Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1879-06-25

Herbert moyed the previous question
on the passage of the bill and the re-
publicans resorted to their favorite
strategy of declining to vote and so leav-
ing the house technically without q
quorum. After various roll calls fur
Their proceedings under call of the house
were dispensed with. A confer
ence committee consisting of Atkins.
Blount and Baker was appoint
ed on the legislative appropriation bill.
The attempt to have action taken on
the bill in relation to juries was made
and again resisted, and after about two
hours spent IN the struggle it was
abandoned by some democrats and the
house adjourned.
WEDNESDAY, June 18th-Se,aote.-Th
Mississippi river improvement commits
sion bill was taken up. The bill passed
with tie senate amendments providing
that the commission shall consist of sew
en- embers-three from the engineer
corps of the army, one from the coast
and geodetic survey, and three from
civil life, two of whom shall be civil en-
gineers. Messrs. Chandler, Morrill,,
Platt and Salisbury were the only SEN
ators voting "nay." The army appro-
priation bill was then taken up, but the
senate adjourned without coming to
vote.
WEDNESDAY, June 1S-Hous.-
morning hour was consumed in voting
upon dilatory motions, and the bill re-
lating to political assessments went over
without action. Mr.. Mcmahon, from
the appropriation committee, reported
back the Judiciary expenses bill, with
the senate amendm ents, and on his mo-
ton amendments No. 2 and No. 3 (ver-
bal) were concurred in, amendment No.
l Excepting from provisions of the bill
section 1882 Of the revised statutes).
was non-concurred in. Mr.. Stephens,
chairman of the coinage committee, re-
ported bill for the exchange of trade
dollars for legal tender dollars, and the
debate thereon was limited to two hours.
Pending consideration of that bill, Mr..
Atkins submitted conference report
on the legislative appropriation bill.
FRIDAY, June 19-Senate.-At the
opening of the session the chair stated
that he was informed by the clerk that
owing to the length of the previous ses-
sion, the journal was not completely
made up: he suggested therefore that
the reading be dispensed with. Senator
Conkling objected, and insisted on the
order which was the reading of the
journal of the previous session. Fin
ally the clerk read the first part of the
journal occupying fifteen minutes. The
chair then announced the reception of
petitions and memorials to be in order.
Conkling again objected on the ground
that the journal had not been read.
The chair announced that all had been
read that the clerk had prepared. Mr.
Conkling demanded that the whole of
the journal be read He referred to
the rules to show that the reading of the
journal was the first business in order
and that the reading could not be dis
pensed with unless by general consent.
The chair announced his decision
that the business Of the senate
could not be INSTRUCTED by not
reading the entire journal. The
remainder when prepared could be
read hereafter. Conkling appealed
from the decision and said that this
was question of parliamentary law;
not matter of order, but of privilege.
Mr.. Hereford moved to lay the APP
peal On the table. The vote was yeas,
80, democrats, and only 4 nays, repub-
lieans, namely Booth, Burnside, Nor
rill and Window. No quorum voting.
The roll Of senators Was called and
fifty senators, more than a quo
rum answered to their names. The
question on Hereford's motion
was again taken and as pre-
viously, no quorum voted, yeas 25
democrats, and nays republicans,
namely: Allison Booth, Burnside and
Morrill,. The roll was again called and
tifty-two members answered to their
names. The question required on
Hereford's motion to lay Conkling's ap-
peal from the decision Of the chair on the
table. No quorum voted, only three
republicans, Burnside, Kirkwood and
Morrill, answering to their names.
Mr.. Bayard, before the vote was an
nounced, called attention to the seven
teenth rule which provides that when
a senator who is present shall refuse to
vote he shall be required to assign his
reasons for such refusal. The question
shall then be submitted to the senate
whether the senator shall be excused
from voting. Bayard said the senators
on the other side, although in their
seats, had declined to vote. He named
Senator Chandler as among the num-
Der, and asked for the enforcement Of
the rI1le The chair ACCORDINGLY called
On Mr.. Chandler, who said: ''I look
upon this as an attempt, IN an uncon-
stitutionai manner, to overturn violent
ly standing rule of this body that can
not be overturned except in regular
way. [ will not vote to make a quorum
to do an unconstitutional and wrong
act" applause in galleries). The
chair (Mr. Harris temporarily pre-
siding) admonished those making this
demonstration that if repeated, ever so
slightly, he would order the galleries to
be cleared. He then said that under the
1Tth r,1la # haoo NJ, "a RI o d,,tu Of tho chair