Mexico weekly ledger., 1900-01-11

over to the tender mercies of Republic
can spoilsmen between 5000 and 10, 600
timorous, trembling, fearful, squirm-
ing Democratic officials whom civil
service reform had clothed as with a
garment. There has not been such a
wholesale slaughter of the ~innocents
since the days of King Herod. Thus
was the c~ountenauce of General GRos-
vENoR made to shine. He and his CO.
parceners emerged from the Cave of
Adullam and fell upon the victims.
tearing and rending them, while the
reformers toppled into the Slough of
Despond.
Another thing happened to warm the
cookies of General GRosvRNoR's heart
when Hon. William F. Burdell, treas
urer of the Republican State executive
committee of Ohio, issued his famous
circular inviting-and his invitation
was tantamount to a command-alI
Federal officials to come down with the
dust to assist in the great work of po-
litical reform-with a big, big R--then
being carried to fruition by Hon. MAR
Gus A. HANNA, Senator and chairman
of the national Republican committee;
Hon. CHARLRs DICK, Representative
in Congress and chairman of the Ohio
Republican State committee, and Hon.
George B. Cox, the hoodlum chief of
Cincinnati, the maker aud unmaker of
Ohio statesmen--a sort of Buckeye
Warwick. Laughter and applause on
democratic side.1
How much fat Mr.. Burdell fried out
of the Federal employees / do not
know. In round numbers, there are
about 200, 900 of them, with salaries
ranging from $50 1000 down. Assum-
ing that the average salary is 81, 200,
we have a total of 5000, 0O0, 900; and
assuming further that the average
''free-will offering'' In the cause of re-
form under the thumbscrew process of
Mr.. Burdell was 10 per cent, the reault
is 1900, 000--a neat sum to be ex
pended in conducting a pure election
in a Republican State. Mr.. Burdell
may have received and disbursed more
or less. He knows; and, If it will not
disturb the equanimity of my learned
friend from Pennsylvania [Mr. Bro
sIUsl, late chairman of the Committee
on Civil Service Reform, l suggest
that he introduce a resolution to APP
point a committee with power to send
for persons and papers to ascertain
precisely how much blackmail Burdell
received from Federal officials; and
while he is at it, to have a committee
of exploration appointed to discover
whether the Civil Service Commission
has been kidnapped or destroyed or in
any manner curtailed of its fair pro-
portions OF has become a mere tender
to the Republican party. laughter
on the Democratic sidel.
Contemplating these two stupendous
victories of Republican spoilsmen, and
varying the famous words of Yelling
at Waterloo say, "up, Teformers,
and at themi'
If the President takes ten more steps
backward, the civil service reform sys-
tenn will be a schoolboy's tale, the won
der of an hour; and If Burdell is allow
cd to run at large and to raid Federal
when he pleases, Congress
will soon be called on to establish al
soup house here in Washington for
sustenance, for the none he
squeezed out of them in 1899 in order |
to carry Ohiois not drop in the bucket
compared with the vast sum the Repub-
leans will need to carry the country in
1900.
If Burdeil and his ilk are not choked
of Federal employees had, one and
all, better take the benefit Of the bank.
law. |
The CHAIRMAN. The time of the
has expired.
Mr.. RICHARDSON. l ask that the
yentlemen's time be extended five min
ltes.
There va no objection.
GENERAL cRosvENoR AND rHE !
WILSON BILL. /
Mr.. CLARK of Missouri. Out In
country there dwslt a lawyer, Col.
W. Anderson, who for four
rears was a member of this House.
he was always a brilliant orator, but
n his younger days not well up in the
lechnicalities Of his profession. On
me occasion he was about TO be knock
d cut of court when Judge Porter,