Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1904-01-21
FEDERAL LAW MAKERS.


debate was spirited. Senator Car
mack proceeded with a set speech in
pointed criticism on the presidents
course and was followed by Senator
Spconer, the only other speaker OF
the day, in defense of the president
action as law-abiding, and in the de-
Tense of the president himself as a.
patriotic, brave and true man. Sen
ator Tillman frequently interrupted
Senator Spooner and there were a
number of sharp encounters between
them. When the senate adjourned
the Panama question was still before
the senate and it was announced that
the discussion would be resumed to-
day after the disposition of the post
Office department inquiry resolution.
Before the Panama subject was taken
up there was a brief but sharp dis
cussicn between Senators Patterson
and Scott of the labor troubles in
Colorado.
After a lively debate lasting three
hours, the house in committee of the
whole, by vote of 79 to IS, struck
out of the legislative, executive and
judicial appropriation bill the para
graph providing for the salaries and
expenses of the civil service com.
mission and the clerks employed
under the commission. The action
was taken ON motion of Mr.. Hepburn
of Iowa. He was supported by both
republicans and democrats. Those
who spoke in opposition to the civil
service system as it now stood were
Messrs- Hepburn, republican of Iowa;
Grosvenor, republican of Ohio, and
bartlett, democrat of Georgia; while
among those speaking for the service
were Messrs. Cooper, republican of
Wisconsin, and Gillette, republican of
Massachusetts. Mr. Grosvenor said
that when the law went into effect
the expenditures under the bill now
pending amounted TO about $40 ,000,-
coo; today it amounts to 100000, 900;
and we are told the reason for that is
that 16 per cent. of this amount is
paid to men absolutely worthless to
the public service, so that we have
practically a civil pension. 1t is
enough to say that expenditures under
this system have increased 80 per
cent. 1t is enough to say that under
this system the wrongs and outrages
and irregularities and crimes that are
charged today, if they did not
originate under the civil service al
ministration, have been covered
through the administration of that
system up to date"
Mr.. Hepburn declared that he was
not inclined to criticise the heads CT
the commission, ''but that civil serv,
ice as it is administered is a fraud. .
He referred to an interview he had
had with the head of a department
having over 500 clerks, who had
stated that he had so clerks who
could not get to their desks if the
elevators in the building were not
running and that if he should be per.
lattted to select his own force he
could do all the business with 200
clerks"
Mr.. Cooper of Wisconsin wantel
Mr. Hepburn to state why he did not
advocate legislative reform Mr.. Hep.
burn replied holly that with the
present makeup of the committee
controlling such legislation, it was
well known that nothing could be
done along that line. Mr. Gillette
favored merit rather than a
system was not perfect and would not
oppose the bill amending the law. He
did not think any good would come
from striking out the paragraph pro,
viding for the commissions expenses.
The paragraph was stricken from the
bill, rs to SIS, republicans and demo
Gratis voting together to strike it out.
Washington, Jan. 1.-THE senate
listened to speeches by Senator New
lands and Depew on the Panama canal
question and to speech by Senator
Latimer on the adoption of the plan
for Improvement of the public wagon
ways of the country. Senator New
lands declared the course of the
president in Panama was an act of
war and in contravention alike of the
treaty of 1864, of international law
and of the constitution of the United
States. Senator Depew praised the
presidents policy as patriotic and
justified by law. He reviewed the
history of Panama and detailing the
facts connected with the negotiation
of the Hay-Herran treaty, commended
that Colombia had overreached her
self IN her rejection of that agree
nent. Consideration of the posi-
office department investigation resolu-
ton was postponed until Monday.
The house passed the legislative,
executive and iudieial annronriati,,n