The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1877-03-02

| three or four Senators on the Democrat-
&c side voted "no' when the question was
put.
The Secretary was directed to notify
the House of Representatives ofthe action
of the Senate.
HOUSE.
After the passage of some Senate bills
removing political disabilities, Mr..
O'Brien moved a call of the House.
The Speaker counted the House and
found that there was quorum present,
and 80 announced.
Mr.. Wslling submitted that the roll
had to be called in order to verify the
fact.
The Speaker stated that the motion
for the call OF the House was in order,
and the Chair regarded it as of dilis-
tory character, but was bound to submit.
Mr.. OBrien inquired whether it was
not within the knowledge of the Chair
that in former Congresses there were
calls of the House even when it had been
ascertained there was quorum present.
The Speaker replied that that had oc-
Cured when the gentleman had declined
to vote, and that while it was allowable
| under the rules of the House it was not
allowable under the law and that he was
not responsible for the law.
Mr.. Wood claimed the floor TO offer q
resolution, but Mr.. Walling insisted on
his motion for call of the House.
Mr.. Hasking remarked that the House
was operating under the Electoral Com
mission law; that the Chair had ascer-
tanned the presence of 3 quorum, and that
the motion for a call of the House should
not be entertained. If call of the House
was to be allowed at any time during
the proceedings then the count could
never be completed.
+ The Speaker-The Chair has the right
10 find out whether there is quorum.
Mr.. r.Haskins-No gentlemen has right
to claim that there is no quorum present
when tie Speaker has ascertained that
there is.
The Speaker-There is a quorum
present, but the gentleman from Ohio
Wsllingl is not willing to take the
statement of the Chair.
Mr.. Wallng-I disclaim any reflection
on the Chair, but l have right to know
whether there is quorum present, and
demand the yeas and nays on my mo-
ton.
The yeas and nays were ordered and
resulted in yeas SO, nays 169. So the
call of the House was refused.
THIS little movement was so far sue
cessful as to have occupied an hour and
quarter of the time of the House. 1t
was followed by motion to reconsider
the vote.
Mr.. Wood made point of order that
such motion could have no practical eli
feet on legislation, but was unques-
tionsbly dilatory motion.
1t was allowed by the Speaker, who
said he had never yet ruled, either by
inference or otherwise that motion to
reconsider was dilatory motion. On
the contrary, the Chair was very clear
that what the House could do it could
undo BY motion to reconsider.
Mr.. Hale moved to lay the motion to
reconsider on the table. Agreed to; yeas,
174; nays, 65.
AS soon as the vote was announced the
struggle for recognition by the Speaker
was made between Messrs. Wood and
Poppleton, Cau.fed and Mills, each
having a proposition to submit, which
each claimed to be of the highest privi-
lege. 1t was made known in the course
of the colloquy that the Speaker, who had
recognized Mr. Wood before the motion
for the call of the House, and who after
wards learned that Mr., Poppleton, who
presented the objections 10 the certificate
from Yer mont, sent for both of these
gentlemen, and arranged that the resolu-
tion prepared by Mr.. Wood should be
offered by Mr.. Poppleton, who
under the usages was first en-
titled ~ the floor, and that
Mr.. Wood should move the previous
question upon it.
In the meantime Mr.. Caulfeld, who
had failed II his efforts to bs recognized
by the Chair, handed over to Mr.. Pop
pleton the resolution which he had pre-
pared, and Mr.. Poppleton sent it to the
Clerks desk.
The Speaker suggested that that action
was hardly in consonance with the
agreement made, but Mr.. Poppleton re-
piled that he had been party to the
preparation of Mr.. Caulfelds resolution,
and that it had direct reference to the
objection to the certificate from Yer
mont.
The Speaker thereupon ordered it TO
be read, and it WAS read.
1t recites, in the form of q pream-
BILE, that sealed package, addressed to
the President OF the Senate, purporting
t. contain the electoral vote OF Vermont,
was delivered yesterday to the President
of the Senate by Mr.. Hewitt: that 1t
appears, by telegram from the clerk OF
the United States District Court of Yer.
mont, that duplicate of such returns
was deposited in that office on the 18th
OF December, 1876; that such package
had been made part of the objections to
the certificate of Vermont, and still re-
mained unopened, and that the objection
cannot be considered until such package
had been made part of the objection to
the certificate of Vermont, and that the
objection cannot be considered until such
package is opened according to law; that
such package is retained by the Presl-
dent of the Senate, and therefore resolv.
ing that the refusal of the President OF
the Senate to open such package in the
presence of the two houses was q viola.
tion OF law and of the privileges of the
House. and until such package shall bt
opened the vote cannot proceed further
according to the Constitution and law
and that the Senate be requested TO mee'