Los Angeles daily herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1884-1890, 1885-12-16
The Democrats in the House Begin
War Over the Proposed
New Rules.
Special to he Herald oy tAeAs'0efdted pre'''I

laid over until tomorrow.
Fry then called up the bill providing
for code Of Joint rules for the Sc ate
and House OF Representatives. and the
Senate proceeded with its consideration.
Referring to the rule providing that
no intoxicating liquors be sold IN the
Capitol, Fry said the majority OF the
committee believed the subject Of that
rnle To be one that should be left to each
House separately, and the committee had
therefore recommended that rule to be
stricken out.
Mr.. Iugalls thought il itwere intended
to leqislate on prohibition, the Senate,
House and President would all be called
upon to do their share. While he TN
ealls) might have his private opinion as
to the propriety or impropriety OF the
use Of alcoholic liquors in the Capitol, he
thought the matter one OF legislation
rather than of action by the Senate in its
individual capacity.
Mr. Riddleberger moved to strike ont
the words "for sale, so that the rule
would exclude liquors, whether for sale
or not. On this he called for the yeas
and nays, but the call was not sustained.
On the committees proposition to strike
out the rule the yeas and nays were de-
manded and resulted Yeas, 20; nays,
36.
Brown, in offering an amendment sim
liar 20 the one that had been offered by
Riddieberger, said he BROWN did not
suppose the Senate cared to 20 beyond
the idea Incorporated In the prohibition
laws of the prohibition States. He
thought a Senator should not be prohib-
ited from taking a social glass with a
friend in the Capitol.
Vest said be was opposed to the rule
rs setting mp system of espionage.
Every one knew that II Senator want
ed liouor in his committee room he
would have it, and be would visit the
seyerest punishment In his power on
any clerk who should "inform" on him.
The whole thing was simply an attempt
TO meet the fanatical spirit in the coun-
try on this question, to which Vest
would not give countenance.
Browns amendment was lost. Yeas,
2l; nays, 50.
An amendment by Morgan was agreed
to confiniHg the joint rules to so much
OF the Capitol as was under the control
of the houses. This excludes from their
operation so much of the Capitol as is
controlled by the Supreme Court.
Cockrell offered an amendment to the
effect that any Senator or member OF
Congress violating this rule should be
liable to expulsion. Itlooked very small,
he said. for Senators 10 be passing rules
for the purpose of inhieting punishment
on committee clerks for eonniving at the
use of whiskey in the capitol when it
was notorious that distinguished SEN
ators who voted to keep this rnle kept
Intoxicating liquors in their committee
rooms. Mr.. Cockrell's amendment was
disagreed to; yeas 20, nays 80.
The clause providing for the dismissal
of clerks who should 'connive" at the
use of liquors was stricken out in order
to make the rule harmonic with the
sense of the Senate on MIR. Cockrelfs
amendment. With that clause out the
l3th rule was then adopted by pira
poce vote.
ON motion of Manderson the rules
were laid over until tomorrow, and the
Senate went into executive session and
when the doors were reopened the
Senate adjourned.
HOUSE.
Morrison, of Illinois, offered concur.
rent resolution, providing for holiday
recess from December 22d to January
9Th. Laid over one day under therules.
Morrison then called up the report of
the Committee on Rules, which was
presented yesterday, and the proposed
new code of rules was read at length.
AT Morrison's suggestion, the reading oi
the report itself was dispensed with and
the general debate was opened by Nor
rison with short explanation OF the
proposed revision. There was nothing
new, he said, in his proposition. lie
had merely grouped such of the PROPOSE
tions as had been submitted to the House
from time to time as were believed TO be
essential to the speedy organization OF
the House, to the proper distribution Of
its work, and TO more conservative aud
economical legislation. After touching
briefly upon one or two of the minor
changes proposed, he argued in sup
port of a distribution OF the labors
Of the Appropriation Commi tee,
Randall followed Morrison. Speak
ing at length he said that the tendency
Of the work of the c mmittee on APP
preparations was to increase the public
expenditures of the government. He
instanced the River aud Harbor bill
which had been increased from an aver
age of seven millions when in possession
Of the Appropriations Committee to an
average annual expenditure OF more
than thirteen millions. Randall read
from President Arthur's message, stat
ing that a sufficient amount remained
from the appropriations of the previous
wear to carry on all necessary works and
yet Congress- had actually passed bill
ior eight millions.
O'Neill, of Pennsylvania, interrupted
to saw; "The people have not sustained
President Arthur in that particular"
Randall replied; "He could point
out where the people had defeated can.
didates who voted for the BILL"
O'Neill said: "Such was not the case
in Philadelphia His Republican col.
leagues who had always voted for pro.
per River and Harbor Appropriation
bills had been reelected to the House.
Randall suggested that he had always
voted against the River and Harbor
bill and he had been returned.
Hammond, of Georgia, argued against
distributing the appropriation bills, aud
incidentally declared that every attempt
made by the Democratic party to revise
the tariff has been followed by Demo
cratic victory at the polls. Morrison,
he exclaimed, "was Chairman of the
Ways and Means Committee when Til
den was elected President and Chairman
Of the Ways and Means Committee when
Cleveland was elected President
Laughter and applause.l The Demo
cratic party had Just come into the as
cendancy aud was on trial. He wa'
afraid to try this experiment, when the
Democratic party had been posing fol
years us party of reform, as party o.
economy"
Posing is good" suggested Repub
lican member
"Yes," replied Hammond, "a sale
posing, and the country has been lookinl
at our posture and learning to admire nj
until it has driven you out of power.
Laughter and applause
Gibson, OF West Virginia, favored 9
distribution of the appropriation bill
and asserted that history had showr
that nearly every scandal OF moderr
times has been fonnd in an appropria
tion hill. He did not believe in this
pretension of honesty that some gentle
men set up. He had yet to discover
that the gentleman from Pennsylyania
lRandalll and the gentleman from lndi
ana tHolman) had ever objected 10 az
appropriation for their own States.
Randall said, "The gentleman Il