Evening star., 1900-02-14
THE HOUSE.

The House today entered upon the con-
sideratfon of the executive. legislative and
Judicial appropriation bill. Before Mr.
H"menWay undD. who was in charge of
th= bill. allied it up. the reports in the con-
tested election case of Aldrich vs. Robbins
from the fourth Alabama district, were
submitted. The majority reported in favor
OF the contestant and the minority in favor
~ the sitting member.
The democrats were disposed to insist
upon several days for general debate on the
legislative bill on the ground that not suf-
T"ienr time was to be allowed to debate the
Porto Rican tariff bill All Efforts to reach
an agreement failed. and the House went
into committee of the whole. with no ar
ssngem-nt about general debate.
Mr., Hemcnway made a general explana-
Ilnu Of the bill
Mr. Payne IN. ", the floor leader of the
majority. interrupted Mr. Hemenway to
announce that in view OF the failure to
reach an agreement concerning the debate
OF the legislative bill he would call IN tha
Porto Rics,n hill on Monday next
Mr.. Hem-nway said that the large addi-
tnHdl temporary force of clerks in the War
and Navy Departments Ci1o and 1ss re-
speCtIEelNI were continued, but that the
Committee deemed it unwise a. this time to
provide specific salaries for permanent in
crease.
SPEAKING generally abUlt the SerfCal
force in the departments, Mr.. Hemenway
provoked something Of q storm by assert
Ing that the departments were filed with
inrp.npet"ntS. who We're kept in by DO
lriCal influence. He said that whenever the
Etad Of a department proposed to discharge
iDc0mpstents congressman bul, ,yragged him
Into retaining them. He cited q case where
fourteen senators insisted upon the reten-
lion Of a man.
Mr.. Moody CMass.). a member of the ap-
preparation committee, called attention to
th- fact that by the terms Of the present
law heads Of Departments We're compelled
10 discharge inCompetenIS. He wanted to
know why they had disregarled the law
Mr. Hemenway replied by reiterating his
former statements.
Mr. Moody insisted that superannuated
clerks must he removed Unless we can
get rid of this dead wood said he, the
pubic service will break down"
Value of Government Deposits.
Mr.. Bell (ColJ discussed the question of
government deposits in national banks 1t
had been contended, he said, that banks
made nothing out of such deposits. Mr.
Bell said he had written To the treasurers
OF all the states and he had received enough
replies to show that deposits Of state funds
had wcll-defined market value New
York received IL per cent on daily balances
and 3 per cent upon special funds Kansas
1eceived per cent, Pennsylvania 11A per
cent. Michigan 22. Vermont - Massachu-
E"Its 2i2 and =, Maine > Connecticut 21a
FLORIDA ~. Georgia =. Maryland . Colo
RADIO and 2t@ and Minnesota 3 yJe con-
tended that it was a crime against rho
people for the Secretary Of the Treasury IN
deposit millions of government funds in
National banks without interest
Pension Applications Denounced.
Mr.. Sims CTenn) submitted some remarks
concerning pensions. taking as his text
Senator Gallinger's reported statement that
IL the pension bills before this Congress
We're passed they would bankrupt the treas
Nry.
He presented some Interesting statistic,
regarding the claims for pensions on sc
count of the Spanish war. From the twen
ty-three regular regiments engaged in thu
Santiago campaign, which suffered casual
applications for pensions. The eight yoJun
teer regiments engaged at Santiago, which
suffered 2N5 casualties, presented 3,5sS an
plications. p
These latter regiments he said were ALL
from the north Eight southern regimenTs
that suffered a loss OF I5o had only T,;I
applications for pensions. This discrenancv
he accounted for with the statement thai
in the south the pension mania was MOI
rampant. He cited the case of three volun>
teer regiments. 9Sth Massachusetts Stb
Ohio and 1st District of Columbia neither
or which had suffered loss in killed wound-
eG or missing. yet which furnished e45 4S7
and 40 applicants. respectively, for pen-
sions- he declared thai i, would bs NO