The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-12-16

Mr.. Spooner of Wisconsin, asked Mr..
Pettigrew if he believed that Great Brit,
ain as q self-respecting nation would
enter into any agreement if this govern.
| nent should meet it with such a threas
as that implied in his (Pettigrew' 81
amendment
Mr. Pettigrew said the United States
had been trying for four years to secure
an agreement with England to ensure
the protection of seals and had failed.
England refused to enter upon the
negotiations. He was tired of waiting
on England in this and as in other mat
ters. BY the passage of the bill, amended
as he suggested, the fur seal industry IN
London would be aroused and bring to
bear influence upon Great Britain which
might effect q proper settlement OF the
question.
Mr.. White of California thought the
passage of such law as proposed would
be unjust to our own people unless assuP-
ances were given that similar legislation
was to be enacted by other countries,
Canada in particular.
Mr.. Pettigrew's amendment was de-
feated. The bill was then passed by a
vote of 81 to IA.
By agreement the bill to provide for the
twelfth and subsequent censuses was
then taken up to enable Mr. Lodge OF
Massachusetts to submit some remark
upon it. Mr. Lodge said that he was
aware that at the present time it was
not fashionable to say anything in sup
port of the civil service law, but that it
was considered rather better form to at
TACK the administration of the law. He
said that he had always been and was
now a friend of the civil service law
President Cleveland had at the close of
his administration made an enormous
extension OF the classified service, plac-
ing about 10000 persons without exami-
nation under it's protection
Naturally such action, so late in the last
administration, had put the present ad
ministration under great strain, but it
was sufficient to nute that Mr.. Mckinley
had bravely and courageously dealt with
the question at the beginning of his ad-
mlnistration instead of waiting until Its
conclusion as was the practice of his pre-
decessor.
Mr.. Lodge said that he would undertake
to prove that to take the census directors
assistants from among those certified by
the civil service commission would be
better and cheaper method. He then read
extracts from letter from Hon. G. ID.
| Wright, chief of the labor bureau, in
which the expense of conducting the CEN
sus office We're discussed at length.
| MIR. Lodge was of the opinion that tbs
statements and figures in Mr.. Wright 4
letter proved that great saving of time
and money would be made if the en-
| ployes were under the protection of the
civil service law.
| Mr.. Hale of Maine said that the work
of the census Office could be done better
and more cheaply without the interposit
| ion of the civil service commission,
| Mr.. Lodge replied that that point was
fully covered by the the extracts he had
already read from the letter.
| At the conclusion of Mr. Lodges re
marks, MIR. Carter of Montana, outlined
briefly the provisions of the proposed bill
Mr. Chandler of New Hampshire saie
that the whole contention of the advo
Gates of the civil service had been direct
ed towards the application of the So
called merit system of the force of EN-
ployes in the census office-employes mo-
provided for by the pending measure
Nobody had any idea of placing the 30,
600 enumerators required under the pro
lection Of the classified service as their
| employment would be only temporary
81 will vote said Mr. Chandler. to ap
ply the service system to the clerical foros
of the government, hut / think that the
system has been dnwarrantably extended
and made to include persons who are moi
justly entitled to protection.
Mr. Carter closed the debate by an.
nouncing that he would press the meas
ure to vote as soon after the holiday
recess q possible.
The Senate went into executive session
and few minutes afterwards, at ABE
p. M, adjourned.