The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-12-11
Will BE REVENUE ENOUGH
MIR. Dingley Defends Tariff Law on
Floor Of House.
SAYS III WILL PRODUCE A STIR
PLUS NEXT YEAR.
The Pension Appropriation Bln Passed
by House Yesterday-'Mr. Linney's At
tack ON Civil Service Law.

The Pension Appropriation Bill Passed
by House Yesterday-'Mr. Linney's At
tack ON Civil Service Law.
Washington, December 10.-The House
today passed the pension appropriation
bill without amendment and adjourned
until Monday. The amendments offered
by the Democrats to correct alleged ex-
isting abuses were all ruled out on the
point of order that they were new legisla-
tion. AS passed tbs bill carried Sal, $685.
| $780, The debate today covered a wide
range. 1t touched not only the question
of our pension policy, but also that of
civil service reform and the receipts and
expenditures of the Treasury under the
Dingleyelaw.
On the latter question Mr.. Dingley
helexpressed the opinion that the receipts
would equal the expenditures before the
close of the present fiscal year and pre-
dioted surplus of SO, 0a0, 600 next year.
The civil service law was attacked by
several members, notably by Mr.. Brown,
AsOPoDASS1A VI OAlOs anu AiAIs 4AAAACy
Republican of North Carolina, and was
warmly defended by Mr.. John, Republi-
can of Indiana. Just before the close of
the session, MIR. Hit, chairman Of the
foreign affairs committee attempted to
secure unanimous consent for the passage
of the bill to prohibit pelagic sealing by
American citizens, but objection was
made. It will under agreement, however,
be considered On Monday.
ssssAt the opening of the session of the
House today, 1t was agreed that when the
House adjourned today it be to Monday.
On motion Of MF. Goss, Saturday, De-
celn ber 1S, was set apart for paying
tribute to the memory of the late Repre-
sentative e. u. Cooke of Illinois. The
House then resumed the consideration of
the pension appropriation bill, which was
debated yesterday.
MIR. Brown, Republican Of Ohio, at
tackled the civil service law because it
protected some of the pension examining
toards approved under the last admins
tration. He styled 1T an determination"
and was Justify applauded by many of his
colleagues. He said The soldiers of his
DISTRICT regarded this law as inimical to
their interest and he favored its repeal or
IdQlOttI Lll0 TCSJuO14t WdS
mistaken when he affirmed that the civil
service law had the approval Of the
people.
Mr.. Browns district had denounced it.
The last Republican state convention of
Ohio had declared against the law, and
on that platform he stood.
If disioyalty to the law was disloyalty
to the Republican party then it was dis
loyal. (Applause in the galleries.)
AT the conclusion of Mr.. Browns re-
marks the House by unanimous consent,
agreed to close general debates on the bill
at 315.
Mir. Cromwell, Republican of Ohio,
said he concurred with much said by his
colleague, Mr.. Brown, but he insisted
that true civil service reform was cardi
nal principal of republicanism. He be-
loved, he said, that Grover Cleveland had
done more to discredit the true spirit of
civil service reform than all the agencies
combined and he thought Mr.. Mckinley
could be relied upon to bring it back in
to his proper channel.
Mr.. Maxwell, Populist of Nebraska,
submitted some remarks in favor of
liberal pensions and was followed by Mr..
Grosvenor, Republican of Ohio, who said
that while his colleagues from Ohio
seemed to differ on the civil service
question, he thought they were practical
Iy OF one mind. So far as he was con-
cerned he had enlisted for the war against
the law. In discussing the pension
question: Mr.. Grosvenor said If he could
he would abolish the pension examining
boards and much of tn expense of ad
ministration in the pension office and
substitute a general service Of pension
system carefully safeguarded.s
Mr.. Sullivan, Democrat of Mississippi,
in support of an argument against the
payment of pensions to those who were
nd "A ~ t0d
at length from an article recently written
by General H. V. Boynton, whose testi-
mony against the abuses in the present
system, he said, was entitled to respect
ful consideration by the other side.
Mr.. johnson, Republican of Indiana,
in defense of civil service reform, which
he said was being attacked on this floor
by the members from the Presidents own
state, reiterated his own statement of the
other day that civil service reform was an
essential principal of republicanism. 'I
believe any bright boy. no matter how
humble in origin, who does not happen
to have political pull should be allowed
to demonstrate his fitness for office, and
the office should not be served to the son
of some man who happens to control
few votes which can be used to shape the
destiny Of some candidate. (Applause.) J,
Messrs. Carmack, Gains and Sims
Democrats of Tennessee, spoke briefly in
favor of retrenchment in pension expendi-
lures.
The latter expressed the opinion that
the Dingley law would not supply
sufficient revenue for the increasing
pension expenditures. These remarks
drew out an important statement from
Mr.. Dingley regarding the prospective
revenues and expenditures for the coming
fiscal year. Preliminary to this statement,
Mr.. Dingley gave new Interpretation of
the estimated increase in pension ex.
penditures, contending that the maxi
mum was reached in 1898, when the
pension payments reached 81 1000, 600. In
1894 they fell to :. Sl41, ,90o, 900; in 1895,