Los Angeles herald., 1890-04-18
NATIONAL CAPITAL.
Montana Senators in Their
Stolen Seats.
A Breezy Political Debate on
Civil Service.
The House AdjOurns in Respect to
Randall'S Funeral.
The House River and Harbor Appropria-
ton Bill Completed-Tarif
Petitions, Etc.
Associated Press Dispatches

WASHINGTON, April 17.-In the Senate
Saunders and Power, now the Montana
Senators, were in their seats this morn
ing, their desks having been placed on
the Republican side since adjournment
Yesterday. The desks were first located
on the Democratic side after the four
new States were admitted, and there
they remained until the action of the
Senate yesterday, in seating the Repub
lican contestants. Under the terms of
resolution presented in the executive
session yesterday by Hoar, Saunders and
Power were assigned by lot to the classes
of Senators whose terms expire in '93 and
'95, respectively.
Among the bills introduced was one
by Regan proposing an amendment to
the Constitution for the election of
Senators by vote OF the people. 900
The Senate bill appropriating $4,000
for the improvement of the military
reservation known as Fort Walla Walla,
Washington, was passed; also the House
bill for the appointment to retirement
of John G. Fremont as Major-General of
the United States army.
The House bill to transfer the revenue
cutter service from the Treasury to the
Navy department, was taken up.
Sherman opposed the bill, which was
laid over, and the Senate proceeded to
consider the House joint-resolution for
the appointment of thirty medical ex
aminers for the Pension Bureau, without
reference to the civil service law
Faulkner moved to strike out the pro-
vision taking the appointments from
the civil service, and Cockrell said he
had hoped some Republican, of the
party OF civil service reform, would
have raised his head in defense of the
civil service. This precipitated breezy
political debate. Cockrell taunted the
Republican Senators with lack of
sincerity, and said the Commissioner of
Pensions is now trampling under his
feet the civil service law and rules ap-
proved by the President, in which
he is aided and abetted by the Secretary
of the Interior. If the Republi-
cans intend to trample the civil
service law under foot, it should be done
in a bold, manly way, and not by skulk-
ing behind this joint resolution. He
charged that the object of the pending
measure was to destroy and break down
the civil service law.
The vote on Faulkner's motion re-
suited, yeas 13, nays %; not quorum
Aldrich, Hoar and Saunders, Republi-
cans, voted i'll the affirmative with the
ences of forty-fo four Senators.
Hoar moved an amendment by insert
ing the words: "under regulations to
be prescribed by the President
of the United States.' These ex-
aminers, he said, were to be appointed
only for brief service in an emergency,
and this was an additional reason why
the general civil service rules should not
apply. 1t was perfectly clear to him
that the record OF no party, no Presi-
dent, and, he suspected, no Senator
could be found absolutely in accord with
the strict letter of their declarations in
regard to civil service reform.
Plumb hoped the Senator from Massa-
chusetts would limit his confessions to
himself, and commented upon COM
bination which seemed to exist between
the Democratic party and the Senator
from Massachusetts. The bill, he said,
simply put the whole question of ap-
pointments in the Presidents power. 1t
did not seem to him that the bill should
have excited any debate. The appoint
ments were mere temporary ones.
After considerable further discussion,
Hoar modified his amendment to read:
'"rhe examination for the appointment
of these examiners shall be under reg
ulations prescribed by the President"
This was agreed to-yeas SO, nays sand
without finishing the bill the Senate adj
journed
The House Meets and Adjourns.
WASHINGTON, April 1.-THE House
met and adjourned out of respect to the
late Representative Randall, whose
funeral was taking place.