Los Angeles daily herald., 1886-01-07
CONGRESSIONAL.
A Long Session of the
Senate.
THE SILVER AND UTAH BILLS
Mormon Women to be Disfranchis-
ed-The House Committees Not
Yet Announced.

MormOn Women to be Disfranchis
ed-The House Committees Not
Yet Announced.
Fspsctai TO the Herald bB taeAssoefatsd Press
SENATE.
WASHINGTON, January 6.--Ths Chai
laid before the Senate letter from tn
Postmaster General, complying with th'
call Of recent Senate resolution in re
spect to the appointment Of pcstmaster
in Maine alleged to have been procured
through the influence of s. 8. Brown
Chairman Of the Democratic Committes
Of that State. The communication hav
ing been read, Hale said that before i
went TO the country he desired to say {
few words with regard to 1t. 1t wa,
every day becoming the belief Of the
people, he said, that civil service Of tht
government should not be the result ci
party service. This rallying cry of the
Democrats was "turn the rascals out,
which could only mean that If rascali
were in office they should be turned out
A singular state Of affairs, Hale con
tinued, had arisen in Maine within six
months. There were few large offices
in that State. There were but thirty
seven Preside ential postoffices and but sew
eral hundred fourth class ones. When
President Cleveland came into office the
business was generally well conducted,
but the people Of many Of the places
had walked up one morning in Maine
and found that persons had been sp-
pointed whom nobody wanted and mo-
body recommended. Out of onc hun
dred Of the larger postoff1ces in Maine
IL now seemed that Brown had recon-
mepded eighty-seven Of the new ap.
pointments. Hale acquitted the Post
master General Of any endorsement Of
Brown, but the Postmaster. General
had not made complete ansver to the
resolution of the Senate; no explana-
tion had been made of the Infamous
system on which the proceedings
complained OF had been based.
Hale referred to the severe de.
nunciation which on former occa-
sion had been expressed by Beck in the
Senate at the circular issued by the Re-
publican Committee Chairman calling
merely for voluntary contributions.
What was the issuance Of such circular
compared to the condition of affairs as
shown by the facts ia this case
Vest said said ii was impossible that
the Administration should know every
man who solicited office. If Vest had
bis way he would make it misdemeanor
for any man to solicit office. But what
was Postmaster. General Howe 10 dot
Vest characterized Hale's position as
mere cant. Civil Service had been in
the Senate for years without attention
until the prospect OF Democratic ascend
ancy had been clear to the Republicans.
Hale said that had uothiug to do with
the question under dispute.
Vest said his colleague (Cockrsll)
and himself, in the course OF
their investigations heretofore un-
der Republican administration had
found unmistakable evidence Of the
use Of money in the attainment of pub.
lie Office, and though they could not
put their fingers on letter showing
any use OF money, they could convince
the moral sense of any man that money
had been used.
Voorhees, said the fact seemed that
three Presidential postmasters and some
minor ones had been changed by the
present administration. II seemed TO
him that that simply showed that not so
many changes had been made in the
postofices Of Maine IS the people by
their votes last fall intended should be
made by ths administration. Voorhees,
sympathised with Republican Postmas-
ters who had been turned out. They
would get used to 1t after q
while, as the Democrats had gotten
used to it. Voorhees, was not here to
defend Brown. He thought Hale had
done service to the Democracy by expos
ing such man, but did Hale suppose he
could make an impression on the coun-
try that the Democracy Of the United
States favored the course pursued by
Brown. Voorhees, differed from Vest in
one thing. He tvoorhees) was willing
to put in power and in Office, men who
had helped elect Democrats. He be-
lieved il to have been the intention of
the Constitution that the Government
should be administered by tho friends Of
the administration which the people
should place 10 power
Vest said President Cleveland had
honestly and conscientlously endeavored
to carry out every particle of pledge
made by him to the people of the United
States before his election, and he Vest
was astonished that any complaint of
him in that regard should come from the
Republicans. 1t was certain that much
complaint had come from Democrats be-
cause he had not made removals enough.
Debate then closed and on motion Of
Hale, the communication OF Postmaster
General was referred to the committee
on Civil Service reform.
Gray called up Beok's recent inquiry
regarding the payment Of customs duties
in coming and the application of that
coin to purposes OF the sinking fund
Gray said he would vote for it, but for
reasons very different from those which
actuated Beck, and those who thought
with him. The Act Of 1878. Gray said,
was based on the idea that silver would
shortly reach an International ratio with
gold. 1t was the hope of the attainment
Of this international ratio that aotuated
thoughtful men to vote for that bill. His
hopes had been disappointed. The OBJ.
ject Of the bill had been defeated and
the dollar that was worth ninety,
two cents in 1878 was now worth
less than so cents. Passionate invectivs
on the part Of the silver iren would NOT
increase the value OF silver dollars. The
position Of the President and the Secre
tary of the Treasury on the silver ques.
tion was right. He Gray was not here
TO defend any one, but economy laws
were always the came. He was neither
q bondholder nor the son Of a bond.
holder, but he was In favor of paving
the bondholders In honest money. The
true issue in question was whether the
true relations Of gold and silver GOULD
be reached by continuance Of the
present plan of silver coinage. He as
serted that this could not be
done. Silver coinage had served
its full purpose as subsidiary coin but no
country desired basis Of silver coin,
and il gold were supplemented by silver
we would have silver basis. The gold
ttauQhfd nau kopt US III easy EoiauOnh
with the rest Of the world. Bs-metalism
could not be reached by any one country
alone. France long ago stopped her sill
yer coinage, and should we, by continu-
ing our present course, drive out of this
country several hundred millians OF gold
coini If we did so, we should have
counter action indeed. The acts of 1878
having acted TO raise the value of silver,
a persistence in our present plan OF sill
yer coinage would bring us to silver
standard and we would be descending TO
the basis Of an eighty cent dollar and
thus the government of the United
States would, in fact, be scaling its own
debt. This would be public misfor-
tune, as evidenoing condition Of public
dishonesty which. TO say the least, was
equally responsible with individual dis
honesty. Many Of those who favor silver
coinage are not, in Gray's opinion, the
solid conservative business men, but
those Of q speculative turn. He desired
to see silver in circulation conourrently
with gold, but failure Of the best efforts