The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1885-12-24
SPEECH OF THE NORTH
TEXAS ORATOR IN THE
HOUSE YESTERDAY.
PRESIDENTIAL SUCCESSION BILL
IN THE SENATE REMARKS
OF MR.. MAXEY.
SENATE.

dent to discharge the powers and duties of his
Office
A resolution, heretofore offered by Mr.. Beck was
laid before the senate. requesting the president TO
cause inquiry to be made and inform the senate
whether any consular officer of the United States
had since 1865 had any interest received benefit
from any notaral. consular or commercial otnclals
in foreign countries.
Mr.. Allison saw no reason for going so far back
as 1853.
Mr. Ingalls, said that if this was to be partisan
inquisiton for partisan purposes it should be in
ouired into by the senate before being agreed to.
Mr.. Beck replied that if the senate assumed such
a tking and wanted the resolution referred to
partisan committee, the yeas and nays would be
called
Nj Ingalls, repealed any insinuation that it was
to be referred to partisan committee. he moved
its reference to the committe on commerce, and 1t
was referred
A resolution offered by Mr.. Butler directing the
committee on ter itorie5 to enquire and report by
WHAT ltnoriJy call ed legislature had been or
ganiZed in the Territory of Dakota, and whether
such organization was not calculated to bring
about a conflict to authority prejudcial to good
order in that territory. Mr.. Butler asked 1mme
diate consideration of the resolution.
Mr.. ingalls, objected, and under the rule the reso-
luton lies over one day.
A resolution offered by Mr.. Hale was agreed to,
calling the secretary of the treasury to transmit
to the senate list of claims against the govern
ment, dsallowed since January l, list with reas-
for the disaowance in each case, and copies of
all opinions delivered in such cases by officials of
the government.
The chair laid before the senate message from
the president transmitting the report of the secre
tion of some of the Cheyenne Indians, and request
legislative authority for Use of certain funds for
their relief
The senate then proceeded to the calendar, the
first bill in order being Mr.. Hoar's presidential
succession bill
In opening the debate on the succession bill Mr..
Maxey, of Texas reviewed the history of five vice
,esidents who had died in office. There had been
no president of the senate or speaker of the house
when President Garfield died, and none on the
,ath of Vice President Hendricks The secretary
o: state, in Mr.. MaXey's belief, was the proper
person to be selected for the OF Presl
Dental functions in case of the death of both pres
ident and vice president. His politics would
natural be in accord with that of IN jority of
After considerable talk between Messrs Beck
and Edmunds the latter, in order to test the feel
ing of the senate on the claims of the bill repeat
ing the sections of revised statues that provide for
a new ee ;tion moved that the clause be stricken
out He added to the objections stated the further
one that If any one of the officers named for the
succession should die or go out of office during
vacation OF the senate, the president would have
absolute power to appoint his successor without
confirmation by the senate.
Mr.. Edmunds inquired of Mr.. Hoar what would
happen under the bill in case of temporary inabil
ity as by sickness
Mr.. Hoar replied, that had always been debated
question under the existing law, question which
the judiciary committee had tried to deal with by
bill defnining inability under the constitution.
The committee had not in this bill, undertaken
to deal with the difficulty.
Mr.. Morgan favored the bill as it came from the
committee and strongly opposed the idea that the
president of the senate was the proper person to
beinves.ed with pre- sidential functions in of
vacancy The president of the senate should be in
the senate. He illustrated some of the inconyen-
fences that might result from that officer becoming
president of the United States suppose said
he, "that the senator from Illinois, Logan), who
has been distinguished soldier, should be presi
denF tenn pore of the nate, and should succeed
to presidential functi6ns and awaF with any for
iYh power shonld arise and he saw fit to take com
Ik1and of the armies in the fed-could he keep his
place as president pro tempore OF the senate! Ger
tainly rot. The senate would have to
ole nfh tlm
he might take the command of the armies from the
senator from Illinois. If the president pro tenn
pore of the senate were acting president he would
be voting on bills in the senate and vetoeing them
as president The officers to be selected for presi
dental functions should belong rather to the exec
utive department and the secretary of state would
always be an officer who would have the confidence
of the country.
Mr. Teller thought that in case ola vacancy the
people would be better satisfied with an election
and he therefore favored Mr.. Edwards amend
ment.
The senate went into executive session and when
the doors were reopened adjourned.
WASHINGTON, December 16.-On motion of Mr..
Norwood, of Georgia. senate bill passed removing
the political disabilities of Alexander R. Lawton,
of Georgia.
Discussion of the proposed revision of the rules
was resumed.
Mr.. Herbert of Alabama, took the floor with an
argument in favor of the general feature of the
vison but in opposition to the plan of distributing
the work of the appropriation committee.
Mr.. Hiscock, member of the committee on rules,
presented the reasons which impeled him to agree
to the report of the majority. Gentlemen who op-
posed the distribution feature did so on the theory
that majority of the house could not be trusted
with chance to get at the public treasury. They
maintained that twas notpossible for the speaker
possessed of capacity as he was honest-as all
know him to be-to select from the gentlemen who
had elevated him to the high position he now oc-
cupied, committees which could not keep within
the limits OF proper appropriations for the carrying
on of the government They sought to disguise
argument by declaring that the committees, when
organized, would attempt to aggarndize
its power, and in illustration of
this the gentleman from Pennsylvania RandalI
prepared table showing large increase of appro-
priatons carried by the river and harbor bill Since
that measure has been taken away from the appro-
priation committee. This was hardly ingenious,
for in point of fact the bill had practically
been under the jurisdiction of the appropriation
committee, as 1t was always prepared by the com
merce committee. But the true reason why the
river and harbor bill had swollen in amount was
that the committee on rivers and harbors has been
given jurisdiction the subject of the Missis-
sippi river improvement. He (Hiscock) was in
favor of as many members of the house as possible
sharing in its leadership. He was opposed to
buildiAg up system of rules that will crown any
body. He went on to argue that if the appropria-
tons bills were distributed they could all be re-
ported within thirty days of the organization of the
Mr.. Randall inquired whether the experience of
the gentleman from New York as chairman of the
committee of appropriations in the Forty-seventh
congress had not taught him that it was impossi-
BILE to report appropriation bills within thirty days
from the time the committee formed. Ere
quenty estimates were not in before the expiration
of thirty days.
Mr.. Hiscock admitted that this was true but as
serted that any of the bills could be reported within
week from the receipt of the estimates.
Mr.. Randall-"I put against your remark your
record as chairman of that committee
Mr.. Hiscock-"I am entirely willing that my
record as chairman of that committee be paraded
before the house Certainly, as far the pre-
sentiment of bills was concerned, the record of that
committee will compare favorably with that of any
committee before or since''
Mr.. Randall-'sI think not
Mr.. Hiscock-"The gentleman had better con-
tent himself with remaining in the field of specula-
ton and thought on that subject
Mr.. Randall-'sI go to the record
Mr.. Hiscock-"I grant did not bring in bills
early, bat could if 1 had desired. held back leg
islative and sundry civil bills until way into JanT-
airy to force the house to vote the internal rev.
enue bill and the Little tariff bill
"a little log rolling, suggested Mr.. Randall.
Mr.. Hiscock: eyes, / did it. grant did it,
and the record will show that distinctly declared
my intention and purpose to the country. 1t was
done coldly. don't think should have power
but having had it, exercised it, and believe in this
particular case it was legislation
Mr.. Hiscock then proceeded to point out the
dangers which attended the dumping of bills cover
ing many million dollars, in the senate in the last