St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-02-06
The House Warmly Discusses
Census laundering and
Extravaganza.
Incompetent and Useless EN-
ployes Retained to Please
Congressman.
Some Democrats Speak for
Porter, and the Money He
Asked Is Voted.
House Committees Listen to
Argument and Advice on
Many Subjects.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 5.-The census
bureau, its management. and the extent
to which it has been subordinated to
political ends were the subject of two
hours spirited discussion in the house
today. While the discussion in a gen.
eral way was upon party lines the SUI
perintendent of the census was not
without supporters on the Democratic
side - Representative Stone, of Ken
lucky. being among the warmest cham
pions of Mr.. Porter's efficiency and
official zeal.
For the first time this session, the
house met this morning with code of
rules to govern its procedure, but owing
to driving snow storm which visited
Washington. the attendance of members
was very small. Speaker Crisp, who,
though present yesterday, occupied the
chair for only brief period. was in his
place this morning, and called the house
to order promptly at noon.
Mr.. Fithian, of Illinois. sent to the
speaker for reference bill placing
farm implements on the free list.
Speaker Crisp was very hoarse and his
voice was hardly audible. The calling
of the committees for reports (Which is
usually made by the speaker in person.
was delegated to one of the reading
clerks. the speaker being DESTROYS of
saving his throat as much as possible.
Finally he left the chair and yielded the
gavel to Mr.. McMillin. The call of COM
mittees having been completed, Mr..
Fithian, of Illinois, renewed request
that the bill introduced by him be
printed In the record and the request
was acceded to. The house then went
into committee of the whole (Mr. Rich
ardSOn, of Tennessee, in the chair on
| the
Census Deficiency Bill.
Mr.. Savers, of Texas, Gin charge of the
bid made an explanation as to its pro-
visions and brought a charge of extrav-
| agance against the administration of
| the census bureau. He said that hun
| dredS of incompetent. unnecessary men
| and women had been employed in that
| office at the instance OF members of con-
| gress. Had the superintendent of the
census been left to operate his bureau
without pressure from the outside to
! put in Office a large number of incompe-
1 tent persons, the expenditures would
| have been very much less.
| Dir. Henderson, of 1owa-Do you re-
| fer to the number or the quality? Mr..
Sayers TO both.
MIR. Henderson inquired whether the
| gentleman had any evidence to Justify
his statement. Mr.. Savers insisted that
he had. That evidence had come to him
| from outside sources. 1t had been stated
| to him that the salaries of incompetent
| persons had been largely increased.
| There had been useless expenditure
| of public money.
Mr. Henderson commended that the
office had been economically admins
| tered, and asked Mr.. SayerS to bear him
| out in this contention.
1 5+a 80 MIR. Sayers Declined
! to do so, stating that from the informa-
| ton he had received he could not in
| dorse the declaration. Many of the
| employees who were drawing salary of
| 500 month were unable to discharge
] their duties. He believed that a COM
| mlttee should be appointed to investi-
| gate the administration of the office.
| Such an investigation would justify
| him in his statement as 10 the extrava-
| gance of the bureau.
Mr., Dingley, of Maine. regretted that
the gentleman from Texas had made
| charges against the superintendent of
| the census that had never been made
before the committee on appropriations.
| Ii 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 and not launched upon
the house. He believed that the super
intendent had faithfully performed the
| duty that had been intrusted to him. Ii
the expenditure OF the census bureau
I,oA inn. caI &c
fact that congress had imposed upon it
the new and unheard-of duty of inquir-
ing Into the private business OF citizens
and compelling them to disclose the
amounts Of their farm mortgages.
Tons of Worthless Statistics.
Mr.. DUNCAN, of Ohio, opposed an ap-
preparation for the census bureau. until
the charges made against it had been
answered satisfactorily. 1t had been
said that tons and tons of statistics had
been destroyed after compilation and
that a lot of punching machines (the
invention of reiative} which could be
purchased for $40, had been employed at
royalty of So.
Mr.. Cooper. of Indiana, criticized the
census office on the ground that it had
Disseminated against certain limestone
industries of Indiana, and in favor Of
Others.
Mr.. Stone, of Kentucky, paid high
tribute to the ability and efficiency of
the superintendent of the census.
Mr.. Sayers, Of Texas, offered an
amendment appropriating Sll5,514 for
the subsistence of the Sioux Indians,
and calling upon the secretary Of the in
terror to report to tie house the names
of all employees under the direction and
supervision of the Indian bureau. The
latter clause of this amendment was the
first general legislation to be ncor-
porated upon an appropriation bill, but
no objection being made the amendment
was adopted.
The committee having arisen the bill
was passed. The private calendar was
then taken up for consideration, but no
progress was made; and the house adj
journed until 1915 o'clock tomorrow,
when eulogies will be delivered upon
the late Representative Lee, of Vir-
GINA.
RIVER IMPROVEMENT.
ID n