Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1898-01-06
FIFTY-FIFTH CONGRESS.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 6.
SENATE,


SENATE.
In the Senate to-day after the trans
action of routine business, Mr.. Allen, OF
Nebraska, called up the bill providing
for the holding of congress OF the re-
representatives. of different Indian tribes
of the United States at Omaha in 1898
and appropriating 100000 therefor.
The idea of the congress is to show the
past and present condition of the Indian
tribes of the country at the Omaha ex.
position and to show what advancement
they have made ia education and ciVili-
cation. 1t WAS passed.
A bill appropriating $4,000 for q
public building at Fergus Falls, Mimi,
was passed.
The consideration of bill to protect
the name and insignia of the Red Cross
was then called up.
Mr.. Gray, who reported the bill, said
that Miss Clara Barton, several years
ago asked that the insignia Of the Red
Cross society be protected from those
who would use it for commercial or
perhaps fraudulent purposes.
Mr.. Pettus, expressed the opinion
that the bill placed too much power in
the hands of private society but he
did not offer special opposition to 1t.
The bill was passed.
Among the measures upon which
favorable action was taken was reso-
luton amending Senate resolution pro.
viding for marble busts of Vice Presi.
dents OF the United States to be placed
In the vacant inches of the Senate
chamber.
A bill appropiating 100000 for the
erection of a public building at New
port News, Va, was passed.
The Senate then went into executive
session and then adjourned until to-
morrow.
HOUSE.
The House resumed the debate on
the civil service question and MIR.
Grosyenor took the floor with an elab-
crate speech in opposition to the law.
He discaimed any leadership OF the
anti-ciyil service reform forces and any
purpose to speak for any officer of the
government, executive, legislative or
judicial. "All efforts to entangle me
in a collision with the President" said
he, "wastes so much powder. If 1 be-
l,eved that my relations to the execu.
tive would be changed or modified be-
cause differ with him in any represen-
tative capacity I would despise him as
he would despise me if I faltered in my
convictions" Mr.. Grosvenor said be
had watched with admiration the
Presidents public career and one of his
most prominent characteristics had al
ways been that he not only did not de-
mand subserviency, but despised man
who sought favors by sycophancy.
Mr.. Grosvenor proceeded to pay his re
spects to the national civil service re-
form 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. With vitriolic language he
sketched the political career of Mr..
S,hurz, which he characterized as the
'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 politics"
He traced Mr.. Schurz's political his
tory end defed any one to point out
point in the trail which was not tainted
with political corruption. Yet, he
said, this was the man who with other
"foul political demagogues," at Cincir-
natl under the name of the National
Civil Service League, chad denounced
him and those who thought with him
on this question"
Mr.. Grosvenor was proceeding to
pay his respects to several of the mem
hers of the House when he ran foul of
Mr.. Barrett, who took umbrage at Mr..
Grosvenor's classification of himself
with the "cuckoos." He demanded an
explanation.
Mr.. Grosvenor replied good natured-
~ by recalling an incident 10 former
debate on the civil service question
when Mr.. Barrett had insisted that he
(Grosvenor) had abandoned the Presi-
dent. Mr.. Grosvenor's subsequent de.
scription of the habits of the cuckoo"
teemed with wit and kept the House
in roar. The Massachusetts member
appealed for an opportunity to reply,
but the Ohioan declined to yield fur
Their. ST give the members of the civil
service committee notice." said Mr..
Grosvenoe, "that we have majority
on this floor and you cannot strengle a
majority 10 the American Congress.
One of Mr.. 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 hos.
tlity to this law they would not be
members of the seth House of Repre-
seutatives. The republicans, Mr.. Gros-
venor said, had been Justly punished |
for keeping these enemies in camp.
Mr.. Johnson, one of the ardent de-
tenders of the law, followed Mr.. Gros
venor with an extended argument in
support of the merit system.
rOT1pT on ADpEAJS