The Evening critic., 1883-03-05
KICKING KEIFER.
The Correspondents Adopt Resoiu-
tfOns CondemnatOry of the
RnaoEar

hht AUOPt
tions Condemnatory of the
speaker.
The opening of the House reporters gal
lery Saturday night to the friends OF mem
bers of Congress was the cause of much
complaint on the part of the newspaper
men who had work to do. A few minutes
after Congress adjourned yesterday about
fifty or sixty correspondents met in the
gallery, and the following resolutions were
passed.
whereas the House OF Representatives, on
the motion of Mr.. Mckenzie, of Kentucky, on
the last night of tho second session OF tho
Forty-scventh Congress, by an alleged unani
nous consent, threw open the reporters gal
lety of said House to the wives and daughters
Of The members of said House, and
Whereas said gallery was Immediately
filled by said wives and daughters, their male
escorts and the public indlscriminately,
thereby rendering IL impossible for tho cor
respondents to secure their seats and desks
reserved exclusively to thom by standing
rule OF the House, and
whereas the said correspondents sent n re-
spectful petition to Speaker j. Warren Keifer,
setting forth their greivances,and asking that
he iesue an order clearing tho galleries OF In
truders, so that the correspondents could per-
form their work, the said Keifer returned the
petition stating that the House had made the
order opening the gallery and he was power.
less TO stop II, and
whereas Representative ]. c. Burrows, OF
Michigan, at the request OF the correspondents,
make motion TO clear said reporters gallery,
and
whereas the said Keller told the said Bur.
rows that he would not recognize him for any
such purpose, and
Whereas said Keifer,when again approached
by correspondent ON tho subject, made use
of grossly ungentlomanly language, using
such remark as 81 don't care add for the
press" therefore
Res6lred, That the action OF said Mckenzie
and said Keller being in violation of the rules
OF the House and OF common courtesy to the
press, is hereby condemned; and be II further
R6soIted, That the language OF said Keller
toward the correspondents and press OF the
country being alike ungcntlemanly, unpro-
voked and entirely unwarranted, 1t Is hereby
condemned,
ResOlred, That for their action In defense OF
tho right Of correspondents, the thanks of this
meeting are rendered the members OF the
committee on q respondents and Doorkeeper
Stevens Of the reporters gallery; and be 1t
further
Res0ired That the action of Assistant. Door
Keeper Austin In taking rude course In
ordering the gallery open to outsiders is also
| condemned.
Every man present except Mr.. Uriah
| Heep Painter, who is alleged to have held
chattel mortgage on Speaker Keifer,
| voted for the resolutions. Speeches were
made by Mcssrs. Steaiey, of the Louisville
| COurier-JOu,Nal; Barrett, of the Boston
| AdrortiScr; Edwards, of the New York
| sun Murray, of the Philadelphia Times
| Boynton, of the Cincinnati Commercial.
| Gazette, and Others
| Side Remarks.
At the conclusion of the reading of the
resolutions Uriah Heep Painter arose, and
with the solemnity and dignity of his
namesake, who figures in Dickens David
Copperfield," counselcd the gentlemen pres
ent to vote down the resolutions. He in
timated that body of newspaper men had
no right to censure third officer of the
Government, even though the latter had
made a blackguard of himself. When he had
finished his harangue Mr.. Gray, of the
Cleveland Leader, said he did not blame
brother Painter for the course he had
taken. He held that it was the right o.
every man to defend his own property
When Painter offered his substitute for the
original resolutions another journalist
moved to refer them to John Roach.
Nestor Shaw even sat down on Austin
the assistant doorkeeper. Austin said thu
reporters gallery was his'n, but Shaw
showed him it wasn't.
Mr.. Painter didn't get Heep Of vote
yesterday. He got badly left, though.
The general public do not understand
one point in the difficulty between th
press representatives and Speaker Keifer
1t appears on the surface that Mr.. Mcken
zie made the motion to suspend the rule
and the Speaker simply put the motion, th
House deciding that the correspondents
gallery should be opened to the public Th
fact which does not appear is that th
Speaker, during the closing days of Con
gress recognized no one until he knew tn
purpose for which recognition was asked
The galleries set apart for the member.
families and friends were filled by them
and the correspondents gallery could hav
been easily filled by their own wives an
friends had they not punctilliously oil
served the rules and preserved it for legit
mate purposes.