Show ff POLITICS IN HOUSE t h jv Dingleyism and the Gold Standard 1 4 Brought Prosperity Y SO MR GROSVENOR SAYS + WITH SPITEFUL BEFEEENGE TOw TO-W J BRYAN + Ohio Congressman Presents His Own History of Past and Present Political Po-litical Conditions Civil Service Law Criticised Objection to Al gers aiethod of Defeating Law 7 Washing Jan 7trhe house of reprcsentati Is was encased all day inconsideration in-consideration of the executive appropriation appro-priation bill and completed ft substantially substan-tially as reported except the items for the civil service commission which went over until Monday There were several side debates during the day One of these brought out Mr Grosvenor of Ohio in a speech of an hour on current cur-rent political questions The Philippines Philip-pines also came in for attention on the discovery of art itean of 12000 for naval charts of the island The item was ruled out on a point of order by Mr Dockery the chairman Mr Payne holding that the Philippines were still j foreign territory and as such not the i proper subject for legislation proposed On convening the house the committee commit-tee Qf the whole resumed consideration of the legislative executive and judicial judic-ial appropriation bill Mr Bromwell Rep 0 moved a formal amendment I to the bill in order to ask why the appointments ap-pointments of emergency clerks in the I war department had not been made from the eligible list un er the civil service law and said the circumstances connected with these temporary appointments ap-pointments exposed the manifest absurdities ab-surdities of the civil service law He thought the law should be generally overhauled Mr Bailey replied to Mr Bronvwell predicting that if the present civil service ser-vice law continued on the statute books the next twenty years would see the passage of a civil service pension list Mr Cannon explained that the civil service machinery taking time to fill places it was necessary in emergencies to employ clerks outside that law Mr Bromwell withdrew his amendment amend-ment and the reading of the bill proceeded pro-ceeded I GROSVENOR TALKS POLITICS At 1 oclock Mr Grosvenor was 4rec ocmized to make an hours speech concern con-cern in the attitude of the political I po-litical parties of the country i toward the financial question He began by referring to the campaign of 1 ° 96 which was he said characterized by zeal firmness and candor on both sides Never in the history of the United States had we ever seen harder times than in the early months of 1S96 when the oeonle were suffering under great financial and commercial distress The contrast was very strong as the preceding few months had been months of great prosperity pros-perity There were more idle men in the United States on election day in 1S96 than at any previous time in the history of the country while on the election day of 1892 the number of idle men had been fewer Both parties had I met the situation frankly each offering offer-ing its remddy Hence the campaign had been fought under unfavorable I conditions Inwhatever direction one might turn whether to our railroads to our manufactories or to our inland I or foreign trade there was gloom and desDon r Mr Grosvenor outlined the platforms of the two parties dwelling especially on the tariff and silver policies of the Democratic Dem-ocratic and the protective tariff and gold standard policy of the Republican arty The result of the Republican noicv he said was already seen in the increase in-crease of our exports bringing gold to this country and stopping the evolution evolu-tion of the endless chain about which so much had beem heard under the 1 Democratic administration of Mr Cleveland The issues had been clearly cut and distinctly defined and the I Democratic orators had dwelt especially espec-ially upon the menaces of maintaining the gold standard DINGLEYISM AND PROSPERITY I Mr Grosvenor then outlined the action ac-tion of congress under Republican leadership I lead-ership in passing the Dingley bill He I showed that there had been in the beginning be-ginning an apparent majority in the I senate against the bill but never in the history of a free people had there I I been a better demonstration of the power of the majority of the people I than had been shown in the passage of the Dingley bill through the senate This was a clear yielding to the popular popu-lar demand So said Mr Grosvenor the change in the tariff had been made though none had been made in the currency laws There had been almost two years of the Republican administration adminis-tration and no two years had ever seen a more radical change than had occurred in the general conditions He instanced the prosperity of the railroads rail-roads declaring that no line of road was able to carry its business Also the foreign trade was without a par allel In view of these facts he had no doubt but that Mr Bryan had often had occasion to regret his utterances in the campaign The most unfortunate utterance a public man ever made he said was Mr Bryans frequent inquiry upon coming into towns whether general prosperity had arrived That inquiry was beneath the dignity of a great mana man made great by a great issue is-sue if not by his own personal magnitude magni-tude The Chinese wall of foreign trade had been broken down and for the first time in our history Europe was looking look-ing to the United States to fix the rate of exchange He maintained that while there had been an unprecedented increase in-crease in the revenues derived from abroad on our agricultural products the exportations of our manufacturers have kept even pace with them He proceeded in some detail to show that American trade was penetrating I all corners of the earth and concluded with an appeal to the country to sustain sus-tain the policy which was doing so much for it Mr Underwood Dem Ala replied briefly to Mr Grosvenor urging the futility of recent tariff legislation in securing prosperity and the inaction I of the party in power on financial questions Mr Cox Dem Tenn also took up the political theme arguing that if the government was on a gold standard it was not due to any legislation by the party in power but through the course of the secretary of the treasury NO PHILIPPINE CHARTS Mr Dockery made a point of order against the appropriation of 12000 for the construction from government surveys of a series of engraved nautical nauti-cal charts of the coasts and harbors of the Philippine Islands Until the ratification of the peace treaty said he the Philippines will I I not be a part of the United States and I there will be no warrant of law for the appropriation I The chairman Mr Payne sustained the point of order and ruled out the Philippine item saying The chair is I not able to see how charts of foreign countries as the Philippines now are I for the present can be provided for in appropriation bills An amendment was made td the application ap-plication of the civil service law to emergency employees Those already in service under the emergency appropriations appro-priations are left outside the civil service serv-ice regulations while those hereafter appointed are brought within the operation oper-ation of the law After further amendments of o minor character the bill was reported back to the house and agreed to throughout with the exception of tl 2 items relat ing to the civil service commission which went over until Monday Mr McLearey Rep Minn sought to withdraw from the calendar the banking and currency bill Mr Cox declared this bill had been irregularly reported and that the Democrats of the committee had been excluded from the committeeroom when the measure was under consideration consider-ation Without granting the request for the withdrawal of the bill the house at 5 oclock adjourned I |