Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-01-13
Representative Hepburn Calls
the Civil Service a Failure.
rs LOUDLY APPLAUDED
A LIVELY DEBATE IN THE HOUSE
YESTERDAY AFTERNOON.
Accuses His Associates Of Timidity in
Not Voting to Do Away With
the Existing Methods.

SSdtiNC anu JuuiSsoA oPi ioSioh ciA Wy
the House of Representatives continued yes
terday afternoon until after clock. Cen
eral debate having expired by that time.
the bill was taken up by paragraphs The
debate during the afternoon covered wide
range. Mr. Underwood Of Alabama. Mr..
Little of Arkansas. Mr.. Adams of Penn
sylvania, Mr.. Fitzgerald of New York, Mr..
Goulden of New York Mr. James of Ten
nessee. Gen. Grosvenor of Ohio and others
participated in the lively discussion. Mr..
Adams and Mr.. Fitzgerald had sharp col
loquy over the recent election in New York
city.
Attacks Civil Service Reform.
The most enlivening bit of the afternoon,
however. came with the closing hours.
when Representative Hepburn of Iowa made
a vigorous attack on the present civil SER
vice system. His denunciation of the
called merit system called forth storm
of applause. He moved to strike out the
paragraph in the pending bill carrying APP
propriatons for the civil service commits
sion. After questioning Representative
Bingham. who had charge of the bill, rather
sharply as to the number of employees &C
tually engaged in work for the civil service
commission. Mr.. Hepburn asked amid laugh
ter
idea that he could give to the committee of
the pecuniary benefit to the United States
resulting from the existence of the civil
service commission"
Mr.. Bingham replied:
IF the gentleman will permit me. I will
say that in 1888. when the civil service bill
was before the House to be enacted into
law l voted for the legislation
Il will state that I was one of the same
hopeful idiots,'' rejoined Mr.. Hepburn.
Let me further say" continued Mr.. Bing-
ham, " that joining him six or seven years
ago. when the question was under general
discussion. 1 made the unqualified state
ment. and I have no qualification to make
to that statement today, that it was clear
IL declared in the limited debate in the
House that the civil service in its operation
would reach 10000 subordinate clerks of the
government
II further stated that the act literally, as
then understood. we'll as the spirit of
the legislation, had been long since de-
parted from. and had l the opportunity to-
day to cast my vote 1 would cast it against
the civil service as 1t now exists
Antagonist Applauded.
The assertion of antagonism to the pres
ent system called forth more applause from
the members present, who were now keenly
interested in the discussion. Then Mr.. Hep
burn spoke again:
Mr.. Chairman. every time that I have
he grows upon my admiration. daughter
and appiause). Now. If the gentleman will
permit me. 1 would like to move. Mr.. Chair
man, to strike out this paragraph. Mr..
Chairman, / know that no result will fol-
low the adoption of this motion
L know that the bill will come back to
us with 1t reinserted. know that we
ieve it is the deliberate judgment Of every
member of this House. save perhaps
score that we are wasting the public money.
and that we are in pursuit of phantom
vice through the instrumentality OF that
which we call the civil service commission.
(Applause)
Calls the System a Failure.
II believe it to be the Judgment, the de-
liberate judgment, of every man who has
given serious attention to it, who is really
familiar with the legislation and the opera
ton of this scheme of so-called improve
ment. believe it is their judgment that
we have civil service 1t is failure.
In these twenty l shall have to enlarge
it so as to include the amiable gentleman
from Massachusetts. that gentleman who
has been assiduous for the last six or
eight years in preventing, under the rules,
the House from acting upon the question,
The committee on, civil service reform has
never dared to come to this House with any
proposition that by amendment or otherwise
could give the House opportunity to ex-
press itself upon this question.
1T is utterly Impossible to do 1t, and
there Is no other way in which can ex-
press our condemnation of this fad and this
folly other than in voting it out knowing
that 1t will come back; but | hope the
House will have the courage to do 1t.
For with the utmost respect to all the
gentlemen now before ME, l have no hest
tation in saying that it is their timidity-I
was about to say cowardice-their timidtyy
their Difference to supposed existing pub
lie opinion, that prevents them from assert
ing themselves and wiping out this fraud
upon the public
Il perhaps ought not to use SO harsh
word as that, but you will remember Mr..
Chairman, that it is in the mouth of all of
these reformers that we who do not follow
them in their pursuit of this wlll-o'-the-
wlSp are SpOilSmen. that we are trying to
get back to the spells system: that we have
an Interior purpose in view and they alone
are the purists who would redeem the pub
lie service from all the evils that 1t has
undergone or suffered since civilizat ton be-
gan.
The Present a Spells System.
II undertake to say. Mr.. Chairman, that
II there is spoils system a system thus to
be reprobated by harsh words, 1t is So
called civil service-merit system-that we
have now, with its expenditures of the pub
lie money from which no good result comes
Il have lived here in this capital under
both the systems-the so-called spells sys-
tenn of twenty years ago and the so-called
merit system of today-and would invite
a comparison of those employees who were
appointed twenty years ago and those that
crept through the intricaces of civil serv-
Ice into the public service now" CAP
plause).
Representative Bartlett called attention
nj f1n ni.y TO- I<xx lv,
the appointment of NJ w Louis. who was
but recently removed from the office of
chief of the division of supplies in the Post
Office Department. His appointment, 1T was
declared, was winked at by the civil serv-
ice commission. Mr.. Bartlett had the floor
when the House adjourned until today
m OPEN TIE nTurp