The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1876-08-31

form House Is infinitely greater than
J To any or ail of the Departments OF
, the GOTernment even after. putting
. the worst construction upon them. ~
Is done by all OF the reports OF youI
committees So far a. practical legis-
, latiOn Is concerned, this House has
been sn utter, absolute failure. YOg
have sOughs to make reputation by
showing up the defOrmities of republic
can officials. not for the public good
but simply in the hope OF partisan
! benefit. In many instances they
have been conducted in the the most
shameless manner. They have
, sought to bring before them persons
discharged from Government employ
for dishonest practices they have
hunted up from the slums of the
country all the sstlead-beats''
they could find who would
come here to testify to false
hoods for the lees they get. They
have Investigated in secret and with
out the knowledge OF the accused OF
OF the minOrities OF the committee.
No mans reputation was safe. Even
the Speaker OF this House was ae-
eused OF selling an Office fOr money,
Rith nothing but his known good
i character To Febut it. II the same
charge had been mHds by the same
witness against 3 republican of equal
ly good standing he would have been
repoFted seOundrel.
i While the cost OF making thege in.
vestigatiOns will amount 10 perhaps 3
half million dollars aud is much more
than has been or will be saved 10 the
. i Irrooornrrr IL a
gret them. UpOn the whole they
have done good. In admitting tEis
remember that it was the p0licy OF
the republican party itself To iuvesti-
gaze wrOng-Ooers, and whenever q
committee fiIds and points out wrongs
in Government officers 1t has render
ed genuine service to the countfy.
In concluding this portion Ofmy re-
marks. permit me to advert to the
case OF Schumacher and King, two
members Of this House, proven to
have been 10 corrupt connection With
the Pacific Mail steamship subsidy
bill before they were members. The
evidence OF their corrupt connection
with the passage Of this bill was re-
ferred to this by the last House. No
notice has been taken OF it. Dues
any fair-minded man believe that II
one OF these gentlemen had not been
. democrat we would have had q re-
port recommending their expulsion /?
Mr.. LawFence;-The Committee on
the Judiciary did make report in
that else, saying that the House had
no Jurisdiction over the parties
charged with crime, Il did net concur
in that report, but did unite in the
views OF the minority asserting such
Jurisdiction.
Mr. FOster-Have they reported to
the House /?
Mr.. Lswrence-I suppose that the
.report has been made to the House.
Mr. MeCrary-It has been made to
the House.
Mr.. Foster-I aecept the correction.
II King, tile republican, had been
alone So would have been expelled
long ago. The vengeance OF this vir-
tuOus reform House would not have
permitted him to hold his seat q
week after the opening OF Congress.
/ read from the New York Times q
carefully prepared statement Of the
relOrm practices OF this House. Its
general accuracy cannot be questioned,
while possibly thare may be an Oc-
asional error Of minor detail
.ts. DzMocRArIc PLATTORM.
UIsoB soldiers removed % make room for rebsIs
-Whdt The Democracy has dtreddy accom-
petnaeot-Olso0teo Cnioe soeoieTs tHfIaed OnE
and COnsedisTates Of udrbOtts grades Of fIIcOBI-
ApeteScs put In their pt00es-A carnival Of fJ-
sOrsEnee asid faIbecifitv and a JoTetusts Of
tOActt zoe may szpscf under 1fieieR.
From our own correspondent.l
WAsHINGToE, Saturday, July, ., 1876.
The declaration oftEe st. Louis platform,
made and repeated with frsqnent reitera-
VFifch the civil offices under control OF the
nfI dhfihS faS the pRsssht iiise ses-
sion, The same facts will perhaps suggest
mat the reform which Is necessary will not
be secured IN the civil service by intrust-
Ing the administration % the demOcrGtiO
party. At least there Is nothing In the rec
ord OF the House In the eight months since |
the beginning OF December last to prove |
eOnclusiVely that the democratic party Is, !
- party devoted 70 a pure, high-tOnedf
civil service reform, however, means the |
tul ming out OF all persons now In ONCE. the 1
replacing OF Union soldiers with confeder- |
atss, in putting into good places men who |
havefailed 70 secure appointments In the 4
past, aud who FOR that reason have Joined /
the democracy and Others who have been |
gone 70 the opposition In giving places OF
responsibility, fIled by trained and expe- |
risneed men, tc the new, inexperienced and /
Incompetent; In generally ignoring the re- I
Qniraments OF efficiency and capacity in the |
Interests OF partlsanship and personal ser
vices-tf this Is the kind OF reform cOnten- /
plated by the st. Louis platform, there has /
been q fair display OF It by the democratic i
House, and the country may very properly /
be called upon TO look At II and determlne /
whether the same thing OF which the House /
holds up an example 70 desirable to be in-
troduced throughout the administration
during four years. go
er. Clark, Doorkseper, Postmaster, and Ser
geant-at-Arfns. The tmpOrtant appoint
mSnts are in the Clerks ONCE. The largest /
number are with the Doorkeeper, and % the
Speaker has no patronage 10 dispense save
that ne IA allowed q private olark, appointed /
BY the CLERK Of the House who leayei the
pointed 70 Mr.. Kerr Is an ex-con federate- /
The Postmaster has O few, but Important /
aasistants. zach com mittee has q clerk as
ageneral rule. the exceptions this year be-
log very fsw. Heis appointed by vote OF
the committee In sou1e cases. but odener Dy /
the chairman, 70 whom the rest OF the com
nittee leave the designation a. an act Of
courtesy. 0ne'ofthese clerks described his
duties a. requiring about twenty minutes OF
his time each week Tor which severe labor
other COMMITTEES clerks are less Fortunate. /
and have harder work. a
The appointments OF subordinate officers
70 the ClsfE, Doorkeepers Postmaster, and |
Sergeant a. Arms are. not In reality made
By those ofncers, who have little more /
agency IN the matter than formally placing Il
the names selected BY the members on the i
rolls. There u general scramble By the
state dsleRAtiOnS for places for their States /
It is quits common for the DoOrkeeper 70 /
az, can giIe Rsa51Syiyae1is; S I9E eIsnple
er the PannsytTania democratic members, |
sst togsther and aftsr grave dsliberstlon, or |
: light snd agile mage. or more RE-
Quently the casting OF lots, the memDers for |
whom the sorteg leap forth, not from a he'll I
met. but from dilapitated. plcg-hnt. an !
nounce 70 the Doorkeeper the nalnes which |
pend The appointing otncerss 70 fulnu |
schemes Of thsir own, or 10 show favorti5m |
% particular friends. are cOmpelled % re- l
sort 10 al kinds Of tricks and subteffuges,
such, for instance, as placing on the rolls as
from one state persons realiy residents CT \
another. Oae aeofFltzhugn'sdlf Of dlfnculsles arose |
nom trying 20 play these tricks and getting /
caught At Il, and the Postmaster was subject /
to great complaint 10, the inst part Of the
session because he had taken his suOordi- !
mates too largely frorn one state.
ItWiIl be observed from this manner OF
making the appointments the whole demo 1
cratic party, through fhe great BODY or It's |
been displaying itself. Mistakes IN the sys-
tenn or IN the details Of its administration |
cannot be shifted upon indtYiduals, ior ths
great body OF ths democracy has been en-
IN regard 70 the administration OF the Of
nses great deal might be Writteu- Aneh
OF the delay IN getting the HOu8e In work.
Ing ordsr By which in the first two Enon1nsl
OF fthe session not SOLID weeks work was
accom- pliahed, Is attributable 20 ths groen-
nsss and tnefheieney Of the ofneerss IN no
department was the work well done. Ffe-
Quent blanders were made IN keePin8- the
record, 20 that members for the nrst TIME u
mary years felt compelled % listen each
morning 70 the reading Of the JobrlQL The
assistant dOOrkeersrs could not ma the
members when on the nOOr, and persons
sending In cards sometimes had 70 walt
hoursl for an answer. This trouble could
have been avoided BY. retaining TOR a time
some OF the old dOOrkeepers- AeInbers
could not get areport OF bill from the ooeu-
ufent- room without gr6at tronDie and Dr.
lay. They were stifed and made sick BY bad
ventilation because OF an inexperiencstt en-
dnesr. The erEeant-at-Arns in One in
stanea put = reputable citizen undcr arrest
Is a wines without authority or warrant
BlundarS-nOt 20 use . harsnsr term-have
been common IN All the branches Of service
and ft Is only 3 fsW days since one or CLERK
Adams subordinstes enrolled DiA Wnleh
had been passed BY both Ho1ses, an impOr-
tam DflI on straW-biedings In 5ncn q Inai,-
mar aato render the action OF Consress nun
and void.
Thn. much In relation TO the general
man AZ ofssrefOfnD appointments and al
nItnistraEfon a. exhioited By ttie defnQera.l lc