The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-01-08
An Appeal to the Country to Sustain a
Policy That Has Set All the Wheels
OF Industry to Turning.
PROCEEDINGS OF CONGRESS
FINAL VOTE ON CIVIL-SERVICE ITEM
POSTPONED IN HOUSE.
Speech by Senator Allen ON the Con-
Appropriation Bill Passed.


WASHINGTON, JAN THE House of
| Representatives was engaged all day on the
legislative, executive and judicial appropra-
ton bill and completed it substantially as
reported, except the items for the Civil-serv-
| ice Commission, which went over until Mon
day. There were several side debates dur
ing the day. One of these brought out
Mr.. Grosvenor of Ohio in a speech of an
hour on current political questions. The
Philippines also came in for attention, on the
discovery of an item of $12,G00 for naval
! charts of the islands. The item was ruled
| out on point Of order by Mr.. Dockery, the
| chairman, Mr.. Payne holding that the Phil
| ippines were still foreign territory and as
such not proper subject for the legislation
| proposed.
Then the House went into the
| committee of the whole. Mr.. Brom-
well (Rep. o. moved a formal amend
| ment to the bill in order to ask why the APP
pointments of emergency clerks in the war
| department had not been made from the eli
| gibIe list under the civil-service law, and
| said the circumstance connected with these
| temporary appointments exposed the mani
! fest absurdties of the civil-service law He
| thought the law should be generally over
| hauled.
Mr.. Bailey replied to Mr.. Bromwell, pre-
| dieting that if the present civil-service law
| continued the statute books the next
! twenty years would see the passage of a
| ciVil-service pension list.
! Mr.. Cannon explained that the civil-service
machinery taking time to fill places it was
| necessary in emergency to employ clerks
outside that law.
MIR RrOn1uyplI Withdrew Lic opoapJroo,t
and the reading of the bill proceeded.
1t was / o'clock when Mr.. Grosvenor was
recognized to make an hours speech con-
corning the attitude of the political parties
of the country towards the financial ques-
| ton. He began by referring to the cam
paign of 1886. which was, he said, chaTac-
| terZed by zeal, fairness and candor on both
sides. Never in the history of the United
States had we ever seen harder times than
in the early months of 1896, when the peo-
pie were suffering under graf financial and
commercial distress. The contrast was very
strong, as the preceding few months had
been months OF great prosperity. There
were more idle men in 1896 on election day
in the United States than at any previous
time in the history of the country, while
on the election day of 1882 the number of
idle men had been fewer Both parties had
met this situation frankly, each offering its
remedy. Hence the campaign had been
fought under no favorable conditions. In
whatever direction one might turn whether
to our railroads. to our manufactures or
| gloom and dependency.
| RESULT OF REPUBLICAN POLICY.
| Mr.. Grosvenor then outlined the platforms
of the two parties, dwelling specially on the.
| low tariff and silver policies of the Demo-
cratic and the protective tariff and gold
standard policies of the Republican party.
| The result of the Republican policy, ne
! said, was already seen in the increase of
our exports, bringing gold to this country
and stopping the revolution of the endless
chain about which much had been
heard under the Democratic administration
OF Mr.. Cleveland. The issue had been clear
| y cut and distinctly defined, and the Dem
cOratic orators had dwelt especially upon
| the menaces of maintaining the gold stand
ard.
Mr.. Grosvenor then outlined the action of
| Congress under Republican leadership in
passing the Dingley bill. Dwelling on the
| passage of the bill, he showed there had
| been in the beginning an apparent majority
in the Senate against it, but never in the
history of a free people had there been a
better demonstration of the power of the
majority Of the people than had been shown
in the passage of the Dingley bill through
the Senate. This was a clear yielding TO
the popular demand, and was a strong
monument to our free government. So, con-
tinued Mr. Grosvenor, the change in the
tariff had been made, though none had been
made in the currency laws. There had been
almost two years of the Republican admin
iStration, and no two years had ever seen a
more radical change than had occurred i'm
the general conditions. He instanced the
prosperity of the railroads, Declaring that
no line of road was able to carry its bust
ness Also, the foreign trade was without
parallel. In view of these facts he had no
doubt that Mr. Bryan had often had occa-
sion to regret his utterances in the cam
paIgn
THE most unfortunate utterance a public
man ever made" he said. was Mr. Brvan's
frequent inquiry upon coming into towns
whether General Prosperity had yet arrived
That inquiry was, he commented, be
neath the Ulgmty OF a great mana man
made great by great issue, of not by his
own personal magnitude" The Chinese
wall of foreign trade had been broken down
and, for the first time in our history, Europe
was looking to the United States to fix the
tanned that while there had been an unpre-
cedented increase in the revenues derived
from abroad on our agricultural products,
the expectation of our manufacturers had
kept even pace with them. He proceeded in
some detail to show that American trade
was penetrating all corners of the earth and
winning for our country the admiration and
envy Of all mankind concluding with an APP
peal to the country to sustain the policy
which was doing so much for 1t.
Mr.. Underwood (Dem. Ala) replied
briefly to Mr.. Grosvenor, urging the futility
of recent tariff legislation in securing pros
perity, and the inaction of the party in
power on financial questions.
Mr.. Cox Dem, Tenn also took up the
political theme, arguing that if the govern
ment was on to St4bd e Il was not
but through the course of the secretary Of
the treasury.
An amendment was made to the apr5lica-
ton to the civil-service law to emergency
employees Those already in service under
the emergency appropriations are left out
side the ciVil-service regulations while
those hereafter appointed are brought
within the operation of the law
After further amendments of a minor
character the bill was reported back TO the
House and agreed to throughout with the
exception of the items relating to the Civil
service Commission, which went over until
Monday
Mr.. McCleary (Rep., Mimi sought to
withdraw from the calendar the banking
and currency bill. Mr.. Ccx Dem, Tenn)
declared this bill had been irregularly ie-
ported and that the Democrats Of the COM
mittee had been excluded from The commit
tee room when the measure was under con-
sideration. Without granting the request
for the withdrawal of the bill, the House at
O'Clock adjourned.