The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-01-07

When the appropriation for the civil
service commission was reached. AIr.
Evans (ReD., ky) made a motion to
strike II out This motion has been
made annually for a dozen years or
more, but invariably failed. But today
the opponents OF the law laid great
stress on the fact that they could not
get direct vote upon the proposition,
and were, therefore, compelled to seek
Its nulllncatiOn in this manner Even
these appeals failed to bring out the
full strength of the opposition. though
the motion to strike out carried by
narrow maiority-67-61. This was in
committee OF the whole. where no rec
orc is made Of the vote. MIR. Moody
(Rep., MasS.) gave notice that he would
demand a record vote in the house.
where the friends OF the civil service
law expect to reverse the decision.
At the opening of the session Mr..
Marsh (ReD., ILs.) asked unanimous
consent for the consideration Of a bin
to grant to officers and men of the vol
unteer army, upon their muster-our,
Two months extra pay, If they have
served beyond the limits of the United
States, and one months extra pay II
, they have only served within the limits
OF the United States. this extra pay
\ to be in lieu of furloughs or leaves or
absence. 1t has been the practice to
grant these furlOughs or leaves Of alb
sence. so that in reality the bill only
sought to do directly what has hereto
fore been done indirectly. After this
explanation Mr.. Bailey Dem.. Tex
announced that he had no objection to
the measure. The bill was passed.
The house then went into committee
of the whole, Mr. Payne of New York /
in the chair, and took uD the consider |
alton of the legislative. executive and |
judicial appropriation bill.
Mr.. Swanson (Den., Na-), taking ad- |
To- oil ~
bate while IL committee of the whole. /
delivered an hours speech on the criti !
cism of the policy of expansion. The /
administration, which could hardly be !
driven into war for liberty, had. with |
in q few months become greedy for |
conquest. The Hberators of the Gu
bans were to become the desDoilers of
the FiliDinOs. He contended that it !
was unconstitutional for the United !
States to undertake a colonial system.
and cited the bred Scott decision In
support of his contention
CLERK HIRE ABUSES.
Mr. Hartman (Sn. Rep, MONTH Of
fered an amendment to the paragraph
allowing each member and delegate in
congress 800 per month for clerk hire.
which provided that if any member or
delegate should retain any portion of
this allowance, he should forfeit his
seat in the house.
of order against the amendment. and
was sustained
MI Hartman then modified his
amendment, so as to provide that any
member who sought TO retain por-
ton Of the allowance for clerk hire
should forfeit it. He said he had no
desire to make any charges in connec-
ton with members of the present
house, but he had reliable knowledge
in the past that some members had re-
tanned a portion of this allowance. in
some cases the major portion. and had !
put the money in their own pockets.
No man who would be guilty of such !
an act" he said. is fit to hold seat !
in this house i
Mr. Bingham made a point of order
against the modified amendment. and 1t ;
was sustained. I
CIVIL SERVICE ATTACK. J
Nh. Evans (Rep., Ky0 moved to /
strike out the appropriation for the
civil service commission. He reviewed
briefly the struggle against the extern
sion of the civil service law. 1t had
outgrown its original bounds, and he !
was willing TO bring the question TO a
fest by cutting off the appropriation
for the commission. He was not a
spokesman. He believed in merit and I
of the public service, but :
he was opposed to life tenure and he -
was opposed to the present conduct of |
the law. I
Mr.. Moody (Rep., Mass.) said he e
could not believe the gentleman from e
Kentucky was serious in his desire to Q
withdraw the appropriation for the |
civil service commission. Mr.. Moody Il
the hope that the debate L
would not touch the merits of the law, y
but would be confined to the merits Of Z
the proposition to wipe out the appro- G
priation for the commission. If the L
aw itself was vicious, it should be at g
aCked directly and manfuily. To cut y
1ff the appropriation would be a re- n
preach to congress. 1t was mere boys
play.
Mr. Dockery said any attempt to
lullify the law by declining to appro- Z
pirate for the commission, would fail {.
Il might enbarrass the commission, but Il
he commission would go into the W
courts and sue for their salaries under p
he law. He agreed with the gentle o,
nan from Massachusetts,. If the other N
tide of the house desired to repeal the ~
;ivil service law, it should be done W
openly and without indirectiOn. The CO
whole purpose of this amendment to- I
lay, he charged, was to create an agi- a,
alton which would compel the presi it
lent to issue the rumored order amend is
ng the law. W
GROSYENOR A SPOKESMAN r
Mr.. Grosvenor Rep., o.. who was ~
1ovement during the last session, said
hat for twelve years he had seen this
nnually-recurring motion made, and
ach year it had been met with the 81
rgument advanced by Mr.. Moody, that
his was not the time, place or man.
er in which the law should be as
allied. He admitted there was some
irtue in the argument, but no one dr.
ould deny that the civil service law 70,
ad overreacbed itself. 1t had throt- NJ
ed the appointing power of the gov G.,
rnment. Men who supported it when 30
became a law, never dreamed it tn
-ould be carried to the extent to of
hich it has been carried. IN
Mr. Hepburn (Rep., Ia.) in support --'
the amendment, said what the op-
onentS of the present system desired
1uld be accomplished by the presi-
ant if some existing orders were re- fol
,inded. When the law was originally fri
assed, 10000 offices covered the larg- i've
It estimate any of its supporters we
-eamed could be brought under its be
,eration. Today $4,000 clerks were col
thin the classified service. He was pu
IT opposed he said to honest civil | ski
rvice reform, but to the humbug- pie
ny which masqueraded under that me
me For sixteen years, he said, the sto
lends of the law had prevented ac- riff,
IN in the house on a bill to modify bri
repeal it. col
Mr.. Henderson CRep., la opposed ing
e amendment. If the Republican inv
.rtv faced abOut and took IN the cry drl