Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1898-01-10
.FIERCELY AT TACK 1T
REPRESENTATIVES WOULD WIPE
OUT MERIT SYSTEM.
scHURZ RoUNDLY SCORED
Ohio Member Threatens Repeal of the
Law Unless It Is Materially Modi
fied-Says People Are Dissatisfied
With It-Johnson Of Indiana
Warmly Supports Civil Service.

| Washington, Jan. THE friends
and enemies of the civil service law
exchanged broadsides in the house.
| The heaviest guns ON each side were
brought into action. Mr.. Grosvenor
| (rep., o. and Mr. Johnson (rep. !,
| Ind , each made exhaustive speeches
and kept their respective sides in con-
slant Jurors. Interest in the debate
was much more lively than ON the
previous day The crowded CALLER
| les which we're plainly in sympathy
| with the opponents of the law became
so noisy in their demonstrations of
approval ait one juncture that the
chair was compelled to call them to
order. Mr.. Johnson was warmly sus-
tanned by the friends of the law on
the floor, but he got very little APP
plause from the galleries. Mr.. Gros-
venor did not define his attitude in
| detail, but announced his adhesion to
the bill aus agreed on by the opponents
| of the law in caucus and warned his
| colleagues that unless notifications
| in the law were made he
and his friends would by
CO operation find way to
completely destroy it. Mr.. Lloyd
| (Mo.) was the only speaker.
| He favored repeal of the law.
| Mr.. Grosvenor in the beginning of
of his address said: "A1l efforts to
entangle me in collision with the
president wastes so much powder. :"
He then proceeded to pay his respects
to the national civil service reform
league and it's president, Carl Schurz,
whom he excoriated in the most
scathing terms. In replying to the
charge made against himself and his
colleagues that they we're betraying the
republican party the speaker adverted
to what he called a list of traitors
among the high priests of civil service
reform, at the head of which he placed
George William Curtis, who aban-
doned the republican party in 1884. He
reviewed the platform declarations Of
the republican party to show that the
present position occupied by the ma
jority of the house is not incon-
slstent with these declarations. For
[ give the members of the civil SER
vice committee notice" said he, that
we have a majority on this floor and
you cannot strangle the majority in
an American congress. He argued
that when the st. Louis platform was
adopted the extensions contained in
the Cleveland order of May, 1896, had
not been understood. It was not until
November, 1896, that the enormous
scope of that order covering $4,000 Of
ticlals was publicly declared. The re-
plblicans coming into power on a plat
form adopted before those vast extern
siOns were made, were not in honor
bound to agree to them, and it was
proper that the president should an
nounce in his message to congress
that there were portions of that or
! der which never ought to have been
mace. One of Mr.. Grosvenor's state
oUtburst from the galleries was in the
nature OF warning that if the mem
| 5ers refused to listen to the voice of
the peorle in hostility to this law that
they would not be members of the fif-
ty sixth house. He argued that the
people were overwhelmingly opposed
! to the law and said that hundreds of
Thousands of republicans felt in Sc
cret sympathy with Mayor Van Wyck
of New York, who announced that
none but democrats would be appoint
ed to office under the new city gov
eminent. Governor Black had said
few days ago that
when the late, unlamented"
republican government of New York
came into power that $4,000 Tammany
| men were in office and when it ex-
pired there were still $4,000 Tammany
men on the payroll. The republic
ans, Mr.. Grosvenor said, had been
justly punished for keeping these
eLemies in their camp. Mr.. Gros-
yenor professed adherence to the prin-
| ciple of the merit system and to the
theory of examinations for Office
Within certain limitations. "But, .
| he exclaimed in conclusion, address
| ing the defenders, II want to serve
notice on you that unless you join us
in correction OF the abuses and a re-
formation of the law we will join any
portion of the community legisla-
tive, executive or judicial and destroy
the law root and branch" (uproarous
applause in the galleries.)
Mr.. Johnson (rep., Ind.), one Of
| the ardent defenders of the law fol-
| lowed with an extended argument in
support of the merit system. "In
England he said, ''the merit system
prevailed and party spirit there is
most vigorous 1t is absurd to say
that party spirit must be fed upon the
bride of office. He repudiated the
statements of the adversaries of the
law that Lincoln and Grant believed
in the spoils system. During his re-
ew of the records of eminent men
on this question Mr.. Johnson became
involved in a controversy with his
T~ =