Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-04-09
FORTY.SIXTH CONGRESS.
WEDNESDAY, April 9.


aid the Great Southern Railway company In
its construction Of a road through Georgia and
Florida
Mr. Rollins introduced q bill to confer upon
the commissioners OF the District Of Columbia
the powers, duties and limitations contained In
chapter water service) of the Revised Statutes
OF the United States relating to the District OF
OF Columbia, and for other purposes.
On motion OF MIR. Voorhees, q resolution was
adopted directing the Postmaster General to
furnish to the Senate his reasons for dlscrlmt
mating postage rates In the transportation OF
newspapers through the mails.
copies OF the census law were ordered to be
on motion of Mr. eau, resolution was
ury to furnish to the Senate a detailed state
ment of the expenditures for the district and
circuit courts Of the United States for the
northern district OF Florida, from 1870 to the
present time, and the expenditures connected
with elections in that state.
The Senate resumed the consideration of the
New Hampshire Senatorial election case.
Mr.. Davis Oily briefly addressed the Senate.
He said that the Senators from Georgia (Mr.
HilD and Wisconsin (Mr. .Carpenter) had pre-
applicable to the pending case. He reviewed
the precedents on similar questions, saying the
rule In Iracy'S case was followed until 1925,
M3em rule p Was adopted from Which
not believe vacancy had occurred in the con-
stitutional sense which justified the governor
IN making aad as no per-
served any part OF the six years term, so as to
make vacancy by resignation or otherwise.
HOUSE.-Mr. Stephens, from the committee
on rules, submitted report recommending the
reappointment of select committees on the cen
sus, the yellow fever epidemic the state OF the
law respecting the ascertainHent Of the result
Of the election OF President and Vice President,
civil service reform, the causes OF the present
depression of labor, and the ventilation of the
hall. 1t also recommends the increase of the
committee membership as follows: Enrolled
bills to seven; coinage, weights, and measures
to eleven; ways and means to thirteen; and
agriculture, judiciary, elections, and commerce
tion Of the following rule:
Rule -. On motion to suspend the rules and
pass general appropriation bills, an affirmative
and voting shall be necessary.
Mr.. Blackburn, member of the committee
on rules, did not approve all recommendations
best way to relieve the appropriation commit
tee Of the superabundance of labor devolved
upon 1t, was to Increase its membership; butts
work should be lessened by referring to other
committees some OF the general appropriation
bill.
Mr.: Mills opposed the report OF the committee
on rules. He had found that small committee
could always get through its work quicker than
a large committee could. Instead OF increasing
the membership OF the committee on elections,
he favored abolish1ng that committee entirely,
and referring each election case to q special
committee. In that way, the people OF a dis
trict would not be misrepresented sometimes
until the last day OF Congress by man whom
they had never elected. He opposed also the
proposed new rule. 1t was an attempt to de-
feat the river and harbor bill, which was most
important legislation. Itwas a proposition that
One-fOurth Of the House could arrOgate to itself
the right to stop legislation.
Mr. Kenna opposed the proposed rule, which
he characterized as an attempt to kill the river
and harbor bill by the rules OF the House, and
he 6nereI an amendment providing that the
rule should apply only to bills reported by the
committee on appropriation.
Mr.. Blackburn opposed the amendment He
was heartily In favor OF the proposed rule. It
was not intended to kill the river and harbor
BILL blt 1t meant say that, IL the committee on
commerce endeavOred to gag the House, and
pass the bill without discussion or amendment
1t would have to obtain three-fOurth vote.
Mr.. CoDger opposed the report 1t seemed
plain to him that the object of the new rule
was not aimed at the river and harbor bill. l.
might be that the House would be called upon
TO provide appropriations for the next fiscal
year by the passage OF joint resolution under
suspension OF the rules. When that time came
there would be One.fourth of the members of
the House that would oppose 1t, but that would
not be one third. The real motive which had
prompted the report OF this rule was to preven
two-thtrds OF the sober men Of the House, O
the men willing to prevent revolution from
passing an appropriation bill without political
clauses. Where had been the republican mem.
bers OF the committee on rules when they had
aSSented to such DrODOSitiOn?