Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-12-16
DEBATE ON THE HOUSE RIFLES
Drift Of the Discussion Yesterday.

DEBATE ON THE HOUSE RULES.
Drift Of the Discussion Yesterday.
| REMARKS OF MR.. RANDALL.
In the House yesterday afternoon after Mr..
Morrison closed his speech on a revision of
the rules Mr.. Randall (Pa) said that he had not
intended to speak on the subject then, but
some views had been expressed by the gentle
man from Illinois (Mr. Morrison) which he was
| unwilling to pass over without notice. He
realized fully that his past relations to the COM
mittee on appropriations would seem to indj-
cate in the minds of some men that he was
welded to particular control i'm this respect
But he was sure that those who knew him
best would give him the credit In this matter of
n"ne bs OF dsS as #
nois had seen fit to allude to his views as
expressed in the minority report. In
reflected on a human being. He had
studiously in and out of this hail. endeavored
to discuss and argue the question from higher
level than an individual level. He had said
with elaboration that the tendency of a divis-
ion of the COMMITTEES on appropriations was to
Increase the public expenditures of the govern
ment, and he believed that he was In possession
of facts which would substantiate what lie had
| said. He instanced the river and harbor bill
and presented q table to show that while that
bill had been in the possession of the appropri-
alton committee the average annual appropri-
alton for internal Improvements had been
1890, OOO and that since the bill had been con-
1ded to the commerce and river and harbor
committee the average annual appro-
prlatlon had jumped up to S13,591 900. This
statement, he thought, would bear him out in
the assertion that a separation of the appropri-
alton bills would largely increase expenditures.
Mr.. Randall sent to the CLERKS desk and had
read an extract from the annual message of
President Arthur to the Forty-seventh Con-
gress, recommending that no appropriation be
made for internal improvement, and informing
Congress that sufficient amount remained
| from the appropriations of the previous
al
| Improvement. Yet in face OF this message, and
in face of the further fact that no estimates had
manded estimates and had actually passed bill
involving an expenditure of nearly $1,000 900.
VII WIN ms statement Of fact he was quite con-
question whether there had not been a ten
dency to Increased expenditures under the plan
| OF distributing appropriation bills.
OTHER SPEAKERS
Mr.. Hammond (Ga) antagonized the propo-
sition to distribute the appropriation bills. He
| said that great confusion and a waste of time
would result from such change.
Mr.. Singleton spoke in favor OF the resolution,
was overburdened and asking he members not not
| TO sit like dummies and pass legislation from
| that committee.
MIR. Scott pa, though favoring any change
| In the rules which would expedite the business
OF the House. vigorously opposed the proposed
Mr.. Willis (Ky.) and Reagan Ten spoke in
| favor of the resolution, and defended the river
ana harbor committee against charges Of ex-
traVagant appropriations.
| SHARP PASSAGE BETWEEN MR. GIBSON AND MR.
| RANDALL.
| Mr.. Gibson (W.Va.) said he did not believe
the appropriation committee held all the wis
dom and honesty in the House. Nine-tenths of
the members of the House, he said, were prac-
tically disfranchised under the present system
| He favored the distribution of the bills He
had yet, he said, to discover that either Mr..
Holman or Mr. Randall had ever objected to
| iAf IOn for heir STATE
MIR. Randall retorted: 1.-THE gentleman is mis-
taken as far as am concerned
tions have been SO slight and SO infrequent that
I they have not made him as historically promi-
nent as his other actions. Laughter and ap-
Mr.. Gibson contended that the appropria-
ton committee had no business 10 hold
he asked. that the gentleman from Penn.
sylvania and the gentleman from Indi-
ana were the only members who could be
trusted with the appropriation bills? They
were potent now to stop legislation for lree
transportation, but they had had no power
when confronted with railroad steals.
Mr.. Randall never voted q dollar nor an
MIR: Gibson.-I did not ask how the gentleman
voted. 1t is well known that while he has had
charge OF these matters he has controlled legis-
lation.
Mr.. RandalL-Not in the least. Bnt am
unanimously as did.
| MIR; Gibson.-It is not a question Of how the
|
Mr.. Randall thought it was.
! Mr.. Gfbson:-!t is because the gentleman
thrust himself i'm here aud makes himself a
personal feature in this discussion that he is
discussed. tLaughterl We want to amend
the rules for the public good, not to help
| or hurt the gentleman from Pennsylvania
Millions of money, he said. had been spent
in subsidy. He challenged the appropriations
committee to compare their bills with the
most jobs in them.
MIR. Randall thought that in view of the re-
marks OF the gentleman from West Virginia as
to land grants and subsidy, it was proper for
him TO say that since the House had been
under democratic control there had not been
an acre OF land or dollar of subsidy apprO-
prated. AS to his thrusting himself forward
here, every member ought to know that he had
sonaties in the House and anybod ia wanted Ret
to deal with Kim personally he ought not to do
1t here.
MR.. CANNON's REMEDY.
Mr.. Cannon Qll.) made a strong argument in
| opposition to the distribution of the work of
| the appropriations committee. He said the
true remedy for the evil which had grown up
in delaying the reporting of appropriation bills
was to let the committee on appropriations
make all the appropriations, and to take from
| it the power of originating legislation. Then it
would become what il should always have been
"a mere auditing committee. From a mere
temporary and partisan standpoint he would
/ prefer that the rules should be amended as pro-
| posed, because he believed that it would lead
| to increased expenditures He did not believe
4
| honest.
| MIR. REED SAID
| the House had been allowed to transact no
public business except at the discretion and by
| the permission of small coterie of gentlemen,
| who while they possessed individually more
wisdom than the rest of the members, did not
possess at all the wisdom OF this world. He, for
one, believed that the safety of the country was
! not in the hands of any one man or any one
set OF men, but in the virtue of the representa-
tives OF the people, backed and watched by the
people.
| Mr. Morrison gave notice that he would en-
deavOr to close general debate this afternoon,
| and then lat 4:3O) the House adjourned.
| Could Not Survive Conviction.
| TRAGIC SEQUEL TO BETRAYAL AND SHOOTING
| AFFAIR AT SARATOGA LAST SUMNER.
A dispatch from Ballston, N. Y, says: An i'm
portant trial in the court Of sessions last Satur
day ended In a conviction, followed by the sui
eide of the convict by poison. The person con-
victed was James barrow, reported to be q
| wealthy contracting builder In Brooklyn, re-
| siding at No. $50 Quincy street. He was in