The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1886-06-19
A SPICY DEBATE.
Findlay, Compton and Gibson Dis
cuss Maryland Politics.

cuSS Maryland fOl1C1cS.
The Maryland members of Congress
all took a hand last week in the discus
sion of the Civil Service Law, during the con-
sideration of a provision in an appropriation
bill to change the rules so that all who pass
a civil service examination shall be certified
to the appointing power, instead of only the
four highest, as at present.
Mr.. Findlay said that the provision, wheth-
er in the form presented by the gentleman
from Pennsylvania or in its original form, was
a proposition conceived in the spirit of the
purest buncombe for the baldest purpose of
the most transparent demagogry. There was
no man here who doubted that it was subject
to a point of order, and therefore would be
thrust out of the bill as an irrelevant and i'm
pertinent intruder. The gentleman from In
diana Mr.. Holman) in response TO question
a few days ago, had said that the object OF
the amendment was to deal out even-handed
Justice and the gentleman from Illinois Mr.
Springer) had still more plainly let the House
know that it was intended to give a partisan
instead of bipartisan service. That the
effect of the amendment requiring the certi-
fication of the full list of eligibles to the ap-
pointing power would be to give partisan
and not bipartisan service was not mere
matter of conjectural speculation, but 1t was
matter ofexperience, demonstrated, boosted
of, gloated over by Baltimore postmaster.
He got the list of eligibles into his own hands,
and what use did he make of it? According
to his own statement before an examiner OF
the civil-service commission, who was In
Baltimore, he made such good use of it that
in less than year he had turned out every
Republican in that office and had put a Dem
ocrat in his place without missing fire once.
This ingenious young man, with the aid OF
more expert manipulators still, had violated
the law and the rules of the civil-service COM
mission, and still boosted that if he had only
been spared little longer in his place he
would have turned over Democratic civil
service reform postoffice to his successor.
Mr. Compton said that the assault his col
league had made on the late postmaster at
Baltimore was as undeserved as any one man
had ever made on another. Who was thai
postmaster? He was the peer of the gentle
man from Maryland Mr. Findlay) or any
other gentleman on this floor or anywhere as
a man of character and intelligence and o
Democrat. The civil-service commission had
sought by every effort and every means II
could employ to show that he had violated
the law of that service because he had re-
moved from office lot of political scallawag'
and a lot of unprincipled political scoun'
drels-the associates of his colleague IN las
falls campaign, when he (Mr. Findlay) hao
sought to defeat the Democratic ticket. lap
plause on the Democratic side.]
Mr.. Findlay-I would like to ask the gen
tleman from Maryland whether l understood
him to state that all the persons discharged
from the postoffice in the last year by the
postmaster were political scoundrels and seal
awags?
MI. Compton.-Not all of them.
Mr.. Findlay.-I understood you to say thai
all of them were.
Mr.. Compton.-Not all of them. 1 never
intended to say so.
Mr.. Findlay.-How many of them?
But Mr.. Compton, declining to answer the
question, went on to assert that 1t had peer
sought to convict Postmaster Veazey OF VIOLA
ton of the civil-service rule because he had
removed lot of men who were unit to hold
office under any administration, and IN collu,
sion with whom, last fall, his distinguished
colleague had sought to defeat the regular
Democratic ticket in Baltimore. They were
untitled to hold office, and he knew, and his
colleague knew, that these men, in connec
ton with the officials of the custom house IN
Baltimore, had run Republican politics In
MARYLAND by every means in their reach evel
since the party had power. 1t was strange
sound to come from the lips of gentleman
elected to Congress as Democrat to charge
as his colleague had done, that the purpose
and object of Mr.. Veazey in making these
removals had been to institute and create a
partisan force in the postofiice. He was
ready to say to his colleague here now, that
if it was a partisan organization, 1t was an or,
ganization of competent, honest, efficient anc
faithful officers who had rendered to the gov
eminent its full and complete due, and when
Il thau yvnuld he
found exercising the privileges only of free
American citizens and not of partisans. [Ap-
plause on the Democratic side. Whence
sprang this new born zeal of his colleagues
and other Democrats for retaining the radl-
Gals in office? For twenty years his colleague
and all Democrats had made the welkin ring
with the declaration that if the power came
into the hands of the Democratic party they
would use it to turn the raseals out. = -
Mr. Findlay suggested that turning the ras'
calls out was one thing and making clean
sweep was another.
Mr.. Compton said that, in spite of these
declarations, it seemed to be the policy o.
his colleague to want to keep the rascals in.
He (Mr. Compton, was against it. He was
as earnestly in favor of anshonest admnistra
ton of the civil service as his colleague dared
be, and his colleague knew it.
Il don't KNOW IL, reuldrheu MI iiHuioJ
laconically.
81 have a record as an honest official in my
state" retorted Mr.. Compton, angrily.
Mr.. Findlay.-I make no personal charges
Mr.. Compton.-You cannot do it; you ain
going to do it here or elsewhere. If the gen
tleman is ready to let his declaration go to
the Democracy of Maryland and be tried oil
it, ! am ready to meet the issue. Applause
on the Democratic side.
Mr.. Findlay.-I am before the Democracy
of Maryland, but not the spurious Democracy
We have real Democracy in Maryland. and
we have spurious Democracy that has cor
rupted and debauched the franchise of oul
state, and has made through the agency o
the President here, recommendations OF mel
who owe their offices to such influences al
have made the name of civil-service reform
stink by the character of the appointment
made.
On Saturday Mr. Gibson took the floor
He was limited to FIVE minutes, but severa
members Welded their time to him, and he
made quite speech. He was interrupted
several times by Republican members, bu
answered all promptly and with good effect
In the course of his remarks he said hi
would not inhict upon the House any disser-
tation upon the local politics of Maryland
save to suggest that his colleagues had effec
tually settled the question of the Baltimore
postoffice in connection with carrying out the
civils-ervice law in Maryland, and settled it to
their mutual satisfaction ''or, if not to the
satisfaction of my colleague upon my left
(Mr. Findlay,) settled it, at least to the sat
isfaction of those colleagues of mine who
shoulder to shoulder with me in November
last, fought the battles of the Democracy; set
tied to the satisfaction, Mr.. Chairman, of that
element of the Democratic party in Mary
land which in November last put the stamp
and seal of its condemnation by 10000 major
ity upon the spurious Democracy of which
my friend upon the left Mr.. Findlay) was then
the ally and is now the champion.
Mr.. Gibson was proceeding to show thai
the Democratic party, by its record, was a
party of reform when he was interrupted by a
question from Mr.. Gallinger, who wanted to
know if the speaker meant "Higgins and re-
form Pr Mr.. Gibson responded promptly
that the Republicans would do well to look
into their own ranks before seeking to con-
denim Higgins He said to defend Eugene
Higgins would be labor of love, for he knew
the man, and added that his friend from New
Hampshire, as a representative of the virtue
of the Republican party, might as well seek
TO carp at Eugene Higgins as '.mousing owl
! to snap at an eagle in his eyrie.n A Demo
cratic member suggested that Higgins had
not been iitqttoaed,' whereupon Mr.. Milliken
of Maine, who makes practice Of interrupt
speakers, and invariably gets sat down upon,
assavad m hreak the force of Mr. Gibson s