The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1904-12-09
Pafktfs Name Comes Up in
the House
WILLIAMS CREATES LAUGH
Livingston Thinks Appropriations Are
Hurried Through Too Fast With
out Sufficient Consideration
BY the Legislators.

Washington. December s-The annual
fight on the civil service commission was
begun in the house today during the con-
sideration of the legislative appropria-
tion bill. The opposition came from
Messrs Bartlett. Georgia. Hepburn. To-
wa and Groyesnor, of Ohio. Mr. Hepburn
moved to strike out the entire appropria-
tion for the call, and it's force of clerks,
at the same time denouncing the civil
service as not having improved since the
days of the spois system, but on the
other hand. growing less and less ef-
ficient.
The discussion brought Out some semi
humorous comment on the last preslden-
tial election. It related to the lack of
votes which were cast for Judge Parker
Mr.. Williams of Mississippi, and Mr.
Grovesnor of Ohio participated in this
feature of the debate The session lasted
five hours and fifteen minutes. The leg
islative bill was scrutinized carefully
in consonanee with the Presidents rec
ommendation against extravaganza. Mr..
Bingham, in charge of the bill. was re-
quired constantly to explain some partic-
ular appropriation.
Bill Is Called Up.
When Mr.. Bingham, Pennsylvania, call
ell up the legislative, executive and ju-
dicial appropriation bill, the house went
into committee of the whole with Mr..
Dalzel Pennsylvania in the chair. Mr..
Bingham made an explanation of the
bill.
In few vigorous remarks Mr.. Liv-
ingston, Georgia, defended the appropria-
tion committee in the preparation Of the
bill, but lamented the fact that bills
appropriatng millions of dollars should
be hurried through In fifty days. This
hurried legislation ought to stop. he de-
clared Congress, he suggested, ought to
meet in May and thus give decent time
to the legislation of the country.
The committee by a vote Of II to 60
reduced the pay of committee stenogra-
pliers from $4,000 to $1,000.
The paragraph relating to the civil
service commission elcted from Mr..
Maddox, Macon, Ca, severe criticism be-
cause of a proposed increase Of twenty
three employees to constitute the rural
carrier examining board. He declared
there was no necessity for them, and
that it was the duty of this congress to
retrench, If the statement of the secretary
of the treasury be true. God knows
he said, IT want this government to
stand and be able to pay it's debts with
out issuing bonds, or raising additional
taxes"
Mr. Littaur Of Ne wYork, endorsed Mr..
Maddox's retrenchment ideas, but said
the case in point happened to be one Of
the few items of the bill where retrench-
ment was brought about by the action of
the committee, because the twenty-three
clerks referred to already, were at work
by detail from other offices.
The discussion shifted to the salary of
the secretary to the civil service COM
mission The committee had increased it
from $500 to $4,000, but amendment by
Mr.. Bartlett of Georgia, putting 1t back
to the former amount was adopted.
Grosvenor Causes Laughter.
Mr.. Grosvenor of Ohio, inquired amid
laughter If it would not be well to strike
out the provision for the three commits
soners, and let the clerks run the office.
Mr.. Hepburn of Iowa moved to strike out
the appropriation for the commission, and
bitterly denounced it. He was not, he
said, opposed to proper civil service,
but the present merit system did not i'm
prove on the old spoils system. The pres
ent civil service was not good as 1t
ly becoming less and less efficient. II
denounce It," he said with emphasis, "as
un-American and unfit for our uses, as in
sufficient to accomplish the purposes that
men say they desire by a civil service"
He was roundly applauded on both sides
of the chamber.
Mr.. williams Of Mississippi, the minor
ity leader suggested that It would be an
improvement over the present system to
fix a certain period for which an employe
should serve the government
Mr. Grosvenor of Ohio. speaking In a
humorous vein, said: 1T would hardly
be legal constitutional or satisfactory If
the paragraph should be passed without
himself adding a little something to the
hilarity Of the annual occasion"
He spoke of the civil service commits
sioners as these great gentlemen, and
these SO, 500 gentlemen" and referred to
a package of papers which had come to
him today from a rural carrier who had
been propounded certain questions by the
commission as to whether not he had
used his influence in behalf Of the cleo
tion of President Roosevelt in the Ohio
campaign and whether or not on a GER
tain day he had turned over his route
TO his substitute and worked for the re-
publican ticket.
Now think of holding up poor devil
Of a rural carrier like that. The man
The man in question. he said, had been
held up by the civil service and was losing
his nav, while a great body of men are
investigating not what is the matter
with the woman in Cleveland that robbed
everybody but did that man vote for
Roosevelt. and did he work at the polls
on election day..
Williams Refers to Parker.
Mr.. williams directing his remarks to
Mr.. Grosvenor. said that he had been
wondering If Mr.. Grosvenor could pun
ish the house with such hard luck
story out in Ohio because a fellow had
shown political activity in the case Of
President Roosevelt. what might possibly
have been the fate of fellow who would
have dared to show political activity in
behalf of Mr.. Parker This reference to
Mr.. Parker created considerable laugh
ter on both sides of the chamber.
s'The indications are" replied Mr. Gros-
venor, which caused a renewal Of the