Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-12-16
CIVIL SERVICE REFORM.
SENATOR GEORGE ON THE
QUESTION.

lOUdEGO.
referred to the Committee on Finance.
Mr.. Butler presented a memorial of the
Charleston Board of Health. Referred to
the Committee on Epidemic Diseases.
Mr.. Anthony, from the Committee on
Printing, reported the House amendment
to the resolution providing for printing
the report of the Tariff Commission, and it
was agreed to.
At the close of the morning hour. con-
siderauon of the French spOliatiOns bin
was resumed. An amendment offered bv
Mr.. Harrison was adopted, providing that
the report of the Court Of Claims shall be
merely advisory as to the law and facts,
and shall not conclude either the claim
ants or Congress.
The bill as amended was passed.
Mr.. Blair offered a resolution which
was agreed to, directing the Secretary of
the Interior 10 furnish the latest and
fullest information in possession of the
Bureau Of Education in relation to tech
nical education i'm the schools. endowed in
whole or in part by the government. and
also in certain other schools.
Mr.. Pugh presented the credentials of
his colleague, Mr.. Morgan, reelected.
which We're read.
At , o'clock the Senate resumed con
sideratiOn Of the PendletOn civil service
bill.
Mr.. Miller, of New York, continued his
remarks, begun yesterday.
Mr.. George thought the passage of this
bill would inaugurate a most important
and necessary reform, for the evils which
II sought to remedy were Of the most mo-
mentOus character, affecting deeply the pu-
rlty of our governmental administration
and even threatening the stability of our
Institutions. 1t proposed to overthrow the
dangerous and corrupt system. which had
for its motto ITO the victor belongs the
spOils," which had, as Mr.. Webster said.
by the right of conquest, the public offices
created by the people for the common good,
and treated the defeated party, One-half of
the American people, as unworthy to
participate in the government Of their
country" Mr.. George read extracts from
a report made by Mr.. Calhoun to the Sem
ate in 1885. setting forth the evils and dan
gers resulting from the abuse of the pOiti-
cal patronage, and from Mr.. Webster's
speech at the Worcester Convention in
1882, to the same effect. These evils had
continued to grow, and at last the
people had tired of them and had
demanded a radical reform. This
demand was made inno doubtful tone, and
the man or party who could not under
stand the meaning of the recent popular
upheayal must be blind indeed. The Dem
ocratic party at last ought not and could
not resist the peoples Will. If anybody
imagined that the people, tired of Repub-
lican corruption and prOtligacy, overthrow
the Republican party merely to give the
Democrats an opportunity to practice
the same methods, he was most
seriously in error. The Republican Sena-
tors seemed TO understand the peoples
meaning, and he Mr.. George was glad
to see the change that had come over the
spirit of their dreams on this subject; for,
whatever might be the cause Of it. the
change was most salutary. Still
the change was remarkable.
Last session civil service reform was
sneered at, and the senator from Ohio
MIR. PendletOn was regarded as insin-
cere or visionary in pressing it upon pub
lie attention. While political assessments
were defended as justifable means
of gaining and retaining power.
BGt now the general opinion
seemed to be that political
assessments were criminal or even worse,
and in the politicians creed a serious blum
der, and that the monopoly of office '.by
the right Of conquest was not the surest
means of retaining power. The Re
pUblicans were now so thoroughly
conscious Of the guilt Of pOliti-
cal assessments that they came to
I
and by their President asked the speedy
passage of law to prevent them from re-
lapsing into sin. 1t was like the case Of
a criminal in the daily practice of crime
asking that a law should be passed to
arrest him in his guilty career. Laughter.
He Mr.. George was i'm favor Of giving
t..em that aid by the passage Of a law
which would deter not only them but
others hereafter who might be tempted
to offend in the same way.
The Senator from Georgia Mr.. Brown
seemed TO think that there would be no
chance for the Democratic party unless it
could promise its members the spOilS of
office. He Mr.. George repudiated this
idea. He denied that the Democratic
party was dependent upon 1.-THE cohesive
power 0t public plunder," and said that it
wouiG 60 into the campaign of 1884 as it
went into thar ~ tSl6-under the motto,
Reform, fidelity 10 pubic .rgSts, econo-
nv iu administration" and not with the
miserable battle cry, Booty to the vic
tors-woe TO the yanquished."
on motion of Mr.. PendleIOn, ibe trst
section Of the bill was amended so as 10
require the Civil Service Commissioners
to he confirmed by the Senate,
MIR. Dawes, from the Committee on
Appropriations, reported the Indian ap-
prop, iation bill and gave notice ina he he
Would cali'it up tomorrow, or as soon as
possible, At 5i30 p. IA. NE senate I'D.
iOurned Till tomorrow.
HOUSE PROCEEDINGS.
In the House Mr.. Kasson, from the Com
mittee Of Ways and Means, reported back
the bill amending the act to repeal dis
eliminating duties on goods produced east
Of the Cape of Good Hope. and it was
passed. The bill relieves from payment
of duty such goods as may be in bonded
warehouses or on shipboard on the first of
january, 1888. the date when the general
relief goes into effect.
Mr. Reed, of Maine, presented as a ques-
tiOn of privilege the memorial Of James H.
Mclean. claiming to have been elected to
succeed the late Thomas Allen as a Rep
resentative from the Second Congressional
district of Missouri to the Forty-seventh
Congress.
Mr.. Mclean asserts that he received a
plurality of the votes cast al the special
election, but that the Secretary Of Stale
absolutely refused 10 give him certiti-
cate. on the ground that the second dis
trict had been legislated out of existence.
He asks the House to declare him entitled
to a seat.
After considerable discussion, during
which Alr, Clardy, Of Missouri, stated that
Colonel BrodleaG. the rival candidate for
Congress. did not deny thai on the face of
the returns Mr.. Mclean was entitled 10
the seat and that he had never entertained
the idea of cGntesting the election. The
question was put as to whether the
claimant should be sworn in, and il was
decided in the affirmative by vote OF l44
to Is, and Mr. Mclean appeared at the
bar of the House and took the oath of Of
fee.
Mr.. Washburn, of Minnesota, from the
Committee on Commerce, reported bill
the East and West Railway
Company, of Alabama, to construct a
bridge across the COOsa river. Placed on
the calendar
The House then, at 1 90, went into COM
mittee of the Whole Mr.. Calkins, of In
DIANA in the chair on the post office appro-
priatiOn bill, all general debate being linn
tied to two hours.
In closing the discussion, Mr.. Robson
said he had been directed by the Commit
tee on Appropriations to offer an amend
ment to the bill providing that the eom-
pensation paid for carrying the mails to
railroad companies who have received
aid i'm bond subsidies as we'll
as land grants shall not exceed so per
cent. of the amount allowed by law as
for the same service by
railroads which had not received govern
ment aid.
The bill was then read by sections for
In speaking to a formal amendment Mr..
Mills, of Texas, protested against a reduc-
ti0n Of the rate Of postage, which,
IKE all reductions since the war,
,,1,r,,, NJ tho v-rOuo pnd What was all Z