The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1886-03-27
XLIXth CONGRESS- FIRST SESSION.
SENATE.

WASHINGTON, March &c.
The Chair laid before the Senate the Presi-
dents message transmitting the report OF
the Civil Service Commission. Referred
Among the bills introduced was one by
Mr. Hoar, providing for inquests under the
national authorities. Mr.. Hoar said the bill
was suggested by the reports of the recent
occurrences at Carrolton, Miss The Senate
had had no information in regard to those oc-
currenceS, but the newspapers of both pollt-
ical parties seemed to agree about them. Ac-
cording to these reports, want0n and un-
provoked crime had been committed, result
ing in the death of a large number of citi-
zens, and in which all the victims were of
one race, and he presumed of one political
party, while all the murdererS were of an
other Such occurrences unfortunately had
been of frequent occurrence, but when in
vestgated they were apt to take political
turn. The persons defending or apOloghing
for them had said that they had no political
significance; still, the fact remained that it
was the opponents of the Democratic party
that were killed, and that the adherents of
that party were the murderers. Referred to
the judiciary committee.
Mr.. Edmunds' resolution was then taken
up, and Mr.. ingalls, took the floor. He dis
tinctly and absolutely denied that the Sem
ate had asked for the Presidents reasons for
suspending anybody from Office. In his mes
sage, voluntarily sent to the Senate, however
imputation upon the position of the majority
in the Senate. He said that the senators and
committees had importuned the Executive
for his reasons for suspensions. Mr.. In
gals denied this, and also denied that pri-
yate papers had been asked for. 1t was the
interior conscience of the administration out
of which was evolved this phantasy, this
farcical allegation. Mr.. ingalls, also denied
that the Senate had been Inactive in confirm
ing appointments.
,l@ls IS l.ols
Mr.. ingalls, believed, that no Republican
could hold public office under Democratic
administration without either sacrificing his
convictions or forfeiting his self-respect. Ac-
cOrdingly, when the new administration was
inaugurated, those who held Office in his
State began with one consent TO make ex-
cuses for retiring to private life, and they
did not stand on the order of their going
They trampled on each other in tumultu-
Gus and indecent haste to get out of Office.
Naughter). There was no craving there for
mercy, no mercenary straggler went for shell
ter to the bomb-proof of the tenure of office
act and no sutler crawled behind the fragile
breastworks of civil service reform. laugh
teri.
He (Mr. Ingalls, was not one of those who
believed in non-partisanship in politics.
Political parties were indispensable to a free
government, and he had no patience with
The men who believed it badge of virtue
not to belong to a political organization or
that it reflected glory ,on statesman to af-
feet independence of his party. When the
people decided on q change of administra-
tion, that implied that there should be
change of agencies through which that ad-
miniStration might be made effectual, and
unless the President of the United States
was to be mummy, SWathed in clothes that
would render him absolutely Intellectual of
vital functions, he must have powers COM
mensurate with his duties. After the cleo
ton the Democrats expected to get in, and
the Republicans to get out, but new Gen
esis had come about of late years, and a
class of political philosophers, who believed
that non-partisanship was panacea for all
the evils that afflicted the republic,-me'
who decried the operation of the "Ameri-
cam system as they called it. This new par
ty had been recruited from the Republi-
can party. If there was any genuine civil
service reformer who had deserted the
ranks of the Democracy, history did not re-
cord his name. Uaughter).
The neuter gender Mr.. ingalls, said was
not popular, either in nature or in science !;
male and female created he them" But
there was third sex, if that could be called
sex, which sex had none, resulting some
times from the cruel caprice of nature, at
possessing the vices of both and virtues of
neither. (Laughter). Unable either to be-
get or bear, possessing neither fecundity nor
virility, endowed with the contempt of men
and derision of women, doomed to sterility,
isolation and extinction. Uaughter). ''But,
said Mr. ingalls,, ''they have two functions !;
they sing, a falsetto, great laughter and they
are usually selected as guardians of the Sc
raglios of oriental despots" renewed laugh
ter. To come from figure to fact, he contin-
ued, this third party had distinguished itself
by singing, in falsetto phrases, of civil SER
vice reform, and had been selected as the
guardian of the conscience of the national
government. He was not here to impugn
the good faith, patriotism or many extraordi-
nary qualities of the President OF the United
States The. President was, the sphinx of
American politics. 1t was said he was a fa-
talist, and that he regarded himself as
child of destiny; that he placed devout
and implicit reliance on the guiding influence
of his star. Certainly, whether Grover
Cleveland was very great or very small
career forbade any other conclusion. The
Democratic party was not wanting when the
convention was held at Chicago, In many
great and illustriouS names, men who had
led the forlorn hope in its darkest days;
men for whose character, achievements and
country had the profoundest admiration and
respect. There was Thurman, and Bayard,
and Hendricks, and Tilden, and others per-
haps not less worthy, but less illustrious,
upon whom the mantle of that great distine-
tion might properly have fallen. But Grover
80 abandoned liberal and hon.
ored profession that he might become
the sheriff of an interior county, was
selected for that position; and when little
more than year ago he entered the Senate
chamber and took the oath of office on this
platform, he encountered an audience not
one-twentieth part of which had ever seen
him and the greater part of whom two years
before did not know him even by name, and
who was even at that moment practically
unacquainted with the leaders of his own
party in the Senate. The rise of Napoleon
was sudden, startling and dazzling Many
other soldiers of fortune had sprung from
obscurity to fame. hut no illustration of an
elevation from an obscurity so profound to
a height so brilliant and dazzling was re-
corded in history as the selection of Grover
Cleveland to be the chief magistrate of sixty
millions of people. If when he was inaug-
urated he had determined that the functions
of the government should be exercised by
men OF his own. party the nation would have
been content-and herein was founded the
could rise in their demand that no action
should be taken in connection with these
proposed removals from Office until there
had been satisfactory assurances that an in
Justice had not been done. If it were under
stood that these removals were for political
reasons, the country would be content, and
the Republican majority in the Senate
would have been contented.
Mr.. ingalls, then quoted from President
Cleveland's letter of acceptance with refer
ence to the civil service and severely crit
cized the Presidents acts with regard to re-
movals as at variance with his declared poll
cy.
Mr.. ingalls, alludsd to the celebrated circu
lar issued by the postmaster general, which
he characterized as the most thoroughly de-
graded, defiled, execrable and detestable
public utterance ever made by any official.
T. n inn ifoti ion hn coiA 70 6nl-
er, every anonymous slanderer and scurril-
lous defamer to pour their sewerage into
the postoffice department.
The postmaster generals reply to the res
olution of the Senate introduced by him (Mr.
lpgalls) showed that $685. fourth class post
masters had been removed in the past year
by an administration pledged to remove men
only for canan That rrno n nn.. M rtirn.,