The Washington weekly post. (Washington, D.C.) 1878-1916, 1900-02-20
Fridays Proceedings.

The House Friday INDUCED in IT'S an
rual joke by striking from tie legislative
appropriation bill all provision for the
Civil Service Commission. This action is
taken almost every year in Committee of
the Whole, where the members do not go
on record, end the provision is then in
Variably restored when the bill gets back
in the House, where members have to re-
sDond To their names upon roll call The
vote yesterday to strike out was Is to CT.
To-day the House will, in all probability,
reverse this action as sual on an aye and
no vote.
Most of the time of the House yester-
day beyond that occupied in the discus
sion Of the civil service law, was devoted
to attacks upon the speech made by Rep
resentative Sims. of Tennessee, on Wed
nesday, in which he furnished some fig
ures of the Pension Office showing the
number of applicants for pensions filed by
soldiers of the volunteer regiments en-
gagged in the Spanish war, to show that
the Northern soldiers were much more
clamorous in that regard than the South
IONS. and attributing this to the debauch-
ing of public sentiment il the North on
the pension question.
Wade an Indignant Reply.
Representative Pearre of Maryland.
raised the storm by a reference to those
figures. and the statement that hundreds
of Massachusetts soldiers who never
sInelled powder had applied for pensions
This brought out an indignant reply from
Representative Fitzgerald. Democrat, of
Massachusetts, who detailed the record of
the Massachusetts volunteers in the late
war He was followed by others. who
defended the records of the soldiers from
their respective States Representative
Hepburn, of Iowa, denounced Mr.. Sims
for the figures he cited, claiming they
did not furnish proper comparisons The
latter insisted that even if that were true
LIS main contention was established. The
matter was discussed for several hours
and considerable temper was manifested
The only change made in the bill yes
terday Of local interest was an amendment
which increases the appropriation for
clerk hire in the office OF the Chief of
Engineers of the army from 300 TO
S0's4o Provision is made for three adj
Citional clerks, one each in class ?. class
3, and class /.
The members of the Committee on Pri-
Vate Claims tried TO defeat the consider
alton OF the legislative bill, when IL was
HFst called up early III the afternoon It
vas the day, under tbs rules, for the con-
sideration OF private claims. Their effort
was defeated by a vote of A to IS. Repre-
sentative Pearre, of Maryland, attacked
tie provision approprie ting money for
the civil Service Commission, and declar
ed that the departments were full of in
competent people. RepI esentatiye FitZ-
gerald. OF Massachusetts, declared that
COL Pearre vas opposed TO the law. be-
cause If the bars were le: down his con-
sutuents over in Maryland could swarm
into Washington ard gobble IN all rhe
government positions.
Half the Regiment Applied.
This brought a sharp retort from Col
Pearre, who declared that Massachusetts
had no need 10 sneer at Maryland. for only
q few days before list had been read In
the House showing that soldiers OF a
Massachusetts, regiment, who never SMELL
co powder in the Spanish war, were AL
ready clamoring for pensions, half OF
their number having applied.
Representative Fitzgerald then shouted
for recognition TO defend the records az
Massachusetts regiments In the Spanish
war. The achievements of regiments in
the Spanish war that had been most en-
phatic IL asking for pensions. were dis
cussed pro and con. and q score OF Rep
resentatives we're g.ssa time to speak
before the chapter was closed. The rec
ord OF every regiment in the Spanish war
was praised TO the stars, even Represent
alive Cummings paying an eloquent trib-
Cie TO the valor OF the seventy-first New
York Regiment al San Juan.
fl.ls9f.- y 2 = rive PEA Agtrfuo L.
guy With Representative Fitzgerald made
& telling hit. which the House applaud
ed. declaring that during the War of the
Revolution IL as the companies and regt-
ments Of soldiers that marched from
Maryland, who relieved Boston and help
&C in the defense against the British
Representative Hepburn remarked upon
the regularity Of debate in the House as
instanced by NJ Fitzgerald. who indiE-
nantly took offense at q mere aiiusion 10
the remarks made some days ago by Mr.
~ Ees,tsJc Positively cures coughs