Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-02-05
THE CENSUS OFFICE.
Its Management Criticized by DEM
ocrats in the House.
DEFENDED BY REPUBLICANS.
The Charge OF Extravagance Made
by Mr.. Sayers.
THE DEFICIEN BILL
This Was the Cause of the Debate-Mr. Saw
ers Made the Attack and the Superintendent
Was Defended by Messrs. Henderson and
Dingley.
HOUSE

For the first time this session the House met
this morning with a code OF rules to govern its
procedure. but. owing to a driving snow
storm which visited Washington today, the at
tendance of members was very small.
Speaker Crisp. who though present yester-
day occupied the chair for but brief period,
was in his place this morning and called the
House TO order promptly at noon.
Mr.. Flthian Clll } sent to the Speaker for ref
erence bill placing farm implements upon the
free list he wished TO have the bill printed In
the Record, but the Speaker declined TO recog-
nize him for the purpose of making that re-
quest at the present time.
THE SPEAKER VERY HoARsE.
Speaker Crisp was very hoarsc and his voice
was hardly audible. The calling of the COM
mittees for reports which is usually made by
the Speaker in person, was delegated to one Of
the reading clerks, the Speaker being desirous
OF saving his throat as much as possible.
Finally he left the chair and yielded the
gayel to Mr.. McMilhn Of Tennessee.
REPORTS FROM coMMIrrEEs
Several reports were made from committees
and placed upon the appropriate calendars
Mr.. Cummings q. Y. }, chairman of the COM
mittee on library, reported a bill appropriating
100000 for the erection at Fort Green,
BROOKLYN, N y, Of a monument to the victims
OF the british prison ships Committee Of the
whole.
Mr.. Outhwaite (Ohio). chairman of the mill
tary committee, reported a bill to establish
lineal promotion throughout the cavalry and
infantry branches of the army. House CAL
eudar.
b The call Of committees having been COM
pleted, Mr.. Fithian (Ill.) made his request that
bill introduced by him be printed in the Record,
and the request was acceded to.
THE CENSUS DEFICIENCY BILL.
The House then went into committee Of the
whole (Mr. Richardson Of Tennessee in the
chair) on the census deficiency bill.
Mr.. Sayers CTex) in charge OF the BILL made
an explanation as TO Its provisions, and brought
charge OF extravaganza againt the admins
tration of the census bureau. He said that
hundreds of men and women who never ought
to have been employed had been employed in
that Office at the instance of members of
Congress. Had the superintendent of the
census been left to operate his bureau without
pressure from the outside to put in a large
lures would have been very much less.
Mr.. Henderson Qowa)-Do you refer to the
number or the quality?
Mr.. Sayers-1o both.
Mr.. Henderson inquired whether the
gentleman had any evidence to Justify his state
ment.
EVIDENCE TO JUSTIFY HIS STATEMENT.
dence had come to him from outside sources
1t had been stated to him that the salaries of
incompetent persons had been largely in
creased. There had been a useless expenditure
OF public money.
THE SUPERINTENDENT DEFENDED.
Mr.. Henderson contended that the Office had
been economically administered and asked Mr..
Sayers to bear him out in this contention. This
Nv 70 40, ~ G.. 1.
information he had received he could not indorse
the declaration. Many of the employees who
were drawing salary of 500 a month were
unable TO discharge their duties. He believed
that a committee should be appointed to inves-
tigate the administration of the Office. Such
an investigation would justify him in his state
ment as to the extravaganza of tine bureau.
THE CHARGE NOT MADE IN COMMITTEE.
Mr.. Dingley (Me. regretted that tine gentle
man from Texas had made charges against the
superintendent of the census that had never
been made before the committee on appropria-
tions. ltseemed to him that such charges made
by the gentleman from anonymous sources)
should have been brought 10 the attention Of
the committee. He was sure that had
this been done the minority of the committee
would have insisted that an investigation
be made. 1t was unfair to the superintendent
that such charges shonld be made against him
on the floor of the House. If there had been
any mismanagement of the census Office,
if any employees were unfit to perform their
duties these allegations were matters which
should have been brought to the attention
of the committee aud not launched
upon the house where the members of
the committee could not have an opportunity
of inquiring whether there was any foundation
for the charge. He believed that the superin-
tendent had faithfully performed the duty that
had been entrusted to him.