National Republican., 1882-12-15
"WHAT ARE WE HERE EOR?"
Mr.. Flanigan'S Great Sentiment UnrOServedn
IndOrsed by Mr.. Brown, Of Georgia.
After Twenty-Five Years Of Democratic
Rule It Will Be Time to Reform.
Hes Disposed 10 bo Particular About the Two Years,
Too, in This Connection.
The Post-OHice Bill and Fast Mails Dis
cussed In the Lower House.
THE SENATE.

bill took up the time of the senate from
o'clock until the hour of adjournment. Sena-
tor Hoar began the debate, defending the
measure at length, and talking u majority of
his colleagues into the cloak-room. When the
gentleman from Massachusetts, took his seat
Senator Brown, of Georgia, took another tilt
at the bill, subjecting it to protracted criti-
cism, and provoking several Interruptions,
not only from republicans, but demo-
Gratis as we'll. The encounter between
the patriarchal senator from Georgia and
Senator George, of Mississippi, when the lat
ter arose to reply to the formers remarks, was
the feature of the debate, and in the sharp
passage the Mississippian clearly had the best
of it. Senator George objected othe attempt
on the part of Senator Brown to prejudice the
democratic party against civil-service reform,
and protested against any senator loading
down the bill with amendments or attempt
ing to load it down to defeat it. He thought
democratic maladministration would be
as bad republican maladministration, and
that democratic hostility to civil-service re-
form would alarm the country and give re-
newed ground for popular distrust in its pro-
fessions ofhonestywhichwere to be repudiated
as soon as an opportunity is promised for the
carrying out of the proposed plans of reform
The remarks of the gentleman from Missis-
sippi and Senator Browns weak retorts were
listened to with keen delight by republican
members and by the galleries.
SALARY RAISED.
Mr.. Conger from the committee on COM
merce, reported the bill to allow the collector
of the port of Alexandria, Va, yearly
salary of $500 in addition to fees, which was
passed.
DISPUTES WITH THE CHEROKEE INDIANS.
Mr.. Voorhees, offered q resolution directing
the secretary of the interior to report to the
senate the result of any investigation he may
have completed relating to any dispute be-
tween the Cherokee Indians and the United
States growing out of treaty stipulations or
the laws relating thereto.
Mr.. Edmunds said the resolution opened up
an old matter, and he objected to its present
consideration, so it went over until to-mor-
row.
THE PRAYING FORCES.
At the close of the morning hour the senate
esumed the consideration of the bill to pro-
note the efficiency of the navy chaplains by
increasing their salaries.
Mr.. Logan opposed the bill as unnecessary
and unfair, because it would give chaplains
in the navy higher pay than that received by
army chaplains.
The bill was reiected-yeas 20, nays "a.
APPROPRIATION BILLS REFERRED.
The military and agricultural bills were
referred to appropriate committees.
EDUCATION.
Mr. Blair presented memorial adoped by
convention of clergymen held at Ocean
Grove, New Jersey, last summer, in relation
to government and to education.
The memorial is signed by bishops, and
Coke, Simpson, and a large number Of repre-
sentative cergymen. IDOL fnl -'
FRENCH sPoLIATIoNs.
The senate took up the bill on the calendar
10 proyi1n for thp aSpnrtainmpnt of claims Ot
American citizens for French spoliations.
Mr.. Sherman objected to the consideration
of the bill as q waste of time. These claims
were eighty years old: he had discussed them
twenty-five years ago, and again ten years
ago, and he thought they were entirely
groundless as claims against the United
States
Mr.. Frye moved to proceed with the con-
sideration of the bill. 1t was true that the
claims were eighty years old, but it was also
true that in that time there had been forty
four favorable reports upon them by Webster
and Cushing and Everett and Choate and
lesser lights and favorable action by congress
on several occasions. Other bills have pro-
vided for the payment of sum certain but
this one merely provides that the court OF
claims shall hear the claims and the govern
ment's defense, and shall report its conclu'
sions to congress. According to the best in
formation, the claims originally amounted tC
ABOUT Duu luSllCG Ildu DScn SO lOHE
delayed that more than half of them had
been literally buried in the dust, and it was
doubtful whether those which could now bt
established would exceed S5,000,000.
At 2 o'clock the bill gave way to the un
finished business,
THEPENDLEToN CIVIL SERVICE REFORM BILL
Mr.. Hoar addressed the senate in favor o
the bill. He congratulated the country upoI
the fact that by fortunate concurrence o
hot G,thc
united in an effort to reform the civil service
carefully matured bill for that purpose in
troduced by distinguished leader on on
side (Mr. Pendleton) being reported favora
bly, to the senate by a distinguished leader oI
the other side (Mr. Hawley), and "A presiden
of the United States, not heretofore yer,
closely identified with this reform, promisin,
in advance to give it his coul onance and sup
port. The civil service is made up now, ant
always will be, of adherents of one politica
party, and the democratic party was nov
called upon to certify its patriotism and it
fitness to take charge of the government
hereafter by showing that it disdains the us
of weapon of which it has long felt tn
edge.
The senator from Ohio had cast severe re
proaches upon the republican party in con
nection with this subject. Those reproache
were not undeserved and they should be met
not by recrimination but by stating the fac
InhJ lne system WHICH udu prOuuCeu 81 man
evils had begun with the government. Whe
President Jefferson came into power, the pre-
scription of his political friends had been S
fierce during the preceding twelve years thai
as he declared, he did not find one Of them i
Office.
Mr.. Hoar, in connection with this part {
his speech, stated the substance of some CORE
spondence between jefferson and his attorne
general, Lincoln. The attorney general sc
forth the prescription under which the Con
necticut Jetersonian republicans had sutfere
ut the hands of the federalists during the pre-
ceding twelve years, and recommended reta
iation by the president. Jefferson replied, i
one letter, that he guessed the federalist
would find that he could be as into
cradle as they could; in another
that he proposed to turn out the Unite
States judges and marshals in another; tina
he proposed to turn out all Office holders wh
eympathize with Hamilton and the Esse
,suntO, and in another that he would regar
"activity in the late revolution" (which ha
brought him into pOwer), as good reason fO
a political appointment, and activity on th
other side as Il good reason for political IT
moval 1t was only when these things shoul
have been DONE and when his politics
friends should have obtained their just shar
of the Offices that jefferson hoped to have
make no other inquiry about an oiiiceholdC
than Is he honest? Is he capable? Is h
faithful to the constitution So, whe
Mr.. Marcy, under jackson, made hi
coarse and well-Snown statement that II
the victors belong the spOils he was merel
stating tersely and frankly the system whie
had prevailed from the beginning of the GOV
ernment, and in extenuatiOn Of the contlr