126 



CONGKESS, UNITED STATES. 



In the Senate, on December llth, Mr. Conk- 

 ling, of New York, moved to postpone the 

 pending and all previous orders, and proceed 

 to the consideration of the resolution offered 

 by him. 



The motion was agreed to ; and the Senate 

 proceeded to consider the following reso- 

 lution : 



Resolved, That the Committee on Military Affairs 

 be instructed to inquire into the recent defalcation 

 of J. L. Hodge, late a paymaster in the Army, and 

 into the facts connected therewith, and to ascertain 

 and report to the Senate whether any other officer 

 or officers of the Government are derelict in duty in 

 respect of the observance of regulations and safe- 

 guards intended to prevent such occurrences, and 

 also whether other or further legislation or regula- 

 tion is needed for the future. 



Mr. Trumbull, of Illinois, said: "I move to 

 amend that resolution by inserting the resolu- 

 tion which I offered to the Senate the other 

 day, which I will ask to have read." 



The Chief Clerk read the amendment, which 

 was to strike out all after the word "resolved," 

 and to insert in lieu thereof the following : 



(The House of ^Representatives concurring,) That 

 a joint select committee on retrenchment, consisting 

 of four members of the Senate and seven members 

 of the House, be appointed by the Presiding Officers 

 of the two Houses, and that said committee be in- 

 structed to inquire into the expenditures in all the 

 branches of the service of the United States, and to 

 report whether any, and what, offices ought to be 

 abolished ; whether any, and what, salaries or allow- 

 ances ought to be reduced ; what are the methods of 

 procuring accountability in public officers or agents 

 in the care and disbursement of public moneys ; 

 whether moneys have been paid out illegally ; 

 whether any officers or agents or other persons have 

 been or are employed in the service without author- 

 ity of law, or unnecessarily ; and generally how, 

 and to what extent, the expenses of the service of 

 the country may and ought to be curtailed. And 

 also to consider the expediency of so amending the 

 laws under which appointments to the public ser- 

 vice are now made as to provide for the selection of 

 subordinate officers after due examination by proper 

 boards ; their continuance in office during specified 

 terms, unless dismissed upon charges preferred and 

 sustained before tribunals designated for that pur- 

 pose ; and for withdrawing the public service from 

 being used as an instrument of political o'r party 

 patronage. That said committee be authorized to 

 sit during the recess of Congress, to send for per- 

 sons and papers, and to report by bill or otherwise ; 

 and that said committee may appoint a clerk for the 

 term of six months, and no more. 



Mr. Trumbull : "I should have preferred to 

 have had the amendment which I have offered 

 come before the Senate as a distinct proposi- 

 tion, and not to have had it complicated by 

 the resolution offered by the Senator from 

 New York ; and, if I could have got the floor 

 to make the motion, it would have been better 

 for the Senate to have considered this resolu- 

 tion first, because, so far as I am concerned, 

 if the Senate should think proper not to con- 

 tinue the Committee on Retrenchment, which 

 we had at the last Congress and for the two 

 previous Congresses, then I should be in favor 

 of the resolution of the Senator from New 

 York. 



" The only reason that I offer this as an 

 amendment is, that I think it would be proper, 

 if this committee is to be raised, that the Sen- 

 ator's resolution should go to this committee. 

 If there was any parliamentary way by which 

 we could act first on the resolution I have 

 offered, I should much prefer it, but the Sen- 

 ator from New York insists upon pressing his 

 resolution. I do not know whether he means 

 to interpose any objection to the passage of 

 the resolution which I have offered or not. 



"Now, Mr. President, I want this commit- 

 tee appointed for the purpose of following up 

 the investigations that have been begun in 

 regard to the use of patronage. I want a re- 

 form, and a substantial reform, -in the civil 

 service. I have believed, and I still believe, 

 that it would be a long step toward a reform 

 to pass a law disconnecting members of Con- 

 gress from all appointments. At a former ses- 

 sion I introduced a bill to that -effect, and, if 

 no man were to be appointed to any office who 

 had obtained the recommendation of either a 

 member of the Senate or House for the place, 

 it would, in my judgment, bring about a very 

 salutary reformation in the civil service. Not 

 only that, but it would have a salutary effect 

 upon the members of Congress, and upon the 

 heads of Departments. The independence of 

 members of Congress, and of the heads of 

 Departments, cannot be maintained so long as 

 they continue to put themselves under ob- 

 ligations to each other in the matter of ap- 

 pointments of friends to office. 



"Why, Mr. President, I think it is no un- 

 usual thing, even in this body, for appoint- 

 ments to be held up until other appointments 

 are made; or at least in former times such 

 things have occurred. The appointing power 

 has been given to understand that, unless cer- 

 tain other nominations were made, certain 

 pending ones might not be confirmed. But, 

 sir, whether or not this has actually been the 

 condition of things in any given case, it is 

 liable to be. I think that it would have been 

 a great relief to the Departments and to the 

 members of Congress, and would have been 

 highly promotive of the public service, if a 

 law could have been enacted forbidding Con- 

 gressmen to make recommendations for office ; 

 but the Senate seemed not disposed to pass 

 such a law. 



" But it is not simply with regard to abuses 

 in the use of patronage that I desire this com- 

 mittee to be continued. I wish it continued 

 to suggest remedies, if it be possible, against 

 the robbery of the public by its officials. These 

 defalcations have become top frequent to be 

 passed over without investigation. Let us 

 examine into them, and let us examine thor- 

 oughly ; let us go to the bottom without fear 

 or favor to any one ; and if the abuses do ex- 

 ist, if the organization in the Treasury Depart- 

 ment, in the pay department, in the customs 

 department, or anywhere else, is such as to 

 afford facilities for robbing the public, let us 



