Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1882-05-30
CONGRESSIONAL.
SENATE.

WASHINGTON, D. c., May 27.-An
order was made for adjournment
from to-day until Wednesday, in
honor of decoration day.
Senator Hoar introduced bill to
establish uniform system of banks
ruptcy. He explained that it was
based upon the Lowell bill, but that
while containing many provisions of
that measure, it reserved all exemp-
ton under the State laws and varied
from it in some material particular.
He asked that it be printed and
tabled The judiciary committee
having reported on the subject it
was so ordered
WASHINGTON, May 30-The House
opened this morning with many in
dications of of bitter parliamenta-
ry conflict. Tha two sections of the
hall contained fewer vacant chairs
than usual, and the galleries were
pretty well filled. In the Chaplain's
prayer request was made on be-
half of the members; that the path
of right and duty might be made
plain to them.
AS soon as the reading of the
journal ended Mr.. Reed, of Maine
called up for consideration the pro>
posed amendment to the rule pro-
hiibiting dilatory motions on con-
tested election cases.
The question of consideration,
that is 'sshall the House now con-
slider it" was instantly raised by
Mr.. Randall, of Pennsylvania, and
that was followed by motion of
Mr.. Kenna, OF West Virginia, to ad-
journ, and one of Mr.. Blackburn, of
Kentucky, that when the House adj
journ it be to meet on Wednesday
next stating as his reason
for the motion that Tuesday
was decoration day. On the latter
motion the yeas and nays were order
ed, and the usual tactics of obstruc-
ton were then put in operation.
The vote on Mr.. Blackburn's motion
was announced at 11:40 2, nays 145,
and the Speaker declared the motion
lost, therefore Mr.: Randall moved
that when the House adjourned to
day, it would be to meet on Thurs,
day next.
On that, Mr.. Reed made a point
of order that on the proposition to
amend the rules, dilatary motions
cannot be entertained
Mr.. Randall denied the right of
the Speaker to put any such con-
struction on his motion.
Mr.. Reed proposed to discuss the
point of order, and suggested that a
limit should be put upon that discus-
sion. No agreement to that end,
however, was made, and the Speaker
said he wodld not make limitation
of less than an hour on each side.
Mr.. Reed then opened the discuss
sion. He claimed that the House
had, under the constitution, certain
powers which it could exercise with
out let or hinderance of any other
body power which it could not sur
render, which it could trade away,
which it must perform; and the first
OF those powers was to judge of the
election returns and publications of
its own members. This House had
been endeavoring for the last ten
days to perform that duty, but had
been prevented by dilatory motions.
The best and most orderly way to
put a stop to that cause was to
amend the rules and that was the
object now. The series of motions
made to day were mrde for the ex-
press purpose of delay and of pre-
venting the change of rules. He
maintained the proposition that
whenever there is duty imposed
upon Congress to accomplish a GER
tain work it is the duty of the Speak
er to carry out that law of the con-
stitution. He cited the ruling of
Speaker Randall when there was
filibustering against the execution of
the electoral count law, and when
obstruction was attempted by Mr..
Springer, of Illinois, with the CONS
bination of physical activity and
intellectual acuteness, for which he
was distinguished Qaughter), to the
effect that he (the Chair had allowed
this and had allowed that, and had
allowed the other in the way OF
motions, but that the House was
now brought to q point when it
must act. Mr.. Reed laid down the
proposition that in as much as by
the organic law of the United
States, the Honse had the right to
change its rules at any time, and that
no member or set of members had
any right to use rules which are to
be changed to prevent a change
which the House desires to make.
There was no such thing as suicide
in any provision of the Constitu-
ton. He then quoted the decision
by Mr.. Blaine, whom he spoke
of as one of the greatest parliament
tarians who ever sat in the Speaker
chair, to the effect that the pending
! proposition to change the rules O.
dilitory motions cannot be enter
tanned. This ruling was made on
the 9th of January, 1875. He
closed by stating that the minorit.
had no right further to delay th,
action of the House.
/