The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1878-05-02
HOUSE.


tbe presentaton of the protest against the passage
oFtbe River al d Harbor bill The Speaker then
ordered the protest to be read.
The reading of the protest was interrupted by
Mr.. Conger who objected to the words refer
ring TO the combination OF members ior the
Epoliation of the Treasury. He demanded the
language be taken down and read at the clerks
desk.
The reading was repeated and thereupon, amid
much confusion, Mr., Cox IN. ~ withdrew that
portion of the protest and was proceeding 10 ad'
dress the House.
Mr, Conger, however, persisted in his objection
10 the words read, and also objected to hr COX
being allowed to proceed with his remarks
The Speaker took the ground that MI COX hsd
a right to withdraw the offensive expression ana
also that he had right tothe hoor on his queslon
OF privilege. .
Ii appears, however, that it was not the purpose
of the House to let Mr. Cox proceed, for on both
sides Of the chamber storm of objections was
raised and kept up amid great excitement Ior
nearly quarter Of an hour.
Finally, the Speaker put the question TO the
House whether the gentleman from New York
should be allowed to proceed in order and declar-
ed il carried by a vote of lO3 to 81
The Clerk resumed the reading of the protest
until these words were reached And this eneour'
sges similar attempts on the Treaiury to crafty
local interests"
Then Mr.. Conger objected to these words as i'm
pugning the motives Of the members and Mr.
Cox declared (amid some applause and laughter)
that he would not take that back.
The Speaker ruled the words complained of
were not disrespectiul TO the House, as they only
conveyed the idea that there mightbe combina'
lion of local interests,
The reading of the protest having been compile
ted, Mr.. Hale submitted. the question whether 1t
presented question of privilege?
Mr. Reagan argued that it was not question OF
privilege, and quoted rules and precedents against
its being so considered. he spoke of the great at
tention given by the committee to this BILL setting
day after day and hearing every member who
chose TO come before 1t, and he instanced two ca
ses in which members came before the committee
requesting, one Of them, a million Of dollars for
certain work (snd receiving only one hundred
and sixty thousand dollars, and the other four
hundred thousand dollars (who received only
fifty thousand dollaTs) and yet these gentlemen
protested now against the bill on account OF its
extravaganza, (Applause ara laughterl IL ,te tne
committee had appropriated the amounts asked
by members, the bill would have appropriated be-
tween Sl6,OCOO0O and SlS OOOOtO One of the great
est difficulties the committee had had was to keep
down appropriations. ne denled lhat the com,
mi,tee had been Influenced In the slightest respect
by q desire to have members vote for the bill, and
asserted that II had been Influenced only by the
considerations of the public good.
Mr.. Cox IN. Y disclaimed any intention to re-
fleet on the integrity of the members Of the Com.
mittee on Commerce. but he claimed the right, II
possible of reforming this bad practice of legsla-
ton He proceC ded to quote preeedents in sup;
pert of parliamentary privilege Of protest and said
that in this case IL was resorMd ton the interest OF
the public to stop if possible an insidious, almost
corrupt system Of legislation, He found In the
bill proposition for survey OF rivers where there
was not water enough to make mill race. On
some of them las bad been said man could not
find dam by the mill site and could not find
Inill by ID sight. (Laughter). Most of the
rivers provided for in the bill were not worth
dam. (Laughter) He found in the bill proVis,
ion for a river in Kentucky, and he was told
by q Kentucky member that the only way to
make that river thoroughfare was to macadam-
iZe it,
Mr Ellis referring to the remarks Of Mr.. Rea,
gan about disappointed member who had not
got as large an appropriation as he wanted, and
who had theTeupon signed the protest. said the
members name was Ellis, and he came from the
State Of LOuisirn ma. In regard to the protest, ne
COHld not see why any one should object TO 1t, lie
had appeared before the Committee on Commerce
asking for an appropriation for the improvement
of the harbor of New Orleans. The Committee
had voted but $4,000 for that purpose, while 1t
had given large appropriations for unmentiOnaDle
rivers in Pennsylvania.
Mr.. Roberts handed Mr. Ellis a copy of the bill
and challenged him TO name the rivers in Penn
Eylvania to which he alluded,
Mr.. Ellis looked at the bill and spelled out the
name of the Kiskiminitas.
Mr.. White PA } here broke into the discussion
and declared that Mr.. Elliss education must nave
been neglected when he did not know where the
Kiskminitas river was. (Laughter) That was
ba Indian Of a river I'm Western Penn.
BylvAnia, II was one of the tributaries Of the Al.
legheny river, which was one Of the arteries OF
wealth of Western Pennsylvania, penetrating as
il did the oil regions Of the country. So, too the
Conemaugh river (also mentioned IN the bill) |
traveIsed Western Pennsylvania.
Mr., Wright asked his colleague to state where |
that trout stream ne Kiskimintas, was, and also |
where the COnemaugh Qf that was the name) was |
Nr White The gentleman aspires to be can
didate for the Chief Executive Office OF Penn |
sylvsnis but If ne does not know The geography |
of his State better than that he ought not to as
pire to such high position, daughter and up |
TOaT.)
Mr.. Wright-If have to support appropriations |
for the navigation Of trout streamsI don't want to
be Governor Of Pennsylvania
Mr. White-The people OF Pennsylvania may |
agree with you in that respect. Will my col |
lesgue say before the House and the country |
thai he does not know the location Of the Kiski |
minitas and the COnemaugh rivers In PennsylVa
MIA
Mr. Wright-They ale new names to me. never |
heard them before. loud laughter and great |
confusion and disorder)
Mr. Wbite-In old Democratic days, 1t was the |
Kiskiminitas and COnemagh rivers that made the |
western limit Of the Pennsylvania Canal region |
which used to contribute to thepower OF the Dem |
Ocratic party.
Oh, no; shouted Mr.. Townsend of New York |
1T was the MOnOngahela that always helped the |
Democratic party, Continued laughter and up |
rOar)
Mr. wright--I want to know whether that
appropriation was made at the desire Of my col
elague?
Mr.. White-It was and am proud Of my sue.
cess.
Mr.. Wright-Are they navIgable streams2
Mr.. white-They are.
Mr. WTight-HoW wide are they ?
Mr.. White-(Suetching out his arms to their full |
extent, which the members assumed TO be a |
dumb show answer to the question: provoking |
immOderate laughter over three hundred feet |
My colleague could not swim across either Of |
them. He would lose his wind before he got |
across,
Mr Bridges asked Mr.. White whether In low |
water person could not step across them.
MI. White Qndignantly)-No sir you could not |
Etep across them. The gentleman ought to know
something about the greatoil region Of Pennsyl.
Yania.
Mr. Bridges do know something about It,
Mr.. White-l wsntit known TO- the people Of
Pennsylvania that the gentleman has libelled my
part OF the State daughter and uproar.
Mr. Ellis (resuming the floor referred TO the |
fact that Bridges and Wright had never heard Of
the Kiskiminitas, and added that the Speaker
had informed him that he had no knowledge of
such river.
The speaker-I stated that did not think itwas
nsvigable.
Mr. Roberts sent to the Clerks desk and had
read from last years record the names Of Caldwell
Robinson und), Gambler, Hamilton and Ellis as
having voted to suspend the rules and pass the |
River and Harbor bill, the same gentlemen hay
ing this year signed the protest.
Mr.. Hamilton said the bill of last year he had
not examined but had taken II on the faith Of The
committee, and had voted for 1t. He found he had
been grossly mistaken, and he would never take
another bill on the faith OF q committee. Never
Never J Never u Usughter)
Mr.. Wright (Pa again brought up the question
Of The two streams in tho Aliauharu r,ottutafuq |