Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-12-20

ates into an attempt to break quorum
by silence, but the rule was read
him, and he bowed in
submission to the law. He wanted some
rule to prevent this. He made no practi-
cable suggestion but Senator Morgan did.
Ills suggestion was that every senator who
refused to vote be ordered as voting in
the negative, to which Senator Ingalls,
facetiously replied that silence was gen
orally assumed to give assent. Senators
Frye and Sherman denounced this sort of
flilbustering as earnestly as Senator
bayard did, but Senator Frye had
found it impossible when q
member OF the house committee on rules
to frame rule that would compel any
man to vote if he did not want to. and
Senator Sherman thought the evil so rarely
occurred that it was not necessary to pro-
vide against it. Senator Frye thought
breaking a quorum might be justifable in
defense of an inperiled right, but person
ally he was opposed to it under any and
all circumstances. Both sides of the
senate have fllibustered in
this way within the last
few years, though it has not been done 30
often. About 1 o'clock a. M, March 4,
1881, the Republican senators broke a
quorum by refusing to vote, and persisted
in this till they gained their object. On
this occasion they were led by no less a
person than Roscoe Conkling, and their
object wasto prevent the senate from going
into executive session to confirm the last
batch OF Hayes nominations.
The curious spectacle was presented
of Democratic senators trying to
get chance to confrm the nominees of
Republican, president, which the Repub-
lican senators were fllibusteringto prevent.
The struggle lasted some hours and the
Democratic senators tried various devices
to compel the Republican senator's to vote
or to hear the chair rule that ga quorum
being present on roll call, it must be as
sumed to be present on the VOTE" This
would not work. Senator Conkling lee
tured the Democrats on the fu-
tility of their attempt to
make senators vote against
their will, and appealed to Senator Sher-
man for corroboration, and the latter gave
his testimony that he had often seen the
experiment tried, but never with success.
few weeks later the Democrats resorted
to the same tactics to prevent change of
officers in the senate. On the I'd of Feb
ruary last quorum was broken by the re-
fusal of senators to vote, but the re-
calcitrant members were few and repre-
scented both sides. 1t was late in the even
ing, and the question was
on the adoption of senator
Harris amendment to the duty on cotton
yarn. Only IS OF 81 could be got to vote.
though whenever there WAS call of the
senate more than quorum was found TO
be present. Beck, Farley, Hampton.
Jones, Pendleton, and Williams, Demo
Gratis and Harrison and Sawyer answered
to their names on the various calls, but re-
fused to vote on the question, and it be-
came necessary to adjourn. In none of
of these cases was the quo.
rum broken in defense of an
imperiled right OR in behalf OF
anything of vast moment to the senators
or the country.
DEMOCRATIC APPOINTMENT.
The promotion of Col. Cecil Clay to bt
chief clerk of the department of justice
recalls that he is Democrat and a one
armed union soldier, who gave the Repub
licsn congressional committee some trouble
in 1880 by refusing to pay his
assessment. A committee waited upon
him and asked for the money or an ex.
PLANTATION. He replied that he he was q
Democrat and expected to vote for Han
cock, and would not contribute to the Re-
publican campaign fund. The commit
tee thought of having him bounced as ar
example to other oficeholders, but con
Guided it would be polite to let him alone
THE MILEAGE ACCOUNTS.
Representative Eoulton, of Illinois, al
chairman of the house committee or
mileage, closed out the whole business OF
that committee within week after he waf
appointed. Heretofore the mileage &C
counts have often been neglected
and allowed to remain unsettled until
near the close of the session.
The small ammount of business that will
became before the mileage commission,
can be dispatched without trouble.
1t is learned that the government is moi
very well pleased with ex-Congressman
and District Attorney Spser. He is no!
charged with Encouragement in his share
of the political prosecution in South Caro-.
lima, which lately came to dismal failure
but high official remarked to-day that
Mr.. Speer had not earned the $4,000 that
he expected to get, and would doubtless
haye to content himself with $1,000 fee.
Mr.. Speer's appointment was part of the
administration testimonial to the young
man for kicking out of the Democratic
party traces in the Forty-seventh con-
gress, and was also intended as an eDcour-
agsment to bright young southerners to
join the Malone Cash-Chalmers combina-
ton of southern liberalizers of which Mr..
Speer is the Georgia representative.
PERSONAL.
Mrs. Mathew Arnold and Miss Arnold
will arrive here from New York on Thurs