The San Francisco call., 1898-01-07
CROSVENOR EXCORIATES
 CARL SCHURz Redhot Criticism of a Civil Service
 RefOrmer. Declared a Political Leper and a Traitor to All
 Parties. Assaults on the Present Law Are Continued in the
 House.
JOHNSON TO THE DEFENSE
The Indiana Statesman Protests Against the Policy of Pursuing
 the Spoils System.
Special Dispatch to The Call.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 6.-The friends and enemies of the Civil Service law exchanged broadsides in the House to-day The heaviest guns on each side were brought into action. Grosve- nor of Ohio and Johnson of Indiana each made exhaustive speeches and kept their respective sides in con- stant furor. The interest in the de- bate was much more lively than yes terday. The crowded galleries, which were plainly in sympathy with the op- position to the law, became so very noisy in their demonstrations of ap- proval at one juncture that the Chair was compelled to call them to order. Johnson was warmly sustained by the friends of the law on the floor, but he got very little applause from the gal leries. Lloyd of Missouri was the only other speaker. He favored the repeal of the law.
 Grosvenor of Ohio took the floor with an elaborate speech in opposition to the law Grosvenor disclaimed any leadership of the anti-civil service re- form forces and any purpose to speak for any officer of the Government, ex- ecutive, legislative or judicial.
 All efforts to entangle me in a col lision with the President" said he, "are as so much powder wasted. If I believed that my relations to the Exec utive would be changed or modified be- cause I differ from him in any repara- tive capacity, would despise him as he would despise me if faltered in my convictions"
 Grosvenor said he had watched with admiration the Presidents public ca of h characteristics had always been that he not only did not demand subserv- iency, but despised a man who sought favors by sycepancy.
 Grosvenor then proceeded to pay his respects to the National Civil Service Reform League and to Carl Schurz, its president. His eXcoriation of the lat ter was the most scathing that has been heard on the floor of the House in months. He denounced unsparingly those who sought to read out of the Republican party those who believed in political life of MT. Schurz, which he characterized as the checkered, spotted, leprous career of one who be- trayed every party and every duty to which he was bound, and whose be- trayal should be his only stock in trade in the arena of politics"
 He traced MT. Schurz' political his tory and defied any one to name a point in the trail which was not tainted with political corruption. Yet, he said, this was the man who, with other political demagogues" at Cincinnati, under the name of the National Civil Service League" had denounced him and those who thought with him on this question. He read the resolutions adopted at the Cincinnati meeting, branding them as infamous beyond de- scription.
 Grosvenor's description of the habits of the Cuckoo" teemed with wit and kept the House in a roar. Grosvenor, in replying to the charge made against himself and his colleagues that they were betraying the Republican party, adverted to what he called the list of traitors among the high priests of civil service reform, at the head of which he placed George William Curtis, who abandoned the Republican party in 1884. He reviewed the platform declar- ations of the Republican party to show that the present position occupied by the majority of the House was not in- consistent with these declarations.
 For l give the members of the civil service committee notice," said he, that we have a majority on this floor, and you cannot strangle majority in the American Congress" (Applauss)
 He argued that when the St. Louis platform was adopted the extensions cOHIdlHeQ the ClGVela1lQ OrQer or May, 1896, had not been understood. It was not until November, 1896, that the enormous scope of that order covering 46000 officials, was publicly declared. The Republicans coming into power on a platform adopted by these vast ex- tensions were not in honor bound to agree to them and 1t was proper that the President should announce in his message to Congress that there were portions of these orders which never ought to have been made.
 Grosvenor discussed the practical ef~ feet of the law and the examinations of the committee, giving many Illus trations of applicants who, throJgn years of service, had proved their abil- ity, but who failed to answer questions asked.
 One of Grosvenor's statements which evoked an enthusiastic outburst from the galleries was in the nature of a warning that if members refused to listen to the voice of the people in hostility to this law they would not be members of the F'ifty-sixth House of Representatives. He argued that the people were overwhelmingly op- posed to the law and said that hun dredS of thousands of Republicans felt secret sympathy with Mayor Van Wyck of New York, who announced that none but Democrats would be ap- pointed to office under the new city government Governor Black said a few days ago, when "the late lament ed" Republican government came into power, there were 15,000 Tamnany men in office and when it expired there were still 15,000 Tammany men on the pay roll. The Republicans, Grosvenor said, had been justly punished for keeping these enemies in their camps. Grosvenor professed his adherence to