Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1882-12-16

if they can carry out their policy,
that will be it's effect. But / say
that you cannot do it, and therefore
in enacting this bill you are worse
than idle.
Senator George: ''It is the stats
ute, and not the the theory of it's
advocates, that is of force in this
country
Senator Brown: '.In fact it is the
practice of those who execute the
statute that is in force in this coun>
try"
Senator Brown here read some
extracts from letters of President
Jefferson, whose doctrine in regard
to removals from Office was often,
he said, misrepresented, and laid
special emphasis on Nh. Jeferson's
words in regard to certain Offices
holders who had opposed him acts
ively ''Seek them; mark them.
''Be sure of your ground and leave
the rest to me- This, he said,
would be the practice of any Presi-.
dent elected by the party out
of power. Leaving the partisan
view of the matter, Senator Brown
argued that the pending bill was un-
just. Its object was to give the Re
publican party permanent tenure
of Office, and the Republican party
was clearly minority of this couns
try. That minority had had control
of the government for Twenty-Five
years. How long was it's divine
right to govern this country to cons
tinue? If there was to be real civil
service reform, it ought to provide;
first, that all offices, high or low,
should be open to competitive exam
ination, and, next, that the prefer
ences should be given to Democratic
competitors until they had fair
share of the Offices.
Senator Hawley said there were
good many old Democratic employees
in the departments now, and asked
Senator Brown whether he would
have them turned out.
Senator Brown replied that he
would have them put on their
merits, and moved to have the bill
SO amended that an outsider might
come in and take the Office from an
inside competitor, whether they
were Republicans or Democrats, if
his merits were superior.
Senator George charged Senator
Brown With inconsistency, III argu
ing first that this bill was unjust
because it would prevent the Demo~
Gratis from getting their fair share
of the Offices, and then that it was
nulity, becausesit would not prevent
Democratic President from giving
his followers fair share of the
offices.
Senator Brown said some advo-
Gates of the bill took one view and
some another, and therefore he felt at
liberty to argue the case from both
theories.
Senator George thought there
was reason in objection, that
the bill did not permit competition
by all for Offices of every grade, and
expressed his regret that Senator
Brown had broken its force by coup
ling it with argument. That the
bill would do the Democratic party
injustice. He was not SO confident
as Senator Brown appeared to be of
a Democratic triumph in 1884, and
he thought the reverses of the Re
publicans this year were to be at
tributed, in large measure, to that
party having occupied every position
upon this question that Senator
Brown now wished the Demo-
Gratis to take. He agreed with Sem
ator Brown that this bill, If passed,
would not prevent the Democratic
President, when he did come in,
from following Jeferson's rule
Senator Brown: "Then what are
the merits of the bill if it does not
prevent arbitrary dismissals?"
Senator George: Il will not go
into the merits of the bill now, but
will say that it embodies in the form
ofa statute the best conscience and
Judgment of this country against
political prescription, and for doing
that it receives my hearty approba
ton"
In colloquy between Senators
Brown and George the latter admit
ted that he would have the Demo>
cratic President turn out every office
holder who responded to the politi-
cal assessment in the last campaign.
Laughter.
Senator Brown; ''That would be
little broader than my doctrine"
Senator Miller, of New York, ad-
dressed the Senate, but before con-
Guiding the Senate, at 5 o'clock, ad
journed.
WASHINGTON, December 14.-Mr.
Kasson, from the committee on ways
and means, reported back the bill
amending the act to repeal the dis
eliminating duties on goods pro-
duced east of Cape Good Hope, and
it was passed. The bill relieves
from the payment of duty such goods
as may be In bonded warehouses or
on shipboard on the 1st of January,
1883, the date when a general relief
goes into effect.
Mr.. Reed, of Maine, presented, as
question of prilege, a memorial of
James Fl. Mclean, claiming to have
been elected to succeed the late
Thomas Allen, as representative
from the Second Congressional dis
trict of Missouri, to the Forty sew
enth Congress. Mclean asserts he
received plurality of the votes cast
at the special election, but that the
secretary of state absolutely refused
to give him a certificate on the
ground that the Second district
had been legislated out of existence.
Heasks the House to declare him en-
L. III