The Portland daily press., 1888-10-23
MET ONLY WITH A GENERAL DENIAL.
How the Minority Report Dodges
Charges OF Civil Service Abuses.
Judge Fuller Delivers His First opin-
ion as Chief Justice.
A Blockade of RebelIlous Haytien
Ports Announced.


eating committee is lame affair. 1t was
promised that the document should be pre-
sented last Thursday, and when, after it
was known that an agreement to adjourn on
Saturday had been reached, further time
was begged by the minority. The object of
the delay is patent. OF the three gentlemen
composing the minority, Messrs. Blackburn,
Blodgett and Daniel, not one believes In the
civil service law. and one, Senator Daniel,
never attended single meeting Of the COM
mittee; yet it is probable that each wrote a
not discuss the evidence presented by Sem
ator Hale. except in the most general man
ner.
In general terms it is asserted that the tes-
timony relied upon by the majority Is that of
discharged and disappointed employees, who
against those who had removed them from
Office. On the contrary, the gravest evidence
OF mismanagement, of partisanship and in
competency was furnished by Democrats
themselves. This is especially true in re-
gard to the outrageous condition Of the In
dianapolis post Office. The charges against
Postmaster Jones were sworn to by Mr..
Swift, a Democrat, and one who In 1884 was
at the head Of q Democratic organization
earnestly working for the election Of Mr.
Oleftlduu. w. ~. FOulkt, also a democrat,
was another witness to the shameless VIOLA
tion Of the civil service law by Postmaster
Jones, and the report made by the Civil Ser
vice Reform Association, of Indiana, filed
with the committee by Mr.. Foulke, Is one OF
the severest arraignments for the abandon
ment of his pledges that has been made
against the President.
The minority does not attempt to disproye
the corrupt conspiracy in regard to the pur-
chase of the site for Federal building at
in hQ mn f0r In. H.
witness before the committee were Demo-
Gratis, and those who brought the attention
OF the President to the fraudulent character
Of Deputy Collector Davis's proceedings in
this matter last May were also Democrats.
This was one Of the most rascally pieces of
work brought out by the committees case
where site, inconveniently located. and an
nually flooded by water and with defective
title, was forced upon the Treasury Depart
ment by Davis and q relative at cost of
$4,000. The minority could not disprove
this charge and do not attempt to, save in
the most general way.
The minority is discreetly silent in regard
to Assistant Secretary Maynard's ''black-
list" OF the employees In the appraisers Office
in the New York custom house, and, in ref
ference to all the gross violations of the civ
Il service law in the custom house shown by
the report Of the committee; the Widow Nc
Ginnis pig rattle; the discharge Of expert
enced and faithful employees, simply because
eHey were hepuoncdnS, tne appointment
only of Democrats, and the levying and col
lection OF political assessments, the minority
fails wholly to discredit or to refute single
material allegation.
The document closes with a reference to
alleged political assessments under former
administrations and an assertion that the
present administration has endeayored hon
estly to carry out the provisions Of the civil
service law. As to political assessments
never was the demand for money from gov
ernment employees for campaign purposes SO
persistent as now. Democratic chiefs and
f0remen tell those under them in plain words
that they must contribute to the Democratic
campaign fund or they will lose their places.
Not only that, but these officials fix the
amount that their subordinates must pay and
receive the money themselves during the
time Of official duty. The demand, too, is
made upon women and girls as well as upon
men In the government service.
In Favor of the Western Union.
WASHINGTON, Oct. 22.-Chief Justice Full
Ter today delivered his first opinion In Su-
preme Court case. It was that of the West
ern Union Telegraph Company, plaintiff in
error, versus the Commonwealth of Pennsyl-
yania, brought here on appeal from the Su-
preme Court Of Pennsylvania. The COM
monwealth levied tax on all kilograms
pIs;ssing passing over S. the .esompany's lines
imposed regardless Of the fact that much OF
the business was not confined wholly to the
State. but was to points in other States The
Supreme Court today held, through Chief
Justice Fuller, that the State was not entitled
to collect the tax except for messages be-
tween points within the borders of the State.
An Interesting Comparison.
WASHINGTON, Oct. 22-The report of Con-
sui Schoenhof at Tastall, giving the compar-
atiye cost of making steel rails in Pennsyl-
vania and England has just been made pub
lie. The cost Of coal, coke. plant, ETC., in
both countries is first compared. 1t is found
that ton Of Bessemer steel rails costs the
English manufacturer S1S.97, while in Penn.
sylyania the cost would be S2S.3S. The En-
glish manufacturers would be glad to sell
their product at a clear profit Of four shi'-
lings.
The employees in American steel mills av-
erage S1305 per week, which Is fully two
thirds higher than the average earned by
Englishmen employed in the same class of
work. A comparison of the output Of one
mill in each country Is then given. IL Is
found that in Eastern Pennsylvania the to-
tai output is $500 tons per week, that the
number of men employed is 104S, aud the
output averages tons per man. The aver
age day wages in America is S2.171; the cost
Of labor per ton of all employed in the
American mill being S3.04.
In the English mill the average output is
1900 tons, the total number of men employed
is 600, making 1.-THE average output per man
2 8; the average pay per day is S1.33 The
cost of labor per ton to all employed in the
steel mill averages from $3.50 to S3.0S.
The Trouble In Haytl.
WASHINGTON, Oct. 22.-A Icable despatch,
dated at Port au Prince, Oct. IT. announces
the election on that day, by the National As
sembly, Of Gen. Francois Denys. .Legitime, as
President of the Republic. Cape Hayti,
Gonavais and st. Marc having revolted
against the Legitime government, have been
closed to foreign commerce and naval
force Is before said ports to enforce the de-
cree Of the government against all vessels
endeavoring to eyade the same.
Washington Notes.
The Supreme Court today affirmed the con-
stitutionality of the color-blind law of Ala
bama.
VISION OF THE PAST.