The Portland daily press., 1898-01-07
GROSVENoR'S BROADSIDE.
Ohio Mans Vigorous Attack on
Civil Service Law.
THREATENS TO DESTROY TIE NOT
MODIFIED.

Interesting Setto With MIR. Barrett of
Observation-Disclosures in Full! SYM
Short Session of the Senate,
| Washington. January 6.-The friends
and enemies of the civil service law ex-
changed broad sides i'll the House today.
The heaviest guns on each side were
brought into action. Mr. Grosvenor of
Ohio and Mr.. johnson of Indiana, zach
made exhaustive speeches and kept their
respective sides in constant furore.
The interest in the debate was much
more lively than on yesterday. The
crowded galleries which were plainly in
sympathy with the opponents of the law
became SO noisy in their demonstrations
of approval at one juncture that the
chairman was compelled to call them to
order. Mr.. johnson was warmly sus-
tanned by the friends of the law on the
floor but he got very little applause from
the galleries. Mr. Grosvenor did not
define his attitude in detail but gave his
adhesion to the bill agreed on by the
opponents Of the law in caucus last
night and warned his colleagues that un-
less notifications of the law were made
he and his friends would by cooperation
find way to destroy it. Mr.. Lloyd of
Missouri was the only other speaker. He
favored repeal of the law.
| Washington, January 6. AT the open
ing of the session of the House today, the
speaker announced the resignation of An
drew Devine, one of the official steno-
graphers of the House and the appoint
ment, as his successor, of Ruel Small
of Portland, Maine.
| Tho House then resumed the discussion
on the civil service question and Mr..
Grosvenor of O took the floor with
an elaborate speech in the opposition to
| the law.
In opening Mr.. Grosvenor disclaimed
any leadership Of the anti-civil service
reform forces or any purpose to speak
for any officer of the government, execu-
| i've, Legislative or judicial.
"All efforts to entangle me in . colli-
sion with the President, said he, WASTES
SO much powder 1t / believed that my
relations. to the executive would be
changed or modified be use I differed
| with him in my representative capacity
would despise him as he would despise
me if I faltered in my convictions.
| Mr.. Grosvenor said he had watched
| with admiration the Presidents career
and one CT his most prominent character
istics had always been that he not only
did not demand subserviency but despised
man who sought favors by sycophancy.
| Mr.. Grosyenor proceeded to pay his re-
spects to the National Civic Service
Reform league and to Carl Sohurz, Its
president His excoriation OF the latter
was the most scathing that has been
heard on the floor of the House in
months. He denounced unsparingly those
who sought the read out of the Repub-
lican party those who believed in the
| repeal Of the civil service law. With
vitrolic language he sketched the politi-
cal career Of Mr.. Sohurz, which he char
| acterized as the s'Checkered, spotted,
| leprous career of one who betrayed every
party and every duty to which he was
bound and whose betrayals had been his
only stock in trade in the arena OF poll
tics.
He traced Mr. Schurz's political history
and dehed any one TO show point in the
trail which was not tainted with political
corruption. Yet, he said, he was the man,
who with other Foul political dema-
gogues at Cincinnati, under the name
of the National Civil Service league had
denounced him and those who thought
with him on the question.
He read the resolutions adopted at the
Cincinnati meeting, branding them as
infamous beyond discussion.
Continuing, Mr.. Grosvenor was pro-
ceeding to pay his respects to several OF
the membe OF the House when he ran
foul of MIR. Barrett, Republican of Mas
sachusetts, who took umbrage at Mr..
Grosvenor s classification of himself with
nation.
MIR. Grosvenor replied good naturedly by
recalling an incident in a former debate.
on the civil service question, when Mr.
Barrett had insisted that he Mr.. eros.
venor) had abandoned the President
Mr.. Grosvenor's subsequent discussion
of the habits of tho Cuckoo" teemed
with wit and kept the House in roar.
The Massachusetts member appealed Tor
an opportunity to reply, but the Ohloan
declined to yield further.
After this incident, MIR. Grosvenor
in replying to the charge made against
himself and his colleagues that they were
DeJraylng bne hopuDlcan party auVeIto
to what he called the list of traitors
among the high prests of civil service re-
form, at the head OF which he placed
George William Curtis, who abandoned
the Republican party n 1884. He reviewed
the platform declarations of the RepubH-
can party to show that the present
position occupied by the majority OF the
House was not inconsistent with these
declarations. "For give the mem bers
of the civil service committee notice..
he said, 'thatswe have majority on this
floor and you cannot strangle majority
i'll the American Congress" (Applause..)
He argued that when the ST. Louis
platform was adopted the extension con-
tanned i'll the Cleveland order of May,
1896. had not been understood. 1t was
not until November, 1886, that the e enor, onn
nous scope of that order covering 4o,Uoo o;,I
officials was publically declared. Inc
republicans coming into power on Plat-
form adopted before these vast extensions
were not in honor bound TO agree 10
them and it was proper that the fresl-
dent should announce in his message u.
Congress that there were portions Oh
those orders which never ought TO nave
been made. 80
Mr.. Grosvenor discussed the prac9,ioal