Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1876-08-24
sundry Civil Appropriation Bill.
SP EECII
HON. EUGENE HALE
oF MAINE.
II lHE HoUsE OF REPRESENTATIVE.

Mr.. HALE said:
MT SfEakEE; ! propose. as certsi
shortcomings OF this House have been re
/ ierred 10 in the message OF the Pre>idcot
10 review some of the incidents and event.
at this session OF the House OF Reur.seuta
! lives. am all the more inclined to tbi
duty. Sir, because upon TUESDAY lsst IN,
gentleman from Mississippi (Mr LAMAR
declared that there Is a wide aud genera
dissatisfaction with the republican part,
/ throughout the country, and that the pco
/ pie demanded change While liStenin,
| 10 that declaration. thought of the coun
teT-biast OF Carl Schurz, who SAYS Iairl,
that whatever may be the errors of the re
| publican party, 1t is very clear that de,noc
/ racy affords no relief. Luckily the pres
eni House of Representatives gives u. IN,
chance TO judge of democracy, not by If,
! promises. but by it, performances.
That party carried the country In thu
half revolution which swept over the coun
Try IN 1874. To all appearance il had the
! popular voice behind ii. IL secured almost
iwo-thirds OF the members upon this floor
thus giving 10 it almost irresistible power
10 drive through any needed and Justly de,
sired reform. should IL take upon its should.
eTs any such measure. II had to all ap.
pearaHce, SAY, the popular voice To sus.
tain it. Democracy was here in such
strength that whatever wise measure. II
should propose for actual relief to any suE
/ icrIr1 interest. there never has been a
time when i cOuld not against all objcc.
lions 20 other quarters drive both the Sen.
ale aud the Executive into cansonant ac
'luu. For. ,ir. Speaker, il has never been
aud venture 10 predict will never be the
case, that The popular branch OF the Amer
lcau Congress ~ hen II j. committed to auy
Just measure of reform, any wide n achin.
policy that meets with approval from The
people. can be stayed either by the senate
OF 10y the Executive. In that reg ri. u hen.
ever that question sud that time shall De
reached. America history will duplicate
English history, I'D ii will be found. a, /,
should be found, that with the House ar
raycd tor the right. and the senate or the
Executive arraycd tor the wrong. the Sen
ate or the Executive must and will yield
The dominant party in the House OF
X preseutativcs had such an opportunity
afforded Il when il assembled on the first
Monday OF December last ~ no party has
ever had. The whole country was intent
upon the action sf that party for The com
iug session. II had been sent here up ~
certain promises OF reform in directions
that affected the living Interests of the pco-
ple-the question OF civil service reform.
the question of relief from taxation. the
question oi finance and the currency. and
other broad general queStionS-upOn none
of VIII ch that party fal,edto promise large
ly ia the canvass. that resulted in its sue
cess. In December last its promises ma
iurcd, aud IL WAS confronted with payday.
Now. Mr.. speaker. have 10 time 10
speak at length Of the spectacle that Wash
loo a l.
the date OF the assembling Ofthis Congress
There were TO be distributed 10y the dom
luAut party in the House in all perhaps
three hundred offices. reckoning from the
page upon the floor and the folder below
up to the Speakership ard Clerkship of the
House. And every gentleman here Tsmem-
bers that the city was crowded ia lis steet>
that the hotels and the corridors of the
House were thronged. and that for every
place hundred hungry applicants pre-
,ented themselves here clamoring and
,cramblin. for the good places and, falling
iu them. for the small places. The House
was organized and the work OF the heads
man began at once. Now, appeal 10 any
member upon this floor who was here in
the last Congress TO look over the places
attached 10 this House, and which fell un-
der the control Of democracy under the
promise OF 4 ciyil-seryice reform. and see
how many familiar faces he discovers faces
that were here in the last Congress. Two
or three only arrest my attention. One
gentleman ia the Clerks office is allowed
10 remain there because of his familiarity
with certain finaneial details and the diff
Guilty Of filling his place. The paying tel
Ter, In The Sergeant-at-Arm's office, is left,
and here and there is spared. a. a monu-
unent of the past. an old soldier attending
our doors. All of the rest have been ruth
lessly submitted, to the ak OF the heads
man, have been turned out and Others put
in their places.
Mr.. SPRINGER-There are more Union
soldiers ia the the employ OF this House
than " ere in the employ of the last House.
Mr.. HALE-I have heardihat statement
before. do not accept II as truei my fig-
ures are different now.
Mr. ri Sk-Solders of which army!
Mr.. SPRlNGER-Soldiers who were in
the Union service.
Mr. HALE-This was specimen OF civ
IL service reform with vengeance But
il had one advantage. and my friends on
the other side were entitled 10 that advan-
tage. Ii disembarrassed the party in con-
trnl. Ii leit the House in the hands OF its
[ friends. Aud looking on and remember
4 nv NOW Ils parry BlOll4Ntd lCiti an PC7
i lIical methods and moderation whenever
7 il should be placed IN power, il may be
that Governor 1ilden interpreted the ac'
\ tion of his party as the fulfillment of It's
/ promises. and therefore in his letter OF ac-
| ceptauce encourages the faithful follower
I OF civil-seryice reform In these Ingenious
words:
! The public interest in an honest. skillful per
of off al -
/ 10 the usuiruct of the incumbents.
fancy that we are likely to hear some
thing of the "usufruct of the incumbents'
| as political evil should the presidential
| election 90 democratic.
But | must follow the course of the
I House The Speaker was elected and ZAP
! uointed his committees, and just here wa
/ a most serious outcropping OF what migh
| be expected in the future II the elections o.
1874 be repeated In 1876. 1t had been pre-
| dictrd. il had been feared that a democrat
! ic triumph meant the restoration to powe
of that element in the democratic part,
which carried the country into civil wa
and maintained that war for four cruel
tragic. desOlating years. There va
throughout the country growing susplc
| ion that this was a threatening danger
The democratic leaders knew this feelin.
| OF apprehension lb the toubtis my h"'
ALWAYS denied il. and there have been her
and elsewhere many protestations OF mod
esty from gentlemen representing that eie
ment 10 the democratic party, that VIII
them there was no existing intent oil gam
ing the control OF the Government throug
the control of the democratic party.
The gentleman from Mississippi (Mi
LAMAR) In his speech declared-l do nc
use his exact words-thai if any man d.
lieved that there was any danger oil III
south getting control OF The democrati
marty or the country. il was hailucihs
tion which observation aud a little exper
, ence would surely dispel. do not quot
. his language, but the spirit OF his stat
meut.
Now. the speaker of this House sat
, that chair, the representative OF the Who'll
party that had made him Speaker. He
was who could feel his parfy's pulse an
: measure its demands. AS I'have AWAY
a believed. he is very fair man; man WI
4 4 will endeavor under any circumstances
: do what he believes is right. withai an u
a tense party man. aud one who. lnsteao
!, setting himself in the way of pronounce
Il IL n 0 N :