Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-12-14
GENERAL NEWS.
LAST NIGHTS DISPATCHES TO THE RECORD.
UNION.
DOMESTIC.
United states Senate.

WAsHINGToN, December 13h.-After the
morning hour Pendleton spoke on his civil
service BILL He spoke of Guiteau's motive
in killing toe President. The fact is patent
that he wanted an office, didn't get it and
believed the President responsible for his
failure. He wanted rev distribution of
Office believed new President would make
q new deal, and give him another CT ance
believed the President could and ought to
divide the spoils he had helped to earn. The
brutality Of our politics, which traduces
character ard vilifes motives whenever a
Difference of opinion exists, made his crime
possible. The assassin asserts that he thought
he was doing his party and the country a
service. These are the fostering beds in
which fools are born into such madmen and
such schemes of wicked deviltry are hatched
The act of Guiteau is exceptional The
causes for it are imbedded in our system, and
are ever present. He depicted in strong terms
the dangers of the expectation and love of
office, the corruption and degradation of pub
lie sentiment, and declared that we must
eradicate this system. We must transact our
business On business principles. He invited
discussion and criticism of his BILL He closed
with an appeal to the Republican Senators,
who have the power and emoluments of the
administration, and to the Democrats who
would sooner or later have the offices, to de-
clare that merit alone should win a place.
His peroration was eloquent and effective
Dawes replied to Pentleton's criticisms, and
said because he had not adopted Pendle-
toms schemes the latter thought he desired no
reforms. He wished to make some practical
advance, and not adopt empirical schemes.
Hill of Georgia said that while everybody
preached reform nobody was praciicing it.
While the country was weeping over the
tragic end Of the late President, Federal
Judge was soiling his ermine by inditipg let
ter to the successor Of that Presdent-ope
who by reason of the corrupt civil service
complained of, had succeeded to that Office
appealing to make appointments for the pur-
pose, in the choice language of that Judge,
" of cementing our coalition in Virginia to
control the State election. What was thatcoali.
ton TWAS to secure Republican officers Of the
State. The Senator from Ohio had said that
much, but had not told the country that the
President, to whom that letter was addressed,
while yet the mourning sobs OF the people
were echoing in their ears, sat down and
made the very appointment which that Judge
had designated as " cementing our coalition"
And then, perhaps with the same pen, had
written homily on civil service reform to be
introduced into his message to Congress.
This was the way we were practicing civil
service reform. Was the President not to
blame for this /? Has not Senator the right
to suppose That every man in the country
who talked about civil service reform was
merely playing with the people Were
there not a score of men now present
in the Senate who had heard read from
that very desk of the Clerk commuDi-
cations from a former Secretary of the
Treasury, and from former President of
the United States, insisting upon the removal
from the New York Custom-house of the
man who was that very President, upon the
ground that he had made it the headquarters
of political party, and thst his removal was
necessary to secure an honest administration
in that office That very man, who was re-
moved from the New York Custom. house on
the ground that an honest administration Of
his Office required removal, was the man who
was nominated for the next highest Office in
the gift of the people, and the men by whom
those communications were sent to the
Senate took the stump for his election. This
was civil service reform, as prac. ID
by the leaders of the Republican parry.
Did not everybody know that every
man. high or low, black and white,
who was charged with connection with the
Returning Board fraud OF 1876, received an
Office from the Administration which obtained
the Presidency by virtue of those frauds?
Had not the members now before him heard
witnesses testify under oath in relation to
that matter that they had purposely commit
ted perjury for the sake of obtaining office
Hills joint resolution on the subject was
read at his request and referred to the Com
mittee on Judiciary. TT provides an amend
ment to the Constitution, that all Postmas.
ters, Revenue Collectors, Judges, Marshals
and United States District Attorneys for the
District Courts Of the United States, shall be
elected by the people of the State in which
their duties are to be performed, and in such
manner as the Legislature of those States
shall provide.
Pendleton's bill was then informally laid on
the table. and Beck's Presidential succession
bill was taken up in the order of precedence
for tomorrow.
Heuse Of Representatives.
WASHINGTON, December 18th. = Tyler's
resolution was unanimously adopted for a
select committee of eleven to audit the claims
for services during the Presidents illness and
burial, and to consider the question of PEN
sion for his family.
Robson moved to appoint select commit
tees on census, civil service reform, the law