Los Angeles herald., 1891-02-14
i HOLLOW MOCKERY.
Republican Pretense Of Civil
Service Reform.
Efforts Made to Cripple the
Present Law.
Nourishment Denied Child of Their
Own Begetting.
A Fight Made Against Allowing the
Civil Service Commission Ade-
quate CierkHire.
Associated Press Dispatches.

quate Clerk-Hire.
Associated Press Dispatches.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 13.-The house to-
day went into committee of the whole
on the legislative appropriation bill.
McComas OF Indiana offered an amend
ment making appropriations for the
clerical force in the civil service COM
mission.
Grosvenor OF Ohio raised point OF
order against the amendment and the
chair sustained the point. An appeal
by Butterworth was defeated.
Cannon moved an amendment provid-
ing for secretary and stenographer at
$1,000 each. This, he said, would COM
ply with the terms OF the organic law.
Butterworth said this appropriation
was worse than mockery. 1t was hy-
pocritical pretense of responding to the
promises of the Republican party. lie
did not know whether the gentleman s
constituents had so declared, but every
national convention had declared to the
people that it was in favor of enforcing
the law. Now let the members, if they
did not want the law, repeal it like men.
Cannon replied that Butterworth and
other gentlemen, not satisfied with the
law, wanted to give the commission a
force of clerks and examiners independ-
ent of the departments, independent OF
everybody. This was not wise thing
to do. The gentleman had no right to
Il L. 70 N
civil service commission. He was not in
was willing to try the experiment until
it ripened into success or was demon
strated to be delusion.
Butterworth said the house should
not while pretending to protect an insti-
tuition strike it down from behind. This
was the first time in his experience that
the Republican party had attempted to
destroy one of its babes by Withholding
the nourishment necessary to sustain
life.
GrOsvenor said he was not opposed to
the civil service reform contemplated in
the Chicago platform. He was in favor
of the principle of civil service reform,
but that reform should be raised to the
highest possible development. The
system as at present carried on was an
unpopular one. The government should
have system of examination under the
control of the heads of departments.
He looked forward to the time when
the people would crush down this arro-
CANT commission, and when the prin
ciple of civil service reform ould find
full development.
A long debate ensued, participated in
by Lodge, Grosvenor, Greenhalge and
others.
Finally Dingley moved to amend Can
mons amendment by inserting a pro-
vision appropriating 1864 to enable
the commission to execute the provis-
ions of the act.
After debate the amendment was
agreed to, and Cannon's amendment, as
amended, was adopted.
The committee rose and reported the
bill to the house. The first question
was on the amendment providing for
clerks to members not the chairmen of
committees. 1t was defeated, II to 146.
The bill was then passed.
The presidents message announcing
the death of Admiral Porter was read
and referred to the committee on naval
affairs, and the house adjourned.
SENATE PROCEEDINGS.
The senate today resumed considera-
ton of the copyright bill, the pending
question being on Sherman's amend
ment to strike out the word "prohib-
ited," and insert Subject to the duties
provided by law" SO that foreign edi-
tions of books, ETC., copyrighted in the
United States, may be admitted on the
payment of the regular tariff duties.
hn hot 10 CT al of
and the amendment was finally agreed
to, 25 to "a, and the bill was laid aside
The presidents message announcing
Admiral Porter's death having been laid
before the senate. eulogistic remarks
were made by Chandler, Plumb and
Hale, and the senate adjourned.
WASHINGTON NOTES.
The conferees on the army appropria-
ton bill reached an agreement this
afternoon. In the matter of tiansporta-
tion for the army over land-grant rail-
roads, a compromise of the dispute be-
tween the two houses was effected, the
rate which shall be paid by the govern
ment being fixed at sixty per cent of the
rates charged private persons for similar
service. This is midway between the
percentages fixed by the house and SEN
ate, respectively. An amendment was
also made so as to make this provision
applicable to all land-grant railroads.
The only changes made by the senate
committee on appropriations, in the
diplomatic and consular appropriation
bill, were the division of the Central
American mission into two missions,
with salaries of $4,000 for each minis.
ter, and the increase of the Mexican
mission from the second to the first
grade.
cix hundred and 'seventy-one thou.
sand ounces of silver were purchased
today, at prices ranging from $l.0079 to
$1,000.
The Republican house caucus has
again been postponed.
SILVER HEARINGS.
Dr<> Ero