The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-06-12

/ tWO-L0o system
and woman in the country to apply for Office,
and. If qualified to fill it, to get into Office. with
/ influence or without influence. or the system
under which he could not get into Office unless
he came bowling and begging under the wing OF
| some political scoundrcl to whom he was under
! such obligations as must cut his very manhood
| to the bone1 [Applause
| Mr. Compton, of Maryland. said that the IS
sault his colleague had made OF the late post
| master at Baltimore was as undeserved any
one man had ever made on another The fact
was, that postmaster was the peer of the gen.
| tleman Mr.. Findlay or any other gentleman on
| this floor or anywhere else man OF character
| and intelligence. and Democrat. The CivI-
service Commission had sought, by every effort
| and by every means it could employ, to show
| that he had violated the law of that service be-
| cause he had removed from Office lot of politl-
| cal scalawags and a lot Of unprincipled scoun-
campaign, when he Mr.. Findlay] had sought to
defeat the Democratic ticket Applause on the
Democratic side
Immediately the House was in uproar, but
above the noise Mr. Findlay finally was heard to
| inquire angrily whether his colleague meant to
say that he associated with scalawags and
scoundrels Either the confusion prevented
| Mr.. Compton from hearing Mr.. Findlay's ques-
ton, or drowned his reply thereto, but the gen.
tlemen stood within few feet of one another,
angrily gesticulating, while other members of
the House gathered around and took much in
terest in the scene.
Speaker Carlisle, who was in the Chamber,
approached the Speakers desk, and was apDar-
emily ready to seize the gavel and exert his au-
thority in case the demonstration became more
threatening: but Chairman Blount was equal to
the emergency and soon succeeded la securing
comparative quiet
man from Maryland whether I understood him
to state that all the persons discharged from the
postofice in the last year by the postmaster were
political scoundrels and scalawags
Mr. Compton--Not all Of them.
Mr.. Findlay-I understood you to say that all
OF them were.
Mr.. Compounded all of them; never In
tended to say
Mr.. Findlay-How many of them9
But Mr.. Compton, declining to answer the
question, went on to assert that it had been
sought to convict Mr.. Veasey of violation of the
civil-servce rules because he had removed a lot
of men who were unfit to hold Office under any
administration, and in collision with whom, last
fall his distinguished colleague had sought to
defeat the regular Democratic ticket in Balti-
more. They were untitled to hold Office, and he
kuew and his colleague knew, that these men,
in connection with the officials of the custom
house in Baltimore, had run Republican politics
in Maryland by every means within their reach,
ever since the party had been in power. 1t was
a strange sound to come from the lips of gen.
tleman elected to Congress a Democrat. to
charge, as his colleague had done, that the
purpose and object of Mr.. Veasey in making
these removals had been to institute and create
| a partisan force in the postofice. He was ready
| to say to his colleague, here and now. that If
it was partisan organization, 1t was an organi-
cation of competent, honest efficient and faith
| full officers, who had rendered to the government
| its full and complete due, and when the prima-
ries should come they would be found exercising
| the privileges only of free American citizens,
| and not of partisans Applause on the Demo
| cratic side and derisive laughter from the Re-
publican side. When the postofice, under
Democratic administration, endeavored, as had
been done by the custom house under Repub
| lican administration to control the politics of
Maryland. he would be with his colleague for
| turning the rascals out. Whence sprung this
new born zeal of his colleague and other Dem
ocrats for retaining the rascals in ofice} For
| twenty years his colleague and all Democrats
| had made the welkin yang with the declaration
| that if the power came into the hands of the
Democratic party they would use it to turn the
rascals out.
Mr.. Findlay suggested that turning the ras-
Gals out one thing, and making clean
sweep WAS another.
Mr.. Compton said that in spite of these decla-
rations. it seemed to be the policy Of his col
league to want to keep the rascals in. He Mr..
Compton was against it. He was as earnestly
in favor of any honest administration of the
civil service as his colleague dared be, and his
colleague knew it.
II don't know it," remarked Mr. Findlay.
laconically.
II have q record as an honest official in my
State retorted Mr.. Compton. angrily.
Mr.. Findlay-I made no personal charges.
Mr.. Compton-You cannot do it; you amt
going to do it here or elsewhere. If the gentle
man is ready to let his declaration 60 to the
Democracy of Maryland, and be tried on it.
am ready to meet the issue.
Mr.. FiEdlay-And am before the real Democ
racy of Maryland. but not the spurious Democ-
cracy We have real Democracy in Maryland
and spurious Democracy that has corrupted
and debauched the franchise of the State, and
1, IL $hao IF $ho dov<
here, recommendations of men who owe their
Office to such influences as have made the name
of civil service reform stink by the character of
the appointments made. am In favor OF civil
service reform-pot snivel-service reform, but
genuine civil-service reform-and say that
whenever the day comes that 1t shall be recog
nized as the policy of the country that every
four wears hundred thousand offices are to be
put up for sale and knocked down to the highest
bidder, though this country has stood every
strain and trial. that strain will be great, for
the Union will be confronted with the most dan
gerous enemy that has assaiied its peace
threatened its integrity. Applause
Mr.. Bayne's amendment was ruled out of
order and some little discussion arose as.to the
proper mode of appropriating for the salary of
the presiding officer of the Senate. 1t was finally
agreed to strike out the clause appropriating
49, 1000 for the salary of the Vice-rresident, and
to appropriate So. 600 to pay such Senator as
might be selected to preside over the Senate.
The civilservice section having been reached,
Mr.. Morrison made point of order against the
provision changing the rules Of the Commission,
and pending decision, the committee rose
Mr.. Morrison gave notice that Thursday
next he would call up the tariff bill, and Mr..
Mckinley in behalf of the opponents of the
measure, stated that he would resist its consid-
GRAFTON.
The House then took recess till $50, the
evening session to be for further consideration
of the appropriation BILL
When the House ret this evening, it imme-
diately went into committee of the whole on the
legislative appropriation bill. but owing to the
small attendance of members, the civil service
clause was passed over until tomorrow.
On motion of Mr.. Holman. of Indiana, the
salary of the Public Printer was reduced from
| 81 500 to 81, 900.
10 order to attain some considerable progress
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