The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1900-02-20
senate az SIS o'clock p. m. adjourned.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,.

senate az SIS o'clock p. m. adjourned.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,.
The house today completed twenty
six of the 124 age of the legislative,
and judicial appropriation
bill, without amendment. The bill
probably will be passed tomorrow
After an hour spent in passing some
resolutions for additional clerk hire for
committees, the house went into COM
mittee of whole anG resumed the con-
sideration OF the Legislative ~appropria-
ton bill.
Mr.. Boutelle, opened with some gen.
eral remarks, about the approaching
presidential contest. He upon
the great transformation which a
taken place in the democratic party in
three years. Then he said the hall of
the house rang with the defiant cry of
the democrats that silver would be the
issue again in 1900. But he noticed as
that contest approached that We heard
less and less of silver. Silver had been
killed in 1896. 1t was buried in 1898
and he did not believe a single mem
Der of the minority honestly desired
it reSurrected.
Mr.. Boutelle argued that the one SOL
emn duty of every american citizen at
the present stage OF the insurrection In
the Philippines is hearty and loyal
support of the president n he pro-
ceeded to argue the constitutional
rights of the United States to take n
hold territory outside of the United
States.
Mr.. Underwood, of Alabama, follow
ed with some remarks in support or a
resolution introduced by him to repeal
the Fifteenth amendment to the con-
stitution (the suffrage amendment). In
the matter of suffrage. said Mr.. Under
wood, public safety should be the gov
erning test. People morally and in
tellectually disqualified should not be
allowed to exercise the high privilege
of suffrage. Their exercise of it was
incompatible with the public good.
The ndian and the Monaghan could
not vote. Why the negro? The condi-
tons which obtained when the fifteenth
mendmen was adopted, 10 longer eX-
listed. No one in h south desired
the negroes the suffrage, tried for thir-
ty years, had failed. Instead of prov
ing a strength to the republican party
it had proved a weakness. He did not
believe the negro would ever become
the equal of the white. An educational
qualification would not meet the stu
atoms of the south.
Mr.. Miers, of Indiana, argued that
the Philippine question, involving is it
did The traditional policy of America,
should rise above party. The Philip
pines were either entitled to admission
into the United States upon an equali-
ty with other territories OF they were
entitled to freedom and independence.
A colonial policy, he predicted, would
disrupt the union.
Mr.. Grosvenor, of Ohio, brought for
ward the question of civil service law,
basing his remarks Upon the state
ments of Mr.. Hemenway yesterday
that the departments were full of in
competents. He adduced statements
of chiefs of bureaus and heads of de-
partments to show that in 1883 when
the civil service law was passed the
civil service of the government was a
model of efficiency and effectiveness.
The gentleman, 1 believe, was one
Of the trainers of the st. Louis plat
FORM" interrupted Mr.. Richardson, of
Tennessee. That platform declared
for an extension of the civil service
law. How does he reconcile that fact
with his present hostility to the law"
The gentleman from Ohio" replied
Mr.. GroSvenor, sometimes makes a
fool of himself, just as the gentleman
from Tennessee does" (Laughter.)
AT 4 o'clock the general debate clos
ed and the bill was taken up for
amendment under the five minute rule.
The committee then rose.
Mr.. Miers, of Indiana, filed the mi
nority views in the contested case Of
Pearson VS.. Crawford, in North Caro-
lima.
At 5 o'clock the house adjourned.