The age-herald., 1898-01-11
MOTION TO CLOSE DEBATE
Will Probably Be Offered By Mr. Moody
 in the House Today.
DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS
Alike Declared Themselves to Be Opponents of the Lsw-C] SIIlow y .roud y DecI r)i Himself Sposman Without
 Any Mental Reservation.

thir WCNtdi nCoCitauOns
 Washington, Jan 1o-The opponents of the civil service law had much the best of the debate in the house today, as fSr as the numbers of those engaging in it were concerned Nine of the eleven speakrs were of the opposition. The friends of the law are very anxious to shut off further debate and in this will have the cooperation of the speaker and the rules committee. MT. Moody, who has charge of the bill, gave notice that he would test the sense of the house tomorrow on a motion to close de- bate. The opposition immediately sent word to all in their ranks to be on hand, and they say they will have difficulty in de- feating the motion.
 The attendance in the house was light. but the galleries were well filed The civil service debate was resumed, and MT. Coo ney (dem) of Missouri took the floor. He opposed the whole civil service reform idea, which he denounced as cheat and narrow swindle. A civil pension list and office-holding class, he argued, were logical and inevitable if it was continued. MT. Dorr (rep) of West Virginia fol- lowed with set speech in opposition to the law.
 MT. Cox (dem.) of Tennessee said he was so utterly opposed to civil service refoFm that he would vote to strike out the ap- propriation for the commission and the repeal of the law.
 Mr. Little (dem.) of Arkansas antagonized the principle, theory and practice of the law.
 MT. Brumm Heard From. MT. Brumm Gep.) of Pennsylvania also opposed the reform" system. He doubted, he said, whether the president of the United States, members of the supreme court, sen ate and house, could pass some of the civil service examinations. He defended what was known as the political pull which he said ought to be cultivated. Every young man should have such influence, and if they did not have it, it was the best evil dence that they were unworthy of political privileges.
 MT. Mccall (rep) of Massachusetts was the first speaker today to defend the merit system. In replying to the criticisms of some of the opponents of the system, he raised laugh at the expense of MT. Gros- venor, who, according to his (McCalls) calculations, wanted over 115 per cent. of the officers exempted from the operation of the civil service law.
 MT. Subway (rep.) of New Hampshire proudly proclaimed himself a spoilsman without any mental reservation. The civil service law, he said, had been conceived in iniquity, born in infamy and administered in cowardice and by democrats. He believed the government belonged to its friends MT. Sulloway's remarks were picturesque and kept the anti-reformers in a continuous roar of approval.
 After some further remarks by MT. Har- ker (rep) of New Jersey, in defense of the law, and of MT. Low of New York; in favor of a modification of the law the debate c, osed for the day.
 At o'clock the house adjourned.
 IN THE SENATE.
 Washington, Jan. 1O.-Rev. Bishop Merrill, D. D., of Chicago, delivered the invocation at the opening of the senate today.
 A bill was reported favorably from the Indian committee prohibiting railroad com panies from charging more than 3 cents mile for passengers through the Indian ter ritory.
 A resolution looking to the filtration of water used In the city of Washington caused Senator Hale, before it was referred to the District of Columbia committee, to say that in no part of the United States city whose citizens are so imposed upon and abused as to the water supply as are the citizens of Washington.
 We are confronted with foul, bad water said he: ''so filthy, indeed, as to make it dangerous to drink and irksome even to x take bath.''
 In Executive Session.
 At 12:30 p. n1., on motion of MT. Davis of Minnesota, chairman of the committee on foreign relations, the senate went into executive session to consider the Hawaiian annexation treaty.
 The Hawaiian treaty was not taken up immediately in the executive session, as a number of nominations were at first con- firmed. Immediately after the treaty was called up Senator Pettigrew offered his mo- tion for conducting the debate on 1t with open doors, which was antagonized by Sem ator Davis, chairman of the committee on foreign relations, and others. The opinion was expressed that the debating of the treaty in open senate would have the eff feet of prolonging the final determination indefinitely.
 A majority of those favoring open doors are opposed to ratification, but not all of them are on that side of the main contro- versy.
 The senate decided not to debate the Hawaiian treaty In open session. and at 3:45 p. m. adjourned.
 
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