was a pismire, but the Speaker said pismire was not parliamentary, and
he modified it to grasshopper.

Mr. KELLEY said that he took his stand upon American pig-iron, for which
our fathers fought and bled. Did they never hear of Valley Forge? Our
fathers suffered in that forge for the sake of protecting their children
in the right to smelt in other forges. He said that the man who could
smelt two pigs of iron where only one was smelted before, was a public
benefactor.

Mr. COX said he could not smelt a pig, but he thought he smelt a rat.

Mr. JENCKES said he thought his Civil Service bill would tend to
diminish stealing.

Mr. PETERS said he would oppose it for that very reason. He wished to
reward his friends. It was no reward for a man who stood by his country
in her hour of peril, to be given an office in which he had to work for
a living. What patriot would not be disgusted by the ingratitude of a
country which dared to insult him like that? There was nothing in this
bill to prevent a man dripping with loyal gore from holding office, if
he was honest and intelligent; whereas, one of his, Mr. PETERS'S
staunchest supporters might be refused an office, if he had the
misfortune to be dishonest and dull. The notion of making "capacity and
integrity" a qualification for office-holding was unprecedented, and was
preposterous. If things went on in this way, even members of Congress
would be compelled to do something for their pay. Now he preferred to
administer the public service on the good old principle they all had
practised, of "You tickle me and I'll tickle you."