Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-12-08
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committee had been steadily disregarded.
Its members had cooled their heels in the
Speakers lobby, he said. and when at
last they were allowed to bring In Dill,
the previous question should be demand
ed without time for debate and he had
been allowed to address the House by
unanimous consent.
Cox, Dem, Tenn, the senior Democratic
member of the currency committee, Sec
onded the protest of Walker.
Wheeler DEM, Ala, used a few min
utes in plea for 4 government armor
plant in Alabama,
BE was followed by Grosvenor. Rep.
Ohio. who diverted the whole course OF
the debate by an attack on the clVil SER
vice law which was several times en-
thusa stically applauded both by mem
bers of the floor and spectators in the
galleries.
that opposition to the civil service la"
involved an affront to the President.
Congress was empowered 70 aeai WIN
the subject and the President. had re-
with the President that there are places
in the classified service which ought to
be exempt.
II am glad" said Grosvenor, TO so
that far With the President. even If l am
compelled to part company from nm
when he says the civil service system has
the official sanction of the people.
GroSvenor declared that he mad kept In
touch with the sentiment of the country
and if the question was submitted to the
people. west of the Allegheny mountains.
ii would be buried under their over
whelming condemnation. He declared no
man should be excluded from participate
ing in the executive branch of the gov
eminent by accident Of birth or the mis-
fortune of early education, who was
otherwise qualified. Ohio. he said. had
repudiated the civil service law and was
opposed to building up an Office holding
class in this country.
Rrosius. Rep. Pa, the chairman of the
committee on civil service. defended the
law and the Presidents Interpretation
Of IL. He thought any attempt to legis-
late upon the question must be regarded
as an indienity to the Executive.
Grosvenor's utterances against building
up an office holding class in this country
"a doctrine. he said which was almost
literally embodied in the Chicago plat
form Democratic applause).
THAT is the only good feature of that
platform" calculated Steele, Rep. Ind,
amid laughter on the Republican side.
Il am glad to relieve the other side of
the charge of total depravity." retorted
Bailey to this thrust.
Wheeler. Den.. Ky. avowed himself a
spokesman in sympathy with the PROPOSE
ton to repeal the law.
Fitzgerald. Dem. Mass. chided the Re
publieans for their attempt to break
down the law.
Johnson. Rep. Ind. made strong
IL
He charged Gen. Grcsvenor with being
derelict to his duty as a Republican.
That party. he said. was unalterably
pledged to the support Of the law. Ben
iamin Harrison and William Mckinley.
the most distinguished opponents of its
policies. had fought for the law in Ian
guage, and Gen. Grosvenor. he thought.
we'll merited the rebuke administered by
Mr.. Bailey when the latter charged him
with supporting the Chicago platform
uaughter).
He marvelled that the mouth piece of
the administration had fallen so low No
with more hearty endorsement from him
than that relating to the civil service
and he warned his colleagues that if they
put through bill antagonism to the law
it would be vetoed.
Moreover. he said it was mistake to
imagine that the sentiment of the coun-
try opposed it. The law was heartily APP
proved by all except a few degenerate
politicians who opposed it from selfish
motives. The trouble was not with the
law but with its administration by spoils-
mt n.
Cochran. Dem. Mo-. returning to the
financial question in satirical speech
spoke'of the injustice of turning over a
subject which Walker had freely adj
mitted he knew all about to Dingley. who
had fathered "A tariff bin that had already
produced a si0,Goo,d00 deficit.
Bland, Dem, Mo, avered that it was
well understood that nothing would be
done with the currency pfobiem. ana
Bodine. Dem. Mo-. alleged that the civil
service law was Il humbug which the
West and South opposed. The latter
gave some illustrations of its opera tons
and caused a laugh by the statement that
Mr.. Cleveland had made some time in the
White House before he discovered that
the United States were not bounded on
the west by the Allegheny mountains.
During the progress of the debate
Walker and Johnson had consulted with
Dingiey and a modification OF the reso-
luton of distribution was agreed on. 1t
struck out the words 1.-The national
finances. the public debt. the preserva-
ton of the government credit and gave
the ways and means committee iurisdic-
ton over all matters in the message re-
latinS to the revenue. the bonded debt of
the United States and to the treaties OF
the United States affecting the revenues.
When this amendment was presented
the opposition withdrew and the resolu-
ton was adopted without division.
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