The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-12-23
CIVIL SERVICE LAW
The Day Devoted 10 The Discussion
of This QUESTION.
CLERKS FROM GEORGIA, 100
This Item Dwelt on at Considera-
bic Length-lhe "Poor White
Trash" Come In for
Serious of Punts.

washington, Dec. Z-.-Tne mousse TO-
day passed the Legislative. executive
and judicial appropriation bill and then
adjourned for the holiday recess. This
Is the first time in the history Of con-
gress that the legislative bill has
passed before the holidays,
The day was devoted Ia the annual
debate uf the civil service law, and,
as usual. the attempt To strike out the
provision for the commission was over
whelmingly defeated. There was a
good deal of threshing over of old straw
and sparring for political points. Mr..
Brossius. chairman of the civil service
committee, defended the law. Mr. Set
tie Of North Carolina made the motion
to strike out the paragraph relating 10
the civil service. which was defeated,
% 10 81. The bill as passed carries s22,-
GGg. .36g. s9G,3i9 more than the current
bill.
During the morning hour n hill was
passed authorizing the railroads In the
Indian Territory to cnanfe their align
ments. Mr. Baker of New Hampshire
attacked the method Of administering
the civil service laws under the present
administration. lie asserted that loo
Georgians had been appointed to places
In the interior department 10y this adj
miristration: that Of S6 dismissals from
the department IL Were veterans, and
the treasury department also had dis
eliminated against republicans In ap-
puintments and dlsmissals, leaving but
one republican in the secret service.
Under the spoils system, the public
business had been better handled than
now, when clerks are kept under se-
cret espionage and are no better on
than factory hands. Yet the civil scrv-
ice commission had never protested
against such misadministration.
Mr. Brussius of Pennsylvania, chair
man of the committee on ciVil service.
replied at some length 10 Mr.. Bakers
structures, He eulogized the merit sys-
tenn and arralgned the remnant OF the
spoils system which remained. He
charged that the complaints against
I the classified service were In fact COM
/ plants against the spoils system. The
| civil service rules. he declared. pre-
| cluded the possibility Of political inilu-
enCe i'm admission To the service. Mr..
Brossius defended the presidents re-
cent order extending the scope OF the
civil service as "A "thorough- going mer-
II system" order.
After the president secured those
Offices" interposed Mr.. Baker. was
rot the order an attempt To keep
them
You don't suppose" replied Mr..
Brossius, turning to his interrogator,
that he made the appointments for the
purpose Of having his appoIntees dis
missed"
1t Is for that reason" said Mr..
Baker sarcastiCally. that he should
rot be entitled to the usufruc, OF his
gin"
Il have always believed" responded
Mr.. Brossius. that what man has
done In his degenerate days ought not
To he thrown up To him when he has
repented and occupies a front pew IN
the church"
Mr. Richardson of Tennessee eN.
pressed the hope that If any further
extensions of the civil service law Were
made they would he made operative he
fore March T. Then" said he I'VE
I will see whether our republican friends
will stand by the law they themselves
enacted"
Mr.. Walker Of Massachusetts warmly
endorsed the principle Of the civtl serN'
ice law. which he declared was IN" con.
trolling principle Of every wcll-regulat'
D ed business concern.
A remark of Mr. Walkers about th'
poor white trash" of the South drew
from Mi Williams Of Mississippi al
eloquent and singing rebuke. He char
acterized the so-caled poor whit,
trash" Of the South rs the most magni
| iicent raw material i'm this country. th'
/ making NJ manhood and womanhood
The South, he said, was to-day the only
American part Of America, and from
the poor white trash" ~ the South
sprang Henry Clay. Andrew jackson
and Abe Lincoln. The latter's magni
iicent courage and keen sense of humu
was southern and poor white trash
AT that. MIR. Walker repudiated th'
I suggestion that slur was contained N
his reference to the poor white trash.
lie said he had referred To class well
known in history who. before the war
were exiled Ia the mountains and ha,
the contempt both of the wealthy slav'
owners and the negroes.
Mr. Williams. in reply, declared tn
class had never had any existence sav,
in the minds OF novelists and negroes
/ Mr.. Williams, expressing himself ol
the civil service law, gave II as hi
opinion that no business man Of com
mon sense would apply the principle q
competitive examination Ia the selec
tion of his employees, lie announces
himself opposed TO life tenure In Office
Mr.. Settle moved to strike out all pro
vision for civil service.
Don't you know your amendnen
would strike down the commission,
inquired Mr. Brossius.
IT would not" replied Mr. Settle Il
would cripple the law This state
ment was heartily applauded 10y man
republicans on the floor and was vocif
erously hailed by the galleries. MI
settles amendment was defeated. -
S. The committee then rose and IN
bill was passed.
During the debate the senate amend
mcnts To the urgency deficiency bil
we're concurred In. At $40 y. IN. tn
house adjourned until noon, Jan. ..