia most complete par
liamentary victory of the age, and dem
onstratcs Mr.. Dawes leadership of the
House, though the committee be organ
lied against him.
GENERAL MATTERS.
Political skirmishes have been fire.
quent and lively in both Houses. To
day Mr. Voorhees, rose to a personal eX-
PLANTATION replying to news published
here to the effect that he was disposed
to endorse the Cincinnati nominations.
He repudiated any and everything of
the kind. and went for the Chappaqua
philosopher in a way that raised cheers
of victory on the republican side. while
many of his colleagues in the democratic
faith grew uneasy and intimated bad
faith on his part. Other members from
Indiana took position with him, though
all like Hendricks took occasion to aver
their fealty to the decision of the Balti-
more Convention. The affair created
intense excitement in the House.
All eyes are just now turned to the
treaty. In both England and this coun-
try fears have ripened into convictions