The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-02-17
CLAIMS FOR PENSIONS
DEBATE IN THE HOUSE REACHES
A STAGE THAT CAUSES con-
SIDERABLE FEELING
sEcrIoNAL1sM IS REVIVED
Assertion That Volunteers From the
North Are More CIamorous for
Pensions Than Are Those From
the South. Cause of the Exciting
Events of the Day-Civic Commits
sion Appropriation Is Opposed.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 16-The house
today INDUCED in its annual joke by
striking from the legislative appropriation
bill all provision for the civil service
commission. This action is taken each
year in committee of the whole, where
the members do not go on record, and
the provision Is then invariably restored
when the bill gets back in the house,
where members have to respond to their
names upon a roll call. The vote today
to strike out was 70 to 81. Tomorrow
the house will reverse this action, as
usual, on an aye and no VOTE
Most Of the time of the house today,
beyond that occupied on the discussion
of the civil service law, was devoted to
attacks on the speech made by Mr. Sims
tDem., Temp on Wednesday, in which
he furnished some figures of the pension
office showing the number of applications
for pensions filed by soldiers of volun-
teer regiments In the Spanish war, to
show that the Northern soldiers were
much more clamorous in that regard
than the Southern ones, and attributing
this to the debauching of public senti-
ment in the North on the pension aues-
tinn.
Mr.. Pearre Rep., Md raised the storm
by reference to those figures, and the
statement that hundreds of Massachu-
sets soldiers who never smelled powder
had applied for pensions.
This brought out an indignant reply
from Mr.. Fitzgerald Dem., Mass.), who
detailed the record of the Massachusetts
/ L.. Al.
lowed by others who defended the rec
ords of the soldiers from their several
states.
Mr. Hepburn Qo.) vigorously assailed
Mr. Sims.
Considerable temper was shown
When the session opened announcement
of the receipt Of the currency bill from
the senate was made. and on motion of
Mr.. Overstreet Qnd.). by unanimous con-
sent; the senate amendments were dis
agreed to. The speaker appointed Messrs
Overstreet Rep.. Ind, Brosius (Rep.,
Pa.) and Cox pem.. TENN conferees
The house then went into committee of
the whole on the legislative appropriation
bill
ATTACK OPENED.
Mr. Pearre (Rep., Md attacked the
appropriation for the civil service
commission, and charged that the de-
partments were full of incompetents
When the provision relating to the
commission was reached Mr.. Pearre
(Rep., Md stated that If he thought the
striking out of the appropriation would
put an end to the civil service law he
would make the motion. He announced
his unequivocal opposition to the law
He reiterated the charge made several
days ago that the departments were full
of ineompetents.
"Where are they?" asked Mr. Fitzger-
aid Dem, Mass.)-
where were they under the old sys-
temp" asked Mr.. Pearre, replying with
question.
Everywhere There were thousands of
the,n,' replied Mr.. Fitzgerald. 'If the
bars were down now you would have the
departments crowded with Marylanders. 2
Massachusetts need not sheer at Mary
land,'' retorted Mr.. Pearre. "a few days
ago a gentleman read list of hundreds
of Massachusetts soldiers who never