The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-12-08
ENTIRE LAW is ATTACKED.
He Denies That the System Is Sane.
toned by the People.

I
Measure Aimed at the Law-Wal-
ker and Dingley Collide-Bro-
sius and iodine Join In Discussion
| WASHINGTON. Dec. THE session OF
| the house, though IL lasted but two hours.
witnessed a very lively skirmish over the
| question of distributing the president
| message to the various committees clothed
| with jurisdiction over the subjects dealt
| with The conflict of authority came be-
I tween the ways and means committee and
the banking and currency committee, The
battle ragged all along the line. During taa
debate lSrosyenor of OHIO fired the first
! gun against the civil service law. and this
| brought the friends and enemies of that
| measure into action. Johnson OF Indiana.
| in ringing warning. declared that IL
| bill to cnsascnlate the civil service law
/ were passed it would meet the presidential
| veto. Eventually Dingley, In def5rence 20
| the opposition of the members OF the bank
4 ing and currency committee. agreed To q
4 modification of the order OF distribution.
| so as to send TO the ways and mean COM
| mittee all matters relating to the reve-
| nue. the bonded debt OF the country and
| the treaties affecting the revenues" The
| resolution was then adopted.
After the session Chairman Walker
claimed he had won a decisive victory
and that his committee. under the order,
would have jurisdiction of measure, as
he explained IL. TO convert the greenbacxs
into gold certificates. But members OF
the ways and means committee insisted
that the changes of verbiage I'm the order
would not affect their jurisdiction. and
that a measure such as the president sug-
A.
be referred by the speaker to their COM
mittee.
Before the debate. which lasted over an
hour. had been concluded the house was
plunged into debate on the currency
problem. Walker. after the reading or the
resolution. asked. with some heat. what
was left to bis committee.
Dlngley replied that all matters relating
TO banking and currency under the reso-
luton would go to the banking and cur
rency committee.
There seems to be decided conflict Of
opinion as to what matters refer TO bank
ing and currency" exclaimed Walker
rather sharply.
Dingley protested that the language of
the resolution was identical with that Of
former resolutions on the same subject
but he was Immediately bombarded with
questions as to the practical effect OF the
resolutions language.
Bailey OF Texas. the minority leader. at
tackled Dingley's flank. He wanted to
know specifically whether n measure to cf-
fectuate the recommendations OF the pres-
fdent on the currency would 60 TO tho
ways and means or the currency commit.
tee.
Dingley avoided a direct response.
I'll IL IL proposed to retire the green.
backs in the manner recommended by the
president, where would It gor" asked Bat
ley.
Johnson. OF Indiana, pressed Dingiey
along the same line
II would leave the determination OF that
question to the speaker" at last replied
Dingiey
The house laughed.
"It IS to avoid this very thing" ex.
claimed Johnson. 'that desire this aues@
tion TO be made clear now. Does the
chairman of the ways ana means COM
mittee think a bin embodying the princI-
pie OF the presidents recommendation az
fects the redemption fund.-"
81 think II does" replied Dingley
Then the gentleman Indirectly answers
our question: exclaimed Johnson
BY this time IL being apparent that Co.
bate would be required 20 dispose OF tho
question at issue DinrIey and Bailey ar
ranged for thirty minutes on n side.
Walker then secured the floor and in
fignantly protested that IL the questions
relating TO legal tender money, which lay
at the very foundation or the currency and
banking laws. were to come under the TT
risdiction Of the ways and means commit
tee, the committee on banking and cur
reucy might welt be dissolved III 10
was TO he shorn os its responsibilities
why continue ft7 He avcwed that In the
last congress hfs committee had been
steadily disregarded. Its members had
cooled their heels In the speakers iobby
he said, and when at last they were al
lowed TO bring In BILL the previous aues-
ton had been demanded without perruis-
sion for debate. and he had been allowed
TO address the house only by unanimous
consent.
Cox Of Tennessee. senior Democratic,
member of the currency committee Sec
onded the protest OF Walker. The presi-
dents recommendations as 10 national
bank circulation, he said. were inextrica-
bly, interviewer with the proposition 20 re-
tire the greenhacks. II the banking and
currency committee was TO DO anything.
he submitted that It's hands should not
! be- tied. He expressed the opinion that tho
object OF the resolution was 81 To divide
the subject that nothing practical would
result.
Wheeler. Of Alabama, at this peint used
a few minutes I'm plea for a government
armor plate plant In Alabama.
He vas followed by Grosvenor who d.
vsrtsd the whole course OF the debate by an
attack on the civil service law, which was
several times enthusiastically applauded
both by members on the aoor and specia-
tors in the galleries. AZ the outset ne re-
pndiatsd the idea that opposition 10 the
civil service Law involved an affroHf 70 the
president Congress was empowered to
deal with the suh3ect. and the president
had referred Il TO congress He heartily
agreed wEsh the president that there we're
places tn tha classified service which ought
TO be exempt"
II SIN glad" said Groayeu0r so go that
Ear with the president. even n I ara rom
psilaG TO part company wtth him when he
says the civil service system has the offlessl
sa notion Of the people.
Grosveror declared that he had kept IN
touch with the sentiment OF toe country.
and that II the question were submitted 20
ihs people west OF The Allegheny mount
aims IL Would pe buried unsger their over
waelrning condemnation lis remarks in
denaaeiaEton OF 'slife tenure IN of9c.s' were
,. 80