Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1898-01-12
CONGRESS.


atlOn or the Dill establishing q bureau
the twelfth census, precipitated sharp civil
service debate in the Senate on the 5tn.
Mr.. Teller (COl.) spoke at length, and gave
sort of an idea that the census should not
be a partisan bureau and that it's employees,
therefore, be placed in the classified service.
Mr.. Chiffon (Tex.) in an extended speech,
In which he discussed the work Of previous
censuses and cited the enormous amount of
work unnecessary that had been performed,
declared that it was a scandal to have is
sued so many volumes as seemed necessary
to cover the work of the census Of 1880 and
1890. Mr.. Cullom said he had no informa-
ton as to specific violation Of the law, but
he would like to have the whole matter in
VeStigated, as he was satisfied that the au-
thorities far from carrying out the
original intention of the authors of the law.
Senator Davis, chairman Of the committee
on foreign relations, gave notice that he
would call up the Hawaiian annexation
treaty in executive session Monday and ask
the Senate to consider it each day thereaft-
er until the treaty should be disposed OF.
At 3 10 p. M. the Senate went into executive
session and soon after adjourned.
While the Senate was I'm session two
hours on the 9Th practically no business was
transacted beyond the passage OF a few bills.
Among the measures which received faVOra-
for Congress of the representatives of the
Indian tribes of the United States to be held
at Omaha during the progress Of the inter
national exposition this year; bills providing
for the erection OF public buildings at Fer
gus Falls, Mimi, and Newport News, Va,
and measure to protect the name and in
brief executive session, during which some
consuls were confirmed, the Senate ad-
journed.
The features Of the Senate session on the
It'll was a speech delivered by Mr.. Teller
(Col) regarding press reports that the re-
cent efforts to make it appea. that Secre-
tary Gage had offered his resignation as
member of the cabinet to President McKin-
ley was a part of a conspiracy Of the sill
yer men to disrupt the cabinet and create
dissension between the President and his
oil hron 6od fhn rlIIh1 ina.
ton insult TO the advocates of the
free coinage Of silver. He was satisfied that
the, President and Secretary Gage were in
full accord upon the financial question. He
attacked the Republican party because it
was party advocating the gold standard
and expressed his intention of doing all in
his power to defeat the party in 1900. Mr..
Turner (Wash) called up the immigration
bill, saying that as he was about to leave
the city he desired to submit some remarke
upon the pending measure. He strongly OPP
posed the bill. Mr.. Butler On. c. presented
a joint resolution proposing an amendment
to the constitution providing for the election
of federal judiciary by the people. A mes
sage from the President informed the Senate
that the sale Of the Kansas Pacific railroad
had been postponed to February 1918, and
also submitted the agricultural department
reports on experiment stations. At 2:45 the
Senate went into executive session and at
3:1O p. m. adjourned until Monday.
House.
The civil service debate began in the House
on the 9TH, based on the item in the legis
latiye, executive and judicial appropriation
bill for the maintenance of the commission.
1t promised to continue at least until the
end of this week, with a possibility that 1t
may run longer. But it is generally admit
ted on both sides that the appropriation in
the bill will stand as the anti-cfvil service
reformerS do not seriously contemplate an
attempt to strike it out. The debate, there
fore, is only preliminary to any programme
which the enemies Of the law may agree
upon The members of the House are d.
vided into three camps on this question;
those who advocate it's entire repeal, and
those who desire its modification. These di-
visions were apparent in the debate, the
nature Of which was not as stirring as had
been anticipated.
The friends and enemies of the civil serv-
ice law exchanged broadsides in the House
on the 9Th The heaviest guns on each side
were brought into action. Mr.. Grosvenor of
Ohio and Mr.. Johnson of Indiana each made
exhaustive speeches and kept their respect
i've sides In a constant furore, The interest
In the debate was much more lively than the
day before The crowded galleries which
were plainly in sympathy with the oppo-
nents of the law because so noisy in thefr
demoH Est OF approyaI, at one jnncture
to order. Mr.. Johnson was warmly sus-
tanned by the friends of the law on the floor,
but he got 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
that unless notifications of the law were
made, he and his friends would by co-opera-
ton find a way to completely destroy it.
The civil service debate continued through
out the day in the House on the 7th. All
efforts to fix a time for its termination
failed, and it is certain now to run over into
next week. The interest in the discussion
does not seem to be wanting. The debate
was without marked incident. The speakers
were Messrs. Gillette (Mass.), Burton (Ohio),
Republicans, and Fitzgerald Dem, Mass.),
in support of the law; Messrs. Cummings
Dem, n. V, Faris (Rep., Indl, Mahaney
Rep., n: ", briggs Oem., n. ", and
Bradley Dem, y. ", in opposition to, and
tion of the. law. Mr.; Bartholdt Rep., Mo-
took occasion to defend Carl Schurz from
What he termed the ISLANDERS heaped upon
that gentleman by Mr.. Grosvenor. The In
personal honor was an insult to the German,
Americans whose confidence Mr.. SchurZ had
retained for years.
The House devoted two hours of the eesA
sion on the Sth to the civil service debate,
during which Messrs Corliss (Aep) of Michf.
gan, Hepburn (Rep.) Of Iowa and Clarke
House in opposition to the law as it now
stands. The remainder Of the session was
consumed by friends Of the late Representa-
tive Wright of Massachusetts in eulogy Of
his memory. Mr.. Corliss (Rep) Of Michigan,
the first speaker today, favored radical modi-
fcations of the civil service law. He thought
that constitutionally the heads of depart
ments were clothed with the power Of ap-
pointing their subordinates. To that extent
he thought if tested the law would be IN
constitutional He believed the right of re-
moval should be restored and the tenure of
Office limited. Mr.. Hepburn (Rep.) Of Iowa
spoke for an hour against what he termed
the popular impression Of the so-called merit
system. The public, he argued, had been
utterly misled by the high-sounding title
reform" In some things the old system at
Its worst was superior to the new.