Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-12-17
AT THE CAPITOL TO-DAY.
HOUSE DEBATE ON THE RULES.
DAKOTA AFFAIRS IN THE SENATE
District Matters, Committee Meetings, Etc.

District Matters, Committee Meetings, Etc.
| Senate.
Aiter the reading of the Senate journal, Mr..
| Doiph presented the credentials of Mr. John H.
Mitchell, the newly elected United States Sem
ator Irom Oregon, which were read. Mr..
Mitchell was then sworn in, and assigned seat
IN tne rear row on the republican side. He was
| warmly welcomed upon his return to the
Senate, and particularly by those members of
the BODY with whom he had formerly served.
| from his friends.
me chair laid before the Senate letter from
the secretary of the Treasury, transmitting the
report OF the superintendent of the coast ana
| COUNTING THE PRESIDENTIAL VOTE.
MI. doar, from the committee on privileges
and elections, reported favorably the bill to fix
the DAY Tor the meeting of the electors for Presi-
dent and Vice President and to provide for and
regaiMate the counting of the vote for President
tions arising therefrom. Mr.. Hoar said he
would call up this bill for action Immediately
AFTER the disposal Of the Presidential succession
Dill ana The bill fixing the salary of United
States district Judges. The bill went to the cal
| endar.
THE DAKOTA QUESTION DISCUSSED
The chair laid before the Senate the resolu-
|
inquire as to the alleged organization of the
| Territory of Dakota into state and the alleged
| election of United States Senator's.
MI Harrison did not think a committee
kota, he said, were perfectly respectful to the
United States; its new constitution fully recog-
nlzed the authority OF the United States, and
stayed the hands of the new state organization
until the new constitution should be approved
by congress. For six years the people Of Dakota
looking to theF admission. The Senate e had
passed bill for their relief, but the bill had not
Mr.. Butler inquired by what authority
United States Senators had been elected in
Mr. Harrison replied that he could show that
Senators had heretofore been elected under
precisely similar circumstances. Dakota had
California and Michigan had proceeded.
Mr.. Butler remarked that il the proceedings
In Dakota were regular and proper no one
himself. He had offered the resolution for the
| purpose OF ascertaining the facts. He thought
the Senator from Indiana had been working
himself into passion unnecessarily
| Mr.. Harrison replied that he was not in pas
sion n l., The SENATE" said he, "has never seen
| nate" (Laughter
| Mr.. Harrison briefly reviewed the history of
| SAID that the democrats at any rate ought not
kota. 'N''0A VI A'-
Mr.. Butler said that no question of politics
was involved.
Mr.. Harrison was glad that Mr.. Butler took SO
statesmanlike q view of the subject
Mr.. Butler inquired whether Mr.. Harrison
would sustain action by the Territory of Utah
similar to the recent alleged action of Dakota?
| served to Congress the power to approve or dis
approve their constitution, and that power was
recognized and admitted by Dakota.
Mr.. Mcmillan said that Minnesota had been
admitted to the Union without any enabling
ect, and democratic Senators had been elected
| and were ready to take their seats Immediately
,-<4 THE PREsIDENTLAL SUCCESSION.
After further debate the matter went over till
| tomorrow, and the Presidential succession bill
| was taken up and Mr.. Evarts addressed the Sem
| ate on it. The fact that he intended to speak
were pretty we'll filled. Mr.. Evarts declared
himself In favor of the bill.
House Of Representatives..
THE PRESIDENTIAL SUCCESSION
| Mr.. Dibble IS. CO. asked leave to introduce a
| joint resolution proposing a constitutional
| amendment. 1t provides that in case of the re-
| mOval from Office by death, resignation or con-
| stitutional inability both of the President and
Vice President of the United States the office of
President shall devolve on the second vice pres
ident, who shall be voted for in distinct ballots
at the same time and in like manner and for
the same term as the President and Vice Presi-
dent by electors appointed by the several states
The second vice president shall preside over the
Senate in the absence of the Vice President or
in case the office Of President shall devolve upon
| the Vice President
Mr.. Randall (Pa.) said that he had like meas
ure which he would like to go with the PROPOSE
tion OF the gentleman from South Carolina.
measnres Shnnd baws anu w ,,reas WY taese
| objected TO their introduction.
DEBATE ON THE RULES RESUMED.
The subject of the rules then came up for dis
cussion, Mr.. Morrison Nl.) stating that he
would try to close the general debate at 4
o'clock to-day.
! Mr.. Long (Niass.) agreed with the gentlemen
who demanded the largest parliamentary free
dom for the representatives of the people here,
| but he had been taught that liberty was of no
value except as regulated by law, and that par
liamentary rights were of no value except as
regulated by parliamentary rules
| There was only one way in which the House
could have absolute liberty. That was to abOl-
sh all rules and all committees. all restrictions
on debate, and to remand itself to the condition
of debating society. Nobody proposed to do
that. The simple question before the House
ures were necessary to cure the evils under
which 1t was suffering, 1t should go further and
take take from , the appropriations committee the
! them among eight or nine other committees
The result would be friction and delay, and
| member in criticism of the abuses under which
the House had been suffering, but he thought
that they would be remedied by 50 amending
! the rules that every committee of the House
| should have free, full and equal opportunity
with every other committee to present business
Vi
jority Of the House as to whether their propo-
sitiOns should become law or not. The second
thing to do was to shear the appropriations COM
mittee OF every vistage OF power OF enacting
| general legislation in the form of riders or
amendments to appropriation bills. This
power should be taken away, but the appro-
priatiOn bills should be left with one commit
tee, which could ECU. the garment according tn
| the CLOTH" The question was not simply to
distribute the bills. 1t went further than that.
The proposition now was to destroy, abolish
and annihilate the appropriations committee so
far as responsibility for the expenditures OF the
| country was concerned.
To be sure that committee was left with half
dozen bills, but everybody knew that a d.
vtded responsibility was no responsibility at
| all. 1t was question as TO whether the House
was prepared TO enter upon more liberal ex-
penditure of the money of the people. Let
things he called by their right names. This dis
tributton means policy of larger expenditure.
Were members on the other side (who Were
now in power or those on his side (wh0 would
soon be In power prepared for this? The APP
preparations committee was powerful COM
mittee, but 30 were tho committees ON ways
| and means and on rules; but did anybody pro-
pose to divide the duties of those committees?
Men forgot that when there was Q legislative
body It was necessary to have some precedence,
and that precedence must be in certain COM
| mittees was the difficulty in the personnel of
the committees on appropriations II It was, it
was the duty of the Speaker to change II.
| The gentleman from New York (Mr. HfSCOCk1