The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-03-01
FAILED TO COME 20 A Vote
The Revenue Cutter Service Bill
Delayed in the House.
Discussed mt Length i'm Committee of
the whole - Mr.. Hepburn Finally
Succeeds In Getting General De
bate Limited-Criticism of sampson

the whole Mr.. Hepburn Finally
Succeeds I'm Getting General De
hate Limited-Criticism of Sampson
A second attempt was made yesterday
to reach a vote on the bin to promote the
efficiency of the Revenue Cutter Service.
After the House had refused Mr.. Hull
unanimous consent to send the Army APP
preparation bill to conference on motion
/ of Mr. Hepburn the House, by vote of
l56 to 81. went into the Committee of the
Whole to consider the Revenue Cutter
Service bill. Before the House actually
went into the Committee of the Whole,
Mr.. Dalzell was recognized by the Speak
er to present special order from the
b. Committee on Rules for the consideration
of the Senate amendsments to the Army
/ Appropriation bill.
Mr. Underwood made the point of order
that as the House had voted to go into
Committee of the Whole to consider the
Revenue Cutter Service bill, it was not
in order for the Speaker to entertain any
other motion, the House had declared
its will. The point of order was sustain
ed although it was combated by Messrs
| Dalzel and Mann
The House then went into the Commit
tee of the Whole with Mr.. Grosvenor in
the chair. Immediately thereafter Mr..
/ Dalzell moved that the committee arise.
| Confusion at once reigned and the DEM
ocrats took advantage of it by voting
solidly against Mr.. Dalzell's motion, thus
| defeat ting it. Debate then proceeded for
| half an hour, when Mr.. Hepburn. in
| charge of the bill, made several efforts
| to arrange "A time for closing general de-
| bate, but each time he WAS opposed by
| Mr.. Underwood and Mr.. Mann, who Were
| leading the opposition. They refused to
make any arrangement to limit debate.
/ Mr.. Sulzer made the point that it was
| not within the power of the Committee
| of the Whole to limit general debate ex-
| cept by unanimous consent, and this Mr.
| Hepburn could not obtain. As Mr.. Dal-
| zell was waiting to present the report
from the Committee on Rules the moment
| the committee should rise, MIR. Hepburn
was not willing to risk vote in the
| House on his motion to limit debate and
fix a time for vote. for nearly three
j hours the debate continued in the Com
| mittee of the Whole.
! Finally. at about o'clock, when it was
| too late for it to be worth while beginning
| any other business, the committees rose
and Mr.. Hepburn succeeded in getting the
general debate limited.
| Mr.. Sulzer was the first to speak i'm fa-
vor of the bill. He said that Admiral
Sampson, who was in favor of the dane
ing man naval officer. had been educated
at the public expense at the Naval Acad-
emy. u am in favor of the abolishment
of all class distinctions in our military
ana naval institutions Mr.. SuIzer de-
clared. If we cannot get this we ought
10 abolish all of them If the graduates
of then. like Admiral Sampson, who are
paid high salaries by the Government, de-
cry the able seaman who has not been
educated by the Government they insult
the intelligence of the peopl, of the coun-
try and should he rebuked. The men in
the Revenue Cutter Service see the hard
est kind of duty from Alaska to Florida.
The graduates of the Naval Academy,
some of whom have not seen duty on
ship for thirty years, stay in Washington,
dance with the ladies. and have cham
pagne suppers Now that it is proposed
to give the loyal Revenue Cutter Service
men equal rank with the officers of
the navy. the small honor is denied them.
Mr.. crumpacker attacked the provision
OF the bill which enables the President to
retire entirely or place upon the waiting
retired list any officer found to be in
capacitated for duty. even If through his
power to lodge with the Executive. He
claimed that the further provision for
paying a year salary to any officer
found to oe unfit for duty because of his
own bad habits. and discharged by the
President, was unwiSe.
MIR. Drisgs-That clause is practically
the same as the retiring clause in the
revised regulations of the army.
MIR. Cr,Impacker-Then, If that is true
the army regulations are faulty. The
provision itself is vicious.
Mr.. Underwood denounced the bill as
Unwise. and likely to saddle civil pen
sion system upon the Government, and
likely to put in command of boats and
sometimes squadrons Incompetent men.
Mr.. ShaCkleford arraigned the suppoIy-
ers Of the bill charging them with an
attempt to force through piece Of class
legislation.
Mr. Drisgs-Did you vote for the St
Louis Fair bin?
MIR. Shacllleford-T did.
Mr.. Driggs-Was that not class legisla-
Mr. shackieford-If that were so, /
should say that | voted wrong.
Mr.. Hepburn-Yes; that is the method
of the gentleman from Missouri. He
votes for everything that will help his
own State. He votes for S5.GM.0JJ Tor ST.
Louis, md for 100000 for seeds for MS
rural constituents. but he cries "class
legislation when there is "A sugg stion
that money shall be spent on somebody
else.
Mr.. Hepburn continued, calling atten-
ton to the arduous service that the men
in the Revenue Cutter Service see. He
took up the obJectors TO the pension pro-
visions, and argued that ii was only by
assuring men in such dangerous employ
ment that they would be cared for in
could be sure of an efficient and willing
service
THE opinion that this service is a civil
one, and that there is to be established
a civil pension list. is erroneous" he sad
at is true that the Revenue Cutter Serv-
ice is under the Secretary of the Treas
ury. but at the CALI of the Secretary of
the Navy 1t can be mustered into service
with the navy, and has already s ryed
in that capacity with honor to its officers
many, many times. This proposal to put
the Revenue Service men on equality
with men of the navy is of long stand
ing The question is not a new one II
may be that a spirit of jealousy similar
to that which animated Admiral Samp-
son. which seems to vent itself against
men who are not graduates from the
Naval Academy may animate others of
the navy. If that is so, the spirit ought
to he chokcd and strangled until il is
dead and can raise its spiteful head no
more. " Nhat has become of the cry in
favor of the man behind the gun? Have
the men of the navy stifled that. toO?'
The discussion of the bill continued I'M
I'll just before adjournment. when. on
motion of Mr.. Hepburn, the committee
rose. and limit was set for general de-
bate The bin is the unfinished business
for today.