The Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1885-1886, 1886-06-10

Do Auot tue hsphriuS Deuocr"S Wey
Serve His Country-A Rider on the
Legislative Bill aud What Is Said of 1t
How Bntterworth Ran the Patent
Office.
WASHINGTON CRY, June I0-The house,
and Judicial appropriation, and the clause
referring to the civil service commission
was the subject of the principal debate. The
clause provides that all the SUI esslul com
petitors at examinations must be certified
to department heads, and Holman was
closely questioned as to the object Of it.
He denied the implication that it was
solely to give better opportunity
said that would probably be
ing it to the bill The motive was to give
the applicants fair play and prevent
extravagsnt use of the appropriation.
After some routine business Wednesday
the house went into committee of the whole
OH the legislative, executive and judicial ap-
preparation bill, and Compton of Mary
land, praised the courage of the committee
in placing the provision regarding the civil
service commission in the pending bill
Compton was opposed to the rules Of the
civil service commission, and on this point
be voiced the sentiments Of his constituents.
He favored an honest, economical admins
tration OF the civil service of the govern
ment, but the existing law had been case
of "heads win, tails you lose" In case of
Republican success, that party was to have
the law and the offices; in case of Demo
cratic success that party was to have the
law without the offices He contended that
the law was unconstitutional, and he
was against it radically and irreconcila-
bly,.
Hit of Illinois commented upon what he
termed an extraordinary provision forced
upon an appropriation bill to nullify the
civil service law. II it were not ruled out
on point of order, he hopei it would be de-
feated by square vote The law now was
no speculation, and upon the most
thorough trial had been found to
be conducive to efficiency, honesty
and purity in the civil service. The COM
mittee did not refuse the appropriation for
the civil service commission, but coupled it
with a proviso which broke down the
barrier now preventing spoilsmen appoint
ing their workers to office After comment
ing upon the manner in which the law was
being carried out, ne criticised the appoint
ment of Oberly as civil service
commissioner, declaring that that gentle
man was the type of party boss
Bayne of Pennsylvania protested against
the provision and said the president had the
power to make the proposed change He
believed that the president was doing his
level best to carry out civil service reform
and that most, if not ALL of his cabinet were
endeavoring ill good faith to execute the
| law
After some further debate Holman sug-
gested that debate should end at $50, but
| the Republicans objected to it as being too
short a time, and Reagan of Texas thought
debate should close at an earlier hour, say
| ing it was too late in the session to listen to
political essays
1t was finally agreed TO close general dis
cussion at 40 p. m. Springer defended the
| commissioner of pensions from charges of
evading the civil service law, and said that
many of the special examiners appointed
were Republicans, and Commissioner Black
had retained eight Republicans as heads of
divisions who were not protected by the
| law
neeu uOuuteu tue CUTTSrtntSS VI tue sldte-
ment, and suggested that Springer would
make Gen. Black very unpopular with the
Democratic party if he continued his
| speech.
Springer asserted that half of the pension
| office employees who were not protected by
the law were Republicans, and that the gov
| eminent printing Office was still presided
over by Mr. Rounds, with 900 employees,
| who did not come under the civil service
law
Butterworth thought that Springer
seemed happy that the commissioner Of
pensions could point to few spared monu-
ments OF his political mercy. Gentlemen on
the other side conceived it a mistake to have
| spared any one
Springer-While you were commissioner
of patents did you appoint any Demo
| crats2
Butterworth-I did. | never knew tie
politics or religion of any individual / ap-
| pointed to office There was never timo
when the influence of a Democrat whom |
knew did not weigh as much with me as
that Of my party friends. All | wanted 70
| know was-was he competenti
Butler presented to the senate remon-
STRANGE from South Carolina against the
passage of the oleomargarine bill. The SEN
ate then proceeded to consider bills on the
| calendar under the five minute rule
Hawley moved the indefinite postpone
ment of the Vance bill repeating the civil
service law Vance called for the ayes and
nays, but Harris objected, and the matter
went over
Among the bills passed were the follow
| ing: bill authorizing law clerks for the
| supreme court Justices; bill relieving
Colorado from charges on account of
ordnance stores furnished the territory and
state, amounting to sS3, S9l, and a bill to
give Mrs Phelps widow of the late United
States minister to Peru, sum equal to one
years salary of the Office held by her hus-
| band