The National tribune., 1900-05-24
IN CONGRESS.

Synopsis of the More Important
Proceedings of Both Houses.
In the Senate on Tuesday. May Il, some
thing of furry occurred over bill which
proposes 10 extend the civil service law
to all the appointments in the new pos
sessions of the United States. A test
vote indicated a majority for it, but when
| the Senate adjourned, for lack of a quorum,
no action had been taken.
| Senator Ross, who is the father of the
! bill, delivered an extended argument in
| advocacy of its passage, maintaining that
| honest, prudent. and successful admlniStra-
| ton of the civil offices in our inSular pos
sessions demanded that only men lmbued
with American characteristics, honorable
and upright. should be named by the
President to fill the offices. He held that
the appointments should be non-partisan.
and no office-holder should be removed
without having an opportunity to meet
charges properly made and duly estab-
liShed.
MIR. Hale said he did not share in the
expectations of Mr.. Ross as to the carrying
out of the perfect program marked out by
him for our insular possessions. :.
The history of colonial possessions,
said he, from the days of the Romans
to the present time, is history OF rob
berry, peculation, extravaganza, wrong
doing in high quarters, and corruption
broad and large. / do not think that the
examples of to-day are going to show that
the American people are to be exempt from
the monstrous evils which always have
attended colonial policy"
Senator Gallinger declared the bill to
be unnecessary and absurd, but it was
about TO be passed when Senator Mason
demanded its reading for the third time.
This gave the Senate a chance for second
thought. and Senator Scott, of West Nir-
ginia, whose State Convention recently
declared in favor of the repeal of the civil
service law. moved the indefinite post
ponement of the measure. The roil-can
showed 10 ayes and 35 noes. Senator
Mason thereupon began speech IN op,,
position. After he had declared civil
service reform to be "one of the hypocrisies
of the age" and had discussed his Boer
resolution for time, a call OF the Senate
was demanded. No quorum developing,
tie Senate adjourned
Senator Clark, about whose seat in
the Senate the toga-wearerS have been
exercised for some time, made shrewd
move, and Il dramatic scene was enacted on
The floor of the chamber. AT the close
of an intensely earnest defense of his own
position, Mr.. Clark announced that he
had rendered his resignation as Senator
from Montana to the Governor of that
State. The sensation which this an
nouncement caused, however, was as moth,
ing compared with the excitement produced
by the intelligence which reached Wash
inton, less than three hours later, that
the Acknowledgement of Montana, a
friend of Senator Clark, acting in the abb
sence of the Governor, who. is Clark's
political enemy, would appoint Senator
Clark to the vacancy.
The manuver completely outwitted even
Mr.. Chandler. He had secured from the
Senate an agreement TO proceed, at Q clock,
to the consideration of the resolution de-
claring Mr.. Clark not entitled to seat in
the Senate. 1t was Mr.. Chandler S in
tentiOn TO press the consideration OF this
resolution TO vote, his avowed purpose
being not to allow Congress to adjourn
until he had ousted MIR. Clark. A spirited
contest was expected, and every Senator
in the city was at his desk. Mr. Clark fore
stalled Mr.. Chambers program by announc-
ing his resignation. MIR. Chandler ac-
cepted this announcement as an end to the
matter, SO far as he was concerned. he
was asked during the course of the after
noon whether the Governor could appoint
to the vacancy.
"Of course" said Mr.. Chandler. Every
body. including Mr.. Chandler, knew that
the Governor of Montana is partisan OF
Marcus DAILY, and, therefore, antagonistic
10 SldTh, ana 81 even DDlS tADtCltu
some friend of DAILY would be appointed.
But the Lieutenant-Governor, A. f.
Spriggs, is Clark's friend, and it seems
was fully empowered 10 act under the con-
ditiOns. in the absence of the Governor.
Mr.. Clark'S seat seems to have been de
clared vacant. Senator Frye, the Presi-
dent pro tenn. of the Senate, as soon as
Senator Clark had publicly stated the
fact Of his resignation and had read the
letter in which that resignation was ten
dered, ordered Senator Clarks name 10
be erased from the rolls of the Senate.
he took this action in accordance with
precedents which have existed from 1915,
a notable case being the Conkling-Platt
episode, during GarfieldS Administration.
II has always been held in the Senate
that Senator's announcement of his
resignati on Immediately severed his con-
nection with the body, and that it is not
necessary to wait for an official communi-
cation from the Governor acknowledging
the receipt and acceptance Of the reSigna-
ton. In less than an hour after Mr.. Clark
had made his speech a roll call was ordered
in the Senate, and when the clerk pro-
ceeded to call the names, he omitted all
mention OF the Senator who had just made
his dramatic exit from the body.
Whether the appointment will stand
remains to be seen. Some who claim TO be
able to speak with authority say that the
case would depend upon the fate Of the
itSolutiOIl itpci DN tilt Nclii-
mittee on Privileges and Elections in the
Clark case. If that resolution should
be passed, it would be a Judgment of the
Senate to the effect that the seat was va
cant from the beginning of the term. IL
the resolution should not pass, then the
appointment Of Mr.. Clark would be the
filing OF a vacancy occaSioned by his
resignation. and would be quite the ordi-
nary case Of filing vacancy by executive
appointment.
In the House there was no contest over
the Military Academy bill, and it was
passed practically without amendment.
Mr.. Overstreet, of Indiana, asked unani-
nous consent for the consideration of
Senate bill for the retirement as First Ser
geants VI the four survivors of the Lady
Franklin Bay relief expedition. Mr..
Bailey said he was opposed to retirement
bills.
Mr. 0verstreet explained that the only
other survivor Of this famous expedition
WAS Gen. Greely, who had been rewarded
with Brigadier-Generalship. The men
to be relieved by this bill had been crippled
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