The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1886-07-07

House and lost.
Mr.. Allen, of Mississippi, was then
recognized on another amendment and
said:
Mr. Chairman, the result OF the vote
just had on my amendment intended to
suppress extravagant Congressional
! funerals shows 10 my mind that most of
the members present expect to die in
the public service and 10 have a
| goTgeOns and enthusiastic burial at
Government expense. Laughter. But
/ want to assure them that If such b.
their hope they had best die very soon
OF change their course on questions like
this, for in my judgement this policy, if
persisted in, will reIegate many of
| them to private life before they get
| their funeral expenses paid Laugh
| ter.
! Mr.. Chairman, there are many things
in this bill which | would like to- dis
cuss, if the time allowed me would per
NIT. In the general debate on the bill
most of the time was taken up IN the dis
cussiOn of the civil service rules,
the practices of the two parties with
reference to the civil service and
the Republicans accusing the Democrats
of trying to nulify the civil service law SO
as to pnt in all Democrats and have
partisan service, and the Democrats
retorting by telling the Republicans how
| they administered the law when they
had power so as to put IN aud keep in
all Republicans, and gentlemen on each
side are reminded OF what they said and
did before power passed from one party
to the other; but, Mr.. Chairman, Iagree
with my distinguished friend from Ohio
Mr.. Butterworth. He says that it is
no good answer for the Democrats to say
to the Republicans "You did it too"
He says this is an age of progress and
that we are progressing, and that the
better thought of the present should
govern us rather than the bad examples
of the past. Yes, sir, we are progress
ing; the Republican party has pro
gressed out of power and the Demo
Gratis have progressed in, and no gentle
men should be held responsible for
opinions and utterances expressed be
fore this change took place. They have
thought more about it and look at it
from different standpoints.
do not know that | can better illus
trate this change of heart than by re
lating a little incident that occurred
only a few years ago in the district /
have the honor to represent on this
floor. A friend of mine, Mr.. Beach
Mitchell, as good man and citizen as
lives in the district, was the treasurer of
Alcorn county. He had held the office for
two terms and had made most accept
able officer, being sc crupulously honest and
correct. 1t was about that time that
General Grant was being talked of for
a third term, and our people were all in
favor of the traditions of the fathers
and opposed to third term. Mr. Mitch
chell asked for third term as county
treasurer, and the only thing that could
be said against him was that he had
held the Office two terms. Mr.. Fred
Rory, another friend of mine and
another good man in fact, my friends
down there are among the best people in
the world laughter l-concluded he
would like to be treasurer, and he an
nounced himself a candidate, his
platform being opposition to third
term; and the race was made on this |
issue alone and Mr.. Rory was elected |
Everything went on well till Mr.. Rory
had served two terms and the time was
approaching for the election again. He
must now overcome the third term
prejudice that he had himself invoked
or retire to private life. This put him
to thinking, and he came to town one
morning and inquired of the boys if
they had seen anything of Beach Nit
chell, and they assured him b ach was
in town. He then in all seriousness
said: 81 want to see him; feel that
owe him an apology. Four years ago
ran against him for treasurer Of this |
county and | beat him on the issue
that no man should have third term. |
| was perfectly honest in it, but | had
not thought much about it, and when |
you come to think about it as applied to
the treasurer's office, there amt thing
in it laughter, and / thank my God
am not stubborn man, and when | see
/ am wrong, have the honor acknow-
ledge it," Great laughter and APP
plause.
Now. Mr.. Chairman, when we sit here
and hear the Republicans pleading for
non bipartisan service and see the Demo
Gratis trying to so arrange things as 20
get all Democrats in, we must conclude
that both parties after changing places,
have thought more about 1t. The Re
publicans now see that when they had
power and prostituted it to partisan
ends that they were wrong, and they
now have the manhood to acknowledge
it TIaughterl; while the Democrats have
become convinced that many of the par
tisan practices which they condemned
the Republicans for when they were in
power were not so bad as they then
thought, and they are ready to make
their apology by doing likewise. Re-
newed laughter.
Hara the hammer fell
Mr. Bayne was recognized and yielded
his time to Mr.. Allen, of Mississippi,
who said:
But, Mr.. Chairman, this is not appli-
cable to the President. A change of
condition seems to have produced no
change of conviction with him, so far
as the civil service is concerned. He
seems to be as firm as rock in his ad- |
herence to the pledges on which he Sc
cured the confidence and votes of the |
American people, and without assuming
to be his champion | would like to sug-
gest to some of my Democratic friends
that if we would devote more of our
time to a faithful discharge of our
duties as members of this House and
less TO criticisms of the President it
might be better for our party aud the
country. That there are inequalities in
the distribution of the patronage of the
Government | am well aware, and |
hope at some future time to have an OPP
portunity to submit some observations
on this subject and the practice of Rep
resentatives and Senstors besieging the
Departments for places for their friends.
| trust | am as loyal to my friends as
most people, and know | am as anxious
70 s,arvo then, but If dnas saorn tn me
that this practice tends to impair the
usefulness and independence of both
the members and Department officials.
Human nature is the same in Office
and out of it. The conduct and expen-
ditures of all the officials who ha e been
| kind to the member and yielded to his
requests and put him under obligations
| by putting mis- friends in office, may MT
receive that careful scrutiny that his
duty as Representative might require,
or failure on his part to comply with
the importantly of the Representative,
might tend to make him more critical
| than he ought to be. And am afraid
on the other hand that the Department
officials sometimes use their patronage
to stop the opportunities of or to infia-
Ience members, | do not know which,
but have thought | had seen evidence
of favoritism born of this practice.
Sure it is that this system is not work
ing well, and there are within my
knowledge a number of Senators and
Representatives here who are unwilling to
become hangers on around the dispeDss rs
of patronage to the neglect of their legit-
innate duties, and as a consequence the
more greedy and importunate get the