Los Angeles daily herald., 1885-12-17
CONGRESSIONAL.
The New Rules in the
House.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE SENATE
Tilt Between Edmunds and Beck
on the Presidential Succession
BilI-Routine Work.

on the Presidential Succession
Bill-Routine Work.
Special 10 theiHerald bv the Associated Press.
SENATE.
WAsHINGroS, December l6.-Ths |
question OF the Presidential succession |
csus cd a long discussion. The de-
bate was participated in by Maxey,
Edmunds, Beck, Morgan. Hoar, and
Teller. The principal feature was
lively tilt between Edinunds and Beck.
The latter said he, for one, could
not help the Republicans of the Senate
to form a quorum TO elect pro tenn. |
President when on the same day he
could stand still and see the House Rep |
resentatives elect Democrat as Speak
er. Such proceedings Edmunds de-
clared, would have been "mofal
treason" In the course of subsequent |
discussion Morgan made speech strong.
ly opposing the idea that the President |
be invested with Presidential functions
he, ssthat the Senator from Illinois fLo- |
gan) who has been distinguished sol
der, should be President pro tenipore Of |
the Senate and should succeed to Presi-
Dental functions and war with any for
eign power should arise, and he saw fit
to take command OF the armies in the |
field, could he keep his place as Presi-
dent pro tempore OF the Senate! Ger
tainiy not. The Senate would have to
elect another President proteDpore, and
il it did he might take the command of
the armies away from the Senator from
illinois," Evarts arose to address the |
Senate but gave way to motion of
Hoar that the Senate go into executive
session. When the doors reopened the |
Senate adjourned.
Among the bills introduced and re- |
ferred in the Senate was one by Teller,
to provide for the free and unlimited |
coinage Of silver dollars.
HOUSE.
On motion of Norwood, OF Georgia, |
the Senate bill was passed removing
the political disabilities of Alexander r. |
Lawton, of Georgia.
Discussion OF the proposed revision Of |
Alabama, took the floor with an argu- |
vision but in opposition to the plan of |
distributing the work Of the Appropria- |
tion Committee, That committee should |
remain in charge of money bills but all |
power should be taken from it, to in |
corporate in general legislation.
Hiscock, member OF the Committee |
Ill. 4. Il. -
had impelled him TO agree to the report. |
The majority :of the gentlemen who
opposed the distribution feature, did so |
on the theory that the majority of the
House could not be trusted with the
chance to get at the public Treasury.
They sought to disguise the argument
by declaring the committee when or
ganized would attempt to aggrandize
its power, and in illustration the gentle
man from Pennsylvania tRandall) had
prepared a table showing the large in
crease of appropriation carried by the
River and Harbor Bill since that meas
ure had been taken away from the APP
preparation Committee. This was
hardly ingenious, for in point OF fact the |
bill had practically never been under |
the jurisdiction of the Appropriation
Committee, as it was always prepared by |
the Commerce Committee. He His
cock) was in favor Of as many members
Of the House as possible sharing in its
responsibilities, sharing its labor and its
leadership. He was opposed to build
ing up system of rules that would
crown any man or set Of men as kings OF |
this legislative body. He went on to
argue that II the appropriation bills were
distributed they could all be reported
within thirty days Of the organization of
the committees.
Hiscock spoke with much earnestness,
and at the conclusion of his speech was
applauded and congratulated by his
party colleagues. He was followed by |
Holman, of Indiana, with an argument |
in opposition to the abolition of the |
clause of the rule known as the "Hol- |
man Amendment, which enables lepis- |
laiion to be engrafted upon appropria-
ton bills in the interest OF economy. He
maintained that before this amendment |
was adopted general legislation was
placed in nearly every appropriation
bill aud generally in the direction OF ex-
travagance. He quoted from the debate |
on the point of order raised by him in
the Forty-Second Congress, when the
proposition was made to increase the
Presidents salary, to show that the
point was overruled though the rule
then was identical with that recon-
mended by the common rules to-day.
Burrows of Michigan suggested that il |
the gentleman would read further he |
would find that the House had sustained |
an appeal from. the decision OF the chair. |
Holman admitted that this was true,
but called attention to the fact that when |
il was proposed to increase the great |
body Of salaries the proposition was
ruled in order and legislation framed |
which had been condemned by the whole
country. He went on to urge that the
Holman amendment instead OF having |
been an evil, as had been conceded by |
its enemies, had saved to people who |
paid taxes many million dollars. After |
warning the Democratic party not
to exchange rule which pro-
hibited legislation except in the
interest OF economy for one
which would allow legislation which
would increase expenditures. he passed |
on to the question, which he considered |
only Of secondary importance, Of wheth-
or appropriation bills should be distrib- |
uted. While he admitted that the
river and harbor, the Notifications and |
the District of Columbia appropriation |
bills might appropriately be given to
the committees having jurisdiction OF
these subjects, he argued that other
bills could not be distributed without
causing great confusion and disorder in
the methods OF appropriation. Re-
| ferring TO remark made by Hiseeck |
that he was opposed to any system OF |
rules which would build up any man or
set Of men into kings, Holman comment |
ed on the fact that when the gentleman
from New York was chosen Chairman of |
the Committee on Appropriations, he
had not attempted to distribute the ap
preparation bills, and inquired why he
had not done so.
Hiscock was not in the House, but
Cannon, of Illinois, replied that 1t had
been a Republican Congress, and the
Republicans had not proposed to do any
such foolish thing.
After speeches by Wellborn Of Texas
and Blount of Georgia, the House with
out continuing the general debates adj
journed until tomorrow.
washington Notes.
WASHINGTON, December l6.-Ths
joint committee on the completion OF
the Washington monument recommends
an amir onriatiOn of eIO7 000 for the ax.