Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-02-20
FORTY-SIXTH CONG RESS.
Second Session
The Senate.

West Virginia, submitted resolution directing
any heads of the executive departments who
have not yet done so, to comply with the stat
ute requiring such officers to annually report to
Congress the number OF employees in their de-
partments and whether any of them can be dis
pensed with, or whether any changes can profit
ably be made. Adopted.
ISTER-ocEANIc CANAL.
Be- a vote of 25 to l3, the motion OF Senator
Davis, of West Virginia. to reconsider the vote
adopting the resolution for the appointment of
a special committee on the intcr-oceanic canal,
was taken up, and Mr. Davis explained his
reasons for making the motion, which passed.
29 TO %.
FIVE PER CENT. BILL.
After some discussion, whether the subject
should 20 to the committee on foreign affairs
or special committee, Senator Mcdonald
called for the regular order, the per cent.
bill.
Senator Morrill, opposed the bill.
Senator'S Mcmillan and Saunders supported
it.
Senator Morgan didu't believe the enabling
ac.s contemplated what was insisted on in the
bill. and argued at length upon this view.
Senator Logan obtained the floor but yielded
it to q motion by Senator Morrill, f.'r an execu-
tive session, which prevailed, and when the
doors reopened adjourned.
The House.
WAsuIyGToN, Feb. l9-Mr. Bland, from the
committee on coinage, weights and measures,
reported bill to establish mint at st. Louis.
Ordered printed and recommitted.
Mr. Blackburn endeavored 10 dispense with
the morning hour and consider the revision of
the rules but was unable to btain the neces-
sary two-:hirds vote, ard the bill regulating
the removal of causes from State to federal
courts was taken up.
The morning hour having expired, the bill
went over without action, and the House went
into committee of the whole on the revision of
the rules.
POLITICAL RIDERS.
While the third clause of the 2lst rule was
under consideration Mr.. Stephens desired to
address the committee for ten minutes, but
objection was made on the Democratic side.
MIR. Speer moved that the committee rise
Agreed to.
The yeas and nays were then called Oh the
motion to go into committee of the whole on
the state of the Union, for the purpose of Civ
ing MIR. Stephens an opportunity 90 speak.
The motion prevailed, HI yeas III nays.
The vote having been announced, Sir. Black
burn moved to reconsider, but the point of
order was raised by Mr.. Speer that it not
competent fer Blackburn to make the motion,
he having voted on the losing side, point sus-
tanned by the Speaker.
MIR. Finley asked Leave to change his vote,
but this proposition met by storm of OBJ
jections from the Republican side. The House
mittee on the State OF the
i,I no rf,air
amusing as we'll as dramatic, when as if by one
accord Blackburn and Conger rose and de-
mauded recognition. The chair refused to
ngnize either gentleman until perfect order
bad been obtained, VIII N he recognized Conger
as the author of the motion on which the House
had gone in committee. mr. Conger thereupon
proceeded to speak at some length In eulogy of
Mr.. stephens as the representative of the old
time Jackson Democracy. MIR. Conger having
concluded his remarks, Mr.. Stephens proceeded
to address the House.
After expressing his obligations to the House
and to the gentleman from Michigan, Conger,
Mr.. Stevens said that it was not his purpOse to
speak of the history of the Democratic or Wing
party although his attachment to the party
"a strong as that of any man in the House.
He had been reared in the Jeffersonian school
of Democracy. In it he had lived and breathed
and had his being and in it he should die.
Coming to the amendment offered by the gen.
there great principle involve in it,
whether it was adopted or rejected, neither
party would be worsted. He was opposed to
the 2lst rule individually. Why. be-
cause he didn't believe that according
to the Democratic doctrine of Jefferson, Madi-
son and Jackson, it was ever intended that ap-
preparation bills should be encountered with
any other legislation than appropriations. If
there had been any progress In legisla-
tion in this country it had been in ex-
Guiding from appropriation bills other matters
riders. The gentleman from Ohio, Hurd,
had said the other day that it Democratic
doctrine to seek redress of grievances by with
holding appropriations. he, Stephens, re-
pudiated that proposition. That had never been
Democratic doctrine. 1t monarchial
doctrine. The redress of grievances in this
country was first by petition 10 the legislative
body, next to the judiciary aud next to the bal
lot box under the constitution. The executive
had the same rightful and constitutional power
to veto bill as the House and Senate had to
pass it, and the new doctrine of making war on
the veto power through means of appropriation
bills wasn't Democratic, wasn't Republican,
but was anti-constitutional. The only war
waged against the veto power in the past
was by the Wing party under Clay, one of the
few the immortal names that was not born to
die But he (Stephens), exercising that indie
pendence of thought which he ever had,
disagreed with Clay in that war on the veto.
But where had stood the entire Democratlc
party on the occasion. 1t had stood in de-
fence of the veto power.
He repeated that he was against all riders
IN APPROX j ton bills. and that was b position
at which advanced thought in political science
all over the world had arrived. Gentleman on
this side land wheeling around his chair as
to face the Democratic benches) talked Of
economy. Yes that is the cry. l am for
economy, and the best way in the world to
have true, real, lasting, good economy is to
shut down the door on your appropriation
committee. applause on the Republican
sidc.) That committee will have enough to
do by following estimates.
One reason why feel so much interest in
this question is the intimstion from the gentle
man from On;o, Hurd, that they want to use
the 2Ist rule in order TO tack riders appro-
p,iation bills-bills which must pass or ought
to pass, so as to compsl the executive, so as to
force redress of grievances My opinion on that
subject was clearly given in the Democratic
caucus when that scheme was tried last session.
/ was opposed TO it then. 1 am opposed to it
now and shall ever be opposed to any such
kind of legislation.
Mr. Conger-Having ccomplished the object
which l had in behalf of tree speech and fair
play move that the committee rise. The mo-
ton was agreed to and the committee accord
ingly rose, tie chairman reporting that it had
had the Presidents message under considera-
ton.