New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-03-05


Act with the bill recommended by the Tariff
Commission.
CLOSING SCENES IN THE HOUSE.
JUSTICE DENIED BLACK MANA PERSONAL FEEL
ING AGAINST THE sPEAKER-THB BoNDEI
wHIsKEY BILL.
tBY TELEGRAPH TO THE rRIBUNE.l
WASHINGTON, March 4.-The closing scenes in the
House of Representatives were tame enough, but
they were witnessed hy great crowd of spectators
who filed every seat, choked the aisles and door
ways of the galleries. and congratulated themselves
that they were better off than the crowds outside.
who could not get so much as glimpse into the
hall and drifted aimlessly from end to end of the
Capitol. The House itself full. Almost all of
the 292 Representatives were their seats, and
14S of them were there for the last time. The
minority sus aned the reputation of their party to
the last, and gave foretaste of the coming Demo-
cratic House.
At IL o'clock last night the House, by vote of 124
TO IA decided that the negro Lee had been elected
Representative from the Vth District of South
Carolina. When the ordinary clinchng motiOn-to
reconsider and to lay that motion on the tabe-was
made, the Democrats hegan TO fllbuster to keep
black man out of the House. whether elected or not
and kept it up for more than twelve hours, until
the clock had ticked away the life of the XLVlIth
by the failure of this motion its action went for
nothing and the best Lee can hope for is that Re-
publican Congress will some day vote him the salary
to which he was entitled and which Richardson has
drawn.
OPPOSITION TO A COMPLIMENT To THE SPEAKER
There was one remarkable scene In the
closing hOurs-unprecedented so far as
any one seems TO know. About 10 o'clock, the
Speaker being absent from the chair, which was oc-
cupied by Mr.. Blackburn, ex-Speaker Randall
offered the usual resolution of thanks aud c0mpG-
ment to the retiring Speaker. Not more than one
hundred Representatives were in their seats at the
moment. Mr.. Blanchard, of Louisiana, Democrat,
one of the youngest members of the House. sprang
to his feet and asked whether a single objection
would prevent the consideration of the resolution
Mr. Blackburn promptly replied that it would not.
Mr. McMlin, another Democrat. from Tennessee,
asked under what rule of the House that decision
was made. Mr. Randall broke in with some indg
nation saying; By .prescriptive rule violation
of which would be unprecedented and con-
trary to decency." The question put
and declared carried, although there
were some "noes"-an unusual sound such
occasion Mr.. McMillin called for division.
Eighty six members in the affirmative, and
eight in the negative. The latter were General
Bragg. of Wisconsin; MesSrs. Whitthorne and
ard, of Louisiana; Covineton, of Maryland; Dowd.
of North Carolina and Evins of South Carolina
These were all Democrats but several Republicans
declined to vote at all, among them John ID. White
Of Kentucky. Old members say that in the storm
lest periods of the war and reconstruction. no such
incident as this was ever known.
THE BONDED wHIsKEY BILL NOT CONSIDERED.
The flibustering over the Lee case was aggra-
vated little by the un willingness of number Of
Representatives to have the Bonded Whiskey bill
brought up for consideration. which its freuds
were anxious to attempt. Some Of its opponents
most of them Democrats. helped the fibustering
not only to keep Lee out, but because so long as
that matte was before the House the Bonded Whis-
key bill could not be brought up, Finally Proctor
Knott. who goes home 10 Kentucky TO be a candi-
date for Governor made little valedictory speech,
saying that he going home after
twelve years of service in the House,
and would never return. In all that time
he had never asked personal favor and he now be-
sought the House to allow the bill to be taken up.
John ID. White, of Kentucky, leaped up, crying.
"The Bonded Whiskey bill on Suudayf Neverp
Mr. Knott tried to get the rules suspended, but
without success.
One of the most interesting incidents of the day
was the Offering of a resolution the death of
Alexander H. Stephens by his successor, Mr. Reese.
The tall form of the Georgian, with his long, curling
hair, called to mind by pathetic contrast the
shrunken body of his predecessor which used to be
seen in the wheeled char in the sencircle in front
of the Speakers desk.
CONFUSION IN THE LAST HALF-HoCR
During tho last haf-hour there was good deal of
good-natured confusion. Members thronged the
asles and the space IN front of the Speakers desk
There was babel Of con1rsation on the floor and
In TIE galleries The reading clerks read out YEARLY
the names of bills signed Every now and then
come member would wave his arm frantically at the
Speaker and ask unanimous consent TO have bill |
passed. Before the words were out OF ms mouth |
there would be a chorus Of 81 object" and the |
member would join in the good-natured laugh at his
own discontinue. The gallery watched u all with |
lively interest. Some of the spectators had been |
there all night. This morning, at half past q, |
when the House took recess for three hours.
There were half dozen ladies in the galleries They
were evidently ladies, and probably kept there
By interest in some pending claim. One man did |
get his bill through-Mr. Wcllborn, of Texas. 1t |
Vas bill TO adjust court terms in Texas and some
how OF other no objected. Before he knew it |
he was being pounded and slapped on the back by
he hilarious members and told hat his bill had
passed. Mr., Randall VINO s an ora hand az adjourn
nent, hurried TO HIM and pointed to the clock.
There was less than halt an ihour 10 spare and the
Dili must be enrOlled and get the SIGNATURES Of
the President of the Senate and the Speaker and
he President before the hands reached twelve The
lexsn hurried away 10 the enrolling clerks room:
AT about seven minutes before tweNe Mr. MS
ock's burly form appeared IN the middle aisle: lie
as chairman OF the committee appointed
o wait upon the President, that the Chief
executive had nothing further 10 communicate;
The laughing, chatting crowd of members settled
,apidly INTO their seats, and quiet came over the
iensely crowded hall. The mon aud women crowd
ny the doorways in the galleries stretched their
aecks in little further, if possible.
On the floor, over in the far cor
,er from the Speaker. two page boys
'iawled up on the maltelpiece above one Of the
House freplaces and stood erect on the marble slab
gazing over the members heads
THE SPEAKERS vALEDIcroRy ADDRESS.
score of correspondents hung listening over the
'arapet above the Speaker who then read the fol-
owing vaedictory: