The Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1885-1886, 1886-06-14
BOTH WILLING TO OWN UP
A LITTLE STORY APPLICABLE TO
BOTH PARTIES.


Business in Behalf of Civil Service Re-
form and Reads His Party a Lecture
Army Appropriation Bin Passed by the
Senate--Notes.
WASHINGTON CRY, June 1.-THE debate
in the house Friday on the legislative hill
was exceedingly interesting and there were
times OF laughter and excitement all through
it Allen OF Mississippi offered an amend
ment prohibiting the funeral of congressman
at government expense; the amendment was
rejected, and Allen said his leadership
might not be adopted, but, like the grand
old man on the other side Of the water, he
would appeal to the country. aughter.l
He criticised the action of the Democratic
side in the matter of appropriations, and il
Illustrated the position of both
sides of the house by relating the
story of an individual in his district,
who. after vigorously denouncing tbs
Grant third term movement served two
terms as county treasurer and became a
candidate for reelection. Then, declaring
that he had been perfectly honest in his
former position, he said that he had reflected
over the matter and had come to the conclu-
God that he had the manhood to acknowl-
edge It Laughter The Republicans, after
rejecting over their former practices in the
matter of appropriations, admitted that
they had the manhood 10 acknowledge it
The Democrats after reflection, admitted that
the practices which they had condemned in
the Republicans were not So wrong after
all, and thanked God that they had the
e., Oh Ara 1 l
Democrats had made their contests Tor con
gress on the idea that the Republican party
was wasteful and extravagant party and
if the Democrats did not correct some of
these wastefui extravaganoes they would
stand confessed of hayi ing obtained control
of the government under false pretenses
Their constituents would be much better
satisfied this fall with some evidence of re
trenchment than with any stump speeches
on this floor accusing the Republican party
of misdeeds in days gone by.
Then Bayns tried to get the amendment
making the payment of the president sal
ary contingent on his adopting the change
in the civil service rules proposed by tho
appropriation committee. A point of order
was made against it, AMI The point was sus
tanned but long debate took place first
Findlay of MaryIa cbampioned civil
service reform. He sail that if it were not
so serious n subject man might sit down
and laugh at this old party, preserving its
succession in tradition and name, i. not in
policy and principles. through a half cen
Jury of conflict and varying fortune, fight
ing battles for twenty-five years only to
lose them, without one break in the long
chain of reverses, and then at last after all
this long postponement, disappointment,
modification, and defeat, when party vic
tory had brushed aside the black cloud of dis
aster and revealed the silver lining to its raw
| ished gaze, whether intoxicated 10y the spec
| tacle, or mad from excess of joy, the grand
| old party, unequal to the task OF deliberate
| contemplation of its own splendid achieve
! ments, asked 10 be- dismissed in the very
| moment of its triumph, and on the very
| spot where it had achieved it. 1t had voted
down an honest dollar, and it now proposed
| to tear away safeguard to the most valu-
able law on the statute book. Let no gen,
tleman deceive himself That the effect of
the amendment requiring the certifcatIon
OF the full list OF the eIigiGles to the ap-
pointing power would be to give "A partisan
ana not a non-partisan service was not a
mere matter Of con iectural speculation, but
it was matter of experience demonstrated,
| boosted of, and gloated over by Baltimore
postmaster. This ingenious young man
had got the whole list of eligible into his
hands
A Noice-W What is be.
Findlay-He is democrat He was
Democrat in office He was appointed by
the present president of the nited States
That fixes his Demo racy | suppose though
that is a question OF some doubt Laughter
and applause He got the list of eligibIes
into his own hands, and what use did he
make of it: According to his own state
ment before an examiner of the civil service
commission, who was in Baltimore, he made
such good Use of it that in less space than a
year he had turned out every Republican
in that Office and had put Democrat in his
place.
While Findlay was delivering his speech,
members from both sides OF the house
crowded around him, and his last sentence
was received with burst OF mingled misses
and applause the applause Icing partly in
tended for the sentiments expressed by
Findlay, and partly in appreciation Of the
action of the Baltimore postmaster
Turning Getiantly toward the Democratic
side, MIR. Findlay explained: w hen you APP
plaud the effect of this amendment, then
you mean to say that the certiication of
all the eligibles will result in what you
have applauded. Then You mean to say
the object of this amenment is to give a
partisan and not bipartisan service
Applaud just as long as you please Neither
Kisses nor applause will deter me from the
discharge OF what consider a duty" [Ap-
plause
There was no man in this house who did
not know what the effect of the provision
would be. The establishment of civil serv-
ice reform in England had had its origin in
the revolt of the commons against the APP
pontments by aristocracy. That state of
affairs had its exact counterpart in what
was called free America. There we're no
dukes or marquises here, but there We're
their exact counterparts In the shape of
political ward FOUNDERS and heelers
Though America had no aristocracy
which appointed to office, it had
sort of feudal system 1t had one
tenant in capite and the whole system run
ming down to the remotest dependents. No
man could get an Office unless be was recon-
msnded by some of those politicians who
had control OF the machine Now he asked,
which was the more democratic of the two
the system which permitted every man
and woman in the country to apply for
office, and, if qualified to fill 1T. to get into
office, with influence or without influence,
or the system under which he could not get
into Office unless be came bowling and beg
ging under the wing of some political
scoundrel to whom he was under such OBJ
legations as must cut his very manhood to
the bone. lApplause
Saturday after the reception of several
committee reports, the house went into com
mittse of the whole on the legislative, exec
utive and Judicial appropriation bill The
civil service clause being read, the chair
stated that the pending question was the
point of order raised by Morrison against
the provision looking to change in the
rules Of the civil service commission.
Holman argued against the point of or
der, contending that the provision was
merely limitation ON the expenditure Of
public money.
Morrison supported his point and said
that, under the law, the duty of making
regulations rested with the commission and
the president The purpose of the proposed