The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-01-06
leads all h8r NOrh Carolina Da88 in B0 N8w8 and Gr0ua

eds in his second administration, deScrlb-
ing particularly what took place in the
government printing office, to the head
of which he said Mr.. Cleveland ap-
pointed man who would do the dirty
work" On a single day, he said, Public
Printer Benedict discharged 750 men.
That was known at the government
printing office, as "bloody Monday" On
another day he discharged APO. When
800 removals had been made and 1,SOO
Democrats appointed, Mr.. Cleveland
pressed the button and the civil service
blanket was thrown over them. He
read what purported to be a literal tram
script of the reasons assigned for the
discharge of the Republican employees
in the secret record of Mr.. Benedicts
private secretary. Some of them were
very amusing and kept the House in
roar.
Khen he had concluded the reading.
Mr.. Perkins, Republican, Iowa., asked
if it was proposed to return to a system
which made such recital possible.
NO" replied Mr.. Landis, "but We
want to modify the law"
Mr.. Henderson, Republican, Iowa.,
protested against the production of the
record of one man in condemnation of
the best system yet devised for the pur-
ifcotian of the government service. He
said the Civil Service commission did not
endorse such work.
Unless the law was modified by its
friends, Mr.. Lands, said a Democratic
President and a Democratic Congress
would destroy it. root and branch. The
law must be rescued from the clutch of
the zealots. Mr.. Lands was vociferous-
ly applauded when he concluded.
Greene, Populist, Nebraska), closed
thr debate for the day with speech
in favor of civil service reform. We
criticised Mr.. Landis, who he said,
urged the abuses of the spoils system
as an argument for a return to that sys-
tenn.
Mr.. Richardson, Dem., TENN, i'm re-
ply to Mr.. Eandis, asserted that the re-
cord showed that when the civil service
was extended to the government print
ing office only 81 per cent of the en-
ployes had been appointed under Dem
ocratic administration while A per cent
had been appointed by Republican pub
lie printer.
At 4:55 p. m. the House adjourned.
THE SENATE PROCEEDINGS.
Washington, Jan. 5.-The presentation
of replies of the members of the cabinet
to the resolution calling for information
as to the application of THE civil SER
vice law to the various departments of
the government, together with the con-
sideration of the bill establishing bu-
reau for the twelfth census precipitated
sharp civil service debate in the Sen
ate to-day.
Mr. Davis chairman of the Committee
on Foreign Relations gave notice THAT
he would next Monday and daily there
after move that. the Senate consider in
executive session the Hawaiian annexa-
tion treaty until it was disposed of fin
ally.
Mr.. Carter, chairman of the Commit
tee on Census, called UP the bill proyid-
ing for the preliminary arrangements
for the taking of the twelfth and subse-
quent censuses and offered a committee
to section three providing
that the President instead of the Secre-
tary of the Interior should approve Of
the examination the director may pres
cribe for his subordinates named in the
bill.
Mr. Cockrell, (MissourD, sharply at
tackled the amendment. He said that
the offering of such an amendment and
the coIls.~eration of the section as it
had been changed by the committee prov
ed that the Republican party was MAX
ing a square and unconditional surren-
der upon the civil service question.
Mr.. Hale, (Maine), thought that the
Senator from Missouri, (CockrelD, pro-
perly understood the position Of the COM
mittee. The committee, through the
bin, did not make at attack upon the
position of the Republican party upon
the civil service question.
1T provided for the appointment of a
director Of the census and thirty one
subordinates and he thought that those
positions ought to be filed as provided
for in the bill.
Mr.. Jones, Oem., Ark charged that
in the taking Of the censuses of 1870,
1880 and 1890 he was satisfied that
frauds, perhaps unintentional so far as
the responsible census officials were con-
cerned. had crept in. These frauds
were due to incompetent and dishonest
men who had been employed in the
work.
Mr.. Hale pointed out that it was man.
ifestly impossible to select the census
enumerators through the provisions Of
UuG civil SCI NbNG Jaw Ao bAhCy WIZ NAA-
ployed only month or less they would
have to be selected substantially as
they had heretofore been.
Mr.. Jones said that all he was cons
tending for was that the census should
be taken by honest and competent men
selected because they Were capable oe
doing the work assigned to them and not
because they had any political infiu-
ence. He then gave notice that after
the pending committee amendment had
been disposed of he would offer one pro-
viding that the assistant director of the
census should be of the same political
party as the director.
In brief discussion Of the work Of
the census bureau in the past, Mr.. AL
len, (Nebraska), bluntly asked those in
charge of the bill if it were fact that
a disposition had been manifest to spin
out THE work simply that some people
might draw salaries.
In reply Mr.. Hale said that the ele-
venth census and perhaps previous CEN
snses had been too extensive in scope.
so that the bureau was fairly buried be-