The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1896-02-22
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ACTION OF THE HOUSE OF DELE
GATES ON CIVIL SERVICE.
The Bruce Bill Is Defeated by Decisive
Vote, and Measure Referring
the Question to the Voters In
All Parts of the State
Is Passed.

Senate, ami substituted IN entirely new
measure. which takes in all the counties il
the State. and refers the matter to the people
The result was brought about afteI the most
interesting and hotly contested battle wit
messed in the House of Delegates this session
THE GOVERNOR TOOK A HAND.
The Governor himself, with his cabinet
and advisors, had demonstrated his interest
in the pending bill very plainly long before
the House met, when he summoned nearly
every Republican to the Executive Mansion
and pleaded with him to vote for it. Those
with him were Senator-elect Wellington
Judge David Sloan. of Allegany, and Attor-
ney General Clabaugh and those gentlemen
added their persuasive arguments to those
usen by the Governor. They met with very
little success, however. Even the Allegany
delegation, which the Governor had hoped
to influence, held aloof, Messrs. Dick and
Campbell declaring very plainly that under
no consideration would they support any
such measure. They said that the maj ajority
of the Baltimore city members were opposed
to it, and they would not ask the city to
accept bill which they themselves found
Objectionable, and so with other delegations
to whom the Governor turned for assistance.
While few here and there gave in, the large
majority refused to bulge an inch. Even
the promise of patronage had no effect, one
of the city members openly stating that there
was no office in the gift Of the Governor that
could induce him to betray his constituents.
Even then the Governor did not abandon his
hope. When he found he could not obtain a
direct vote in favor of the bill, he pleaded
with the members to have the measure re-
ferred to the city delegation, with instruc-
lions to report tonight. But this they de-
clned to do. When the opponents OF the
Bruce bill learned Of the proposition, they,
fearing that enough members could be in
determined to go him one better, and pro-
posed to delay action until Friday.
FOR TINE NOTHING WAS CERTAIN.
There was. therefore, degree Of uncer-
tainly as to what the outcome would be when
the subject came before the House. and
throughout the discussion the greatest in
terest was manifested 10y members. as well as
spectators That the opponents of the bill
were not sure of their ground was plain when
they agreed to compromise by submitting the
bill to the people OF Baltimore at special
election to be held April Is. Chairman Put
eel. who had charge of the civil service for
ces, declined, however, to accede to this pro-
position, and soon had reason to regretit. for
it was very evident Immediately after the con-
siperation of the bill began that the ants were
in the majority. They defeated with ease
every move of the civil service reformers, and
finally knocked out the Bruce measure by the
decisive vote of 40 to a. Only one Democrat
voted for the referendum-Mr. Hutton, of
Montgomery.
The vote on the final passage was 62 to ls
Mr.. Clark, of Caroline, was the only Demo-
crat who voted for the bill, while four Re-
publicans voted against it. These were
Messrs. Cheston, Of Anne Arundel; Birnie
and Cover. of Carroll, and Herman, of Balti-
more county. OF the Baltimore city delega-
tion, Messrs. Putzel. Pennington, Apple
garth, Baukard, Mason, Huggins and Aber-
cromble voted against the referendum and
for the Senate bill, and on the passage of the
bill all voted in the Affirmative, except Mr..
Putzcl, who asked to be excused.
THE SUBSTITUTE Is ADOPTED.
Mr.. Barber endeavored to speak, but was
interrupted by general cry for the question.
The Speaker refused to recognize the informal
call and a motion to order the previous
question was made. Cries Of objection to
''gag law" were heard, and the yeas and
nays were demanded. The motion carried
yeas 49, nays 40-but before the question as
OF the adoption of the substitute could be put
Mr.. Ford moved to take a recess until eight
o'clock. and called for the yeas and nays on
his motion which was lost-yeas %, nays 4S.
The motion TO adopt the substitute offered
by Mr. Cunningham was then put, and car
ried-yeas 40. nays 34-the members voted as
follows:
Yeas-Messrs. Mudd, Chesley, Jones of st.
Marys. Baker, Cole, Jones of Anne Arundel,
Bird, Harknes, Norman, Whitaker, Dehoff,
Wilhelm. Dodson, Carew, Cox, Hopkins,
Smith Of Cecil, Logan. White, Holmes, Pyles
Schooley. Rouzer, Cunn. Wood, Markell,
Ford, Janetzke, Cunningham, Burns, Schill-
ing, Padgett, Tolson, Warrenberger. Nash,
Kaufman, Bye, Koontz, Cook, Lamar, Hut
ton, Dick, Ohr. Robertson, Porter, Campbell,
Smith Of Carroll, Pndell and Otto-49.
Nays-Messrs Nicholson. Cheston, Kreems,
Herman, Barber. Hail. Wingate, Bradley,
Phillips Dudley, Vansant, johnson, Harmon
son, Miller, Lee, Seneca, Whiteford, Lewis,
Clark, Mason. Pennington. Putzel, Apple
garth, Huggins, Bankard Cheswell, Etchison
Ganter, Cover, Birnie, Black, Moore, Truitt
and Catlin-34.
The House on Thursday reconsidered Its
action on the amended civil-service bill
but by vote of "a yeas and 40 nays defeated
an amendment offered by Speaker Nude
providing for a special election in Baltimore
city May IL next to decide whether the civil
service law should be adopted by the city
The scenes of disorder aad confusion dun.
ing the discussion Of the amendment hay,
been rarely witnessed.