New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-02-03
CONFUSION IN THE SENATE.

. un,,.N,rSrApy FNTANGLHMENT-A QUORUM
PRESENT ON RoLL-CALL, But NO QUORUM oN
VOTES on THE TARIFF BILL-THE hhs'Li VI
THE PAIRING SYSTEM
tpy TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNEI
w.su,xcroN. Feb after wasting the greater
mort of the session in debate brought on DV ine
fa,ra Jers over the cotton schedule, the senate a'
$50, +b;s evening worked itself into one OF It's
,bor.cteristlc acknowledgements. from when IL Was
,soua1 at half past 10 in state of exhaustion oy
. no,ion 10 adjourn. The rules oI INC
E.,ate forbid absence without leave, but MAKE
40 provision for securing the presence OF absences
opless It had been discovered that lhoSe Piooon'
number less than quorum III whch caS7 'ho 'A
Veant-a-Arns may be instructed TO arrest och"'oi'
md bring them in. A roll-call OF the SENATE uo'
nm amendment TO the Tariff bill disclosed Tue ia0'
that no ouorum had voted. 1hereupoh can VI ''i0
Sonota vas ordered. and forty-four Senator'S sl1
more than quorum, answered to their h"lhes-
second rol-call upon the amendment resulted as the
G.. IA done A dozen or more Senators were
no;rad lint most of the Republicans had reservoir
.ha right IN vote if their votes were necessary 10
,oaka a onornm The Democrats who were palreo
bad failed TO secure such an understanding anu
not ONLY refused to vote bat protested Wild edson
that measures carried or lost by such means "eIo
not properly disposed of.
Then ensued iudierous scene OF parliamentary
confusion during which the rules designed 10 pre-
orve regploritv TO the proceedings seemed only TO
oon,rihnte tn the delay The Democrats we're
olmost unanimously DESTROYS OF an adjournm ent,
lint the Republicsns were in favor of proceeding.
Votes upon the pending amendment, motions 10 au-
s,r, and Gala of the Senate were yaTled by SNORT
So,ad discussions upon the right OF Senators 10
10 ahsent and the right OF the senate 10
aonond their presence. The Sergeant-at-Arms WAS
once ordered to request the presence OF the
but his search If he made one. was unsucces,Iui
Senator Edmunds at . @ CLOCK oh0 800 ~ I,ring
resolution directing the SeTgeaDt-at-A w DIE ~
a. the abSentees. naming all those VINO upon VIC
ast vote had not answered 10 tneiT Names ~ eof
eral of whom were pieseat IN cir cnalit o.
Of order ver made against Thu by several oena OTIS
81 ,ehated vigorously. The points OF order were
Snsliv laid on the lbl" and he TesOOtlo was theii
wi nd avn 4 vote Ike upon he zen rig an 'a1 re
,nent disclosed the IacA 81 quorum ail DIT nan
nost m Senator Morrill, moved an adJoulnneht
Tbr whole prnciDle upon winch Senators arrange
their pairs is Objeci abie ana saoN neeus
WLat are known a. general pairs are comnOh-ar-
,aogene,fs between so Senators OF opposite pol'-
tics by which each agrees mol 10 Notr upon SiiS
question in the absence OF the other. luls Is Iit
enough when purely political queSlohS are w, oH'
H.; resnect TO such questions as thOSe ralscd Dy Tue
Tariff bill il may happen as often IS 0thei"lsc tau
both parties 10 general PAR WOuIu Note Oh 'iio
some SIDE The opinion of the absen &c callnot De
iaaroad and consequently the other roiralns from
voting There IS reason TO believe that Important
are carried or defeated Dy tue No es Oh
"a minority OF the Senators present OhaeI oi'-
onceS like those OF this evening pairs Tor the
sake of getting dinner or for private business are
excnsable nd unavoidable, but the prac Ice when
,,armiTs a single Senator TO neutrallZc me vote OF
nna who is preseut and thus render the whole body
powerless TO act upon any pubic hla'ler Is one
winch should no longer be tolerated. some OF me
votes tnis evening disclosed me presence "a lh' y
eeptee would have released the Douy from lIs
dilemma. The day was wasted.