The times., 1900-12-18
PRIVATE BILLS PASSED
Suspension Day in the House of
Representatives.
Representative Boutclle of Maine
Placed ipon the Retired List of
the Navy A Bill Giving soldiers
md sailors Preference in Civil
Service Appointments Defeated.

! Under the rules OF the House of Rep
! resentatfves yesterday was suspension day.
/ Mr. Bromwell was the first member recog
Dized. He moved to suspend the rules and
pass the bill giving preference to honor
( ably discharged soldiers, sailors, and ma
rines in all appointments within the civil
! service of the United States. Mr.. Richard
| son of Tennessee suggested that it ought
/ to be amended SO as to include veterans
| CT all the wars, pest and future.
After Mr.. Bromwell had explained the
provisions Of the bill and had replied to
many questions. Mr. Gillett of Massachu-
! sets attacked the bill as vicious class
! legislation. He thought that it was par
ticularly ill-advised just now, when the
civil service was being severely criticised
because Of the age of incumbents. BY next
July. he said, 100000 men would be en-
titled upon passing the civil service ex-
animation, to be placed at the head of
| the lists, and no civilian could be ap-
pointed to office for years to come. This
meant the creation of military caste to
the whole civil service of the Government.
Messrs. Mccall, Fowler, Hepburn, and
Grosvenor also opposed the bill.
The House refused-51 to 1O5-to pass
the bill.
After the defeat of the Bromwen bill
Mr.. Cannon, from the Committee on APP
propriations. reported an urgent de-
ficiency bill which was passed in five min
utes. The bill appropriates s1S2.5OO
The rules were again suspended, and the
Col
OF Mr.. Smith of Kentucky, to divide Ken
lucky into two United States judicial dis
tricts. and to divide West Virginia into
Two judicial districts
At this Mr.. Hull, Chairman of the
Military Affairs Committee. reported the
Military Academy Appropriation bill,
which was placed on the calendar and
ordered printed.
A bill was passed providing for an addi-
tional district judge for the northern dis
trict of Ohio.
An animated debate arose over the Sem
ate bill authorizing an investigation of the
amount expended by the State of Texas
for school houses in Greer County before
il was transferred to Oklahoma by a de-
cision of the Supreme Court. Mr.. Payne
opposed it on the ground that it would
give Texas an excuse for bringing in a
claim for reimbursement, which he thought
should not be done
Mr. Ray, Chairman of the judiciary
Committee, who had reported the bill. re-
sented Mr.. Payne's supposed imputations
or the committee and Mr. Lacey. Chair
man of the Public Lands Committee, be-
fore which an investigation of the matter
had also been held. controverted Mr. Rays
statement that Texas had not received
payment from settlers for lands in that
county
After being amended so that the in
yestigation would include the facts in the
matter in dispute, the bill was passed.
At o'clock the Houso went into Com
Llittee o. the Whole on the private cal-
The committee acted upon 123 bills far-
orably, and ordered them to be reported
TO the House. In that body they were
passed in thirty-two minutes.
Mr.. Littlefield asked and secured unan-
imous consent fer consideration of the
joint resolution authorizing the President
TO appoint Representative Boutelle OF
Maine a captain Of the navy on the re-
tired list. Answering Suggestion by Mr.
Jett to the effect that the proposed legis-
latinn was without precedent Mr.. Little
field stated that there were at least eight
precedents for the joint resolution none
OF the cases approaching that OF Mr.
Boutelle in the merit OF the circumstances
attending them.
Mr.. Underwood said he would not defeat
the object of Mr.. Littlefield by interpos-
ing an objection, but he expressed his op-
position to The bill as being the COM
mencement of civil list. Mr.. Littlefeld
explained that Mr. Boutellc who had
served in the House since the close of the
Forty seventh Congress. had been elected
TO the Fifty-seventh Congress. But his
physical condition had so changed since
the election, that it would be practically
impossible for him TO serve again. and
he would resign mis- position as Represen-
tative.
The joint resolution was passed, and at
5:l5 the House adjourned until today