The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-01-07
MIR. GRosvENoR's SPEECH.
A Severe Arraignment of Carl Schurz
and other RefOrmers.

| Associated Press Dispatch
| WASHINGTON, JAN 6.--The friends and
enemies of the civil-service law exchanged
| broadsides in the House to-day. The heav-
lest guns on each side were brought into
action. Mr.. Grosvenor, of Ohio, and Mr..
| Johnson, of Indiana, each made exhaustive
| speeches and kept their respective sides in
| constant furore The interest in the de-
| bate was much more lively than yesterday.
The crowded galleries, which were plainly
| in sympathy with the opponents of the law,
became so very noisy in their demonstra-
| tions of approval at one juncture that the
chair was compelled to call them to order.
Mr.. Johnson was warmly sustained by the
friends of the law the floor, but he got
very little applause from the galleries. Mr..
Crosvcnor did not define his attitude in de-
| TAIL but gave his adhesion to the bill agreed
| on by the opponents OF the law in caucus
| last night, and warned his colleagues that
unless notifications of the law were made
he and his friends would, by cooperation,
| find a way to completely destroy 1t. Mr..
| Lloyd of Missouri was the only other
! speaker. He favored the repeal of the law.
In opening his speech Mr.. Grosvenor dis
claimed any leadership of the anti-civil-
service reform forces or any purpose to
speak for any officer Of the government,
executive, legislative or judicial. 'All eff
! forts to entangle me in collision with the
President" said he, 'is so much powder
wasted. If believed that my relations to
| the executive would be changed or modi-
| fled because / differ with him in my repre-
sentative capacity l would despise him, as
| he would despise me if L faltered in my con-
! victions." Mr.. Grosvenor said he had
watched with admiration the Presidents $
public career, and one of his most prominent
| characteristics had always been that he not
only did not demand subserviency but de-
| spised man who sought favors by syco-
phancy.
| Mr. Grosvenor proceeded to pay his re-
spects to the National Civil-service Reform
League and to Carl Schurz 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 un-
| sparingly those who sought to read out of
the Republican party the men who believed
| in the repeal of the civil-service law. With
vitrolic language he sketched the political
| career of Mr. Schurz, which he character
| lied as the "checkered, spotted, leprous ca
reer of one who betrayed every party and
| every duty to which he was bound, and
| those betrayals had been his only stock in
| trade in the arena of politics" He traced
Mr.. Schurz's political history and dehed any
| one to point out place in the trail which
| was not tainted with political corruption.
| Yet, he said this was the man who, with
| other foul political demagogues, at Gin
cnnati 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 and branded them
as infamous beyond description.
Mr. Grosvenor's description of the habits
| of the cuckoo" teemed with wit and kept
| the House in a roar. Mr. GroSvenor, in re-
plying to the charge made against him and
his colleagues that they were bertaying the
DnT1t AdVpPfP6 what
| called the list of traitors among the high
priests of civi-service reform, at the head
| of which ne placed George William Curtis,
who abandoned the Republican party to
| show that the present position occupied by
| the majority of the House was inconsistent
with these declarations. For l give the
| members of the Civi-service Commission
notice" saiG he, that we have majority
on this floor. and you cannot strangle
majority in the American Congress" Gap
plause) He argued that when the st. Louis
platform was adopted the extensions con-
tained in the Cleveland order of May, 1896,
had not been understood. 1t was not until
November, 1896, that the enormous scope of
that order, covering 46,OJO officials was pub
licly declared The Republicans, coming
into power on a platform adopted before
these vast extensions. were not in honor
bound to agree TO them, and ii was proper
that the President should announce in his
message to Congress that there were por-
tions of those orders which never ought to
have been made. Mr.: Grosvenor discussed
the practical effect of the law and the ex-
amnations of the committee, giving many
illustrations of applicants who, through
years of service, had proved their ability
but who failed 10 answer questions asked.
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 hostility to this law
they would not be members of the Fifty
sixth House of Representatives. He argued
that the people were overwhelmingly op-
posed to the law. and said that hundreds of
thousands Of Republicans felt secret sym
pathy with Mayor Van Wyck, of New
York who announced that none but Demo-
Gratis would be appointed to office under
the new city government. Governor Black
had said a few days ago that when the
''late lamented'' Republican government of
New York came into power there were 15,-
000 Tammany men in office and when it ex-
pired there were still 5000 Tammany men
on the pay roll The Republicans Mr.
GrosVenor said. had been justly punished
for keeping these enemies in their camp.
Mr.. Grosvenor professed his adherence to
the principle of the merit system and to the
tain limitations. But" he exclaimed i'm
conclusion, addressing the defenders of the
law, II want to serve notice on you that
unless you join us In the correction of the
abuses and the reformation of the law. that
we will join any portion of the community
legislative, executive or judicial, and de-
stroy the law, root and branch" (Up-
roarious applause in the galieriesl
Mr.. Johnson. of Indiana, whose speech Is
given elsewhere, followed He was given
enthusiastic demonstration of approval
when he concluded Mr. Lloyd spoke next
was an attempt 10 establish an aristocratic
government by establishing an office-hoId-
ing class. At 4:50 p N. the House ad-
lourned.