The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-09-21
EDMUNDS OUT OF WIND.
he GIVES UP THE RACE AFTER
THE CHINESE BILL.

Leaves It there-Nervous Republi-
can Members from California Vainly
Try to Hurry him up.
WASHINGTON, Sept. 20.-In the Senate
to-day the order reported yesterday
by Mr. Edmunds from the com
mittee on foreign relations d
recting retention of the Chinese exclusion
bill, having been taken up, Mr.. Edmund,
said that as the bill had gone out of the
possession of the senate, the order was not
applicable to the present state of the case,
d, therefore, so far as he was concerned,
the resolution might be laid on the table.
The Presiding Officer Mr.. Ingalls, III
there be no objection, the resolution will lie
On the table.
1t was so ordered.
KILGoRE'S COURSE.
Representative Kilgore, acting chairman
of the House committee on enrolled bills
was today informed of the action of the
Senate in tabling Mr.. Edmunds' motion TO
delay transmission of the Chinese bill to
the House. He said that the bill was in his
possession duly enrolled and signed. He
could not say when he would deliver it to
the President, but he should probably fol-
low his usual course i'll this case. About
once in a week or ten days he had been in
the habit of calling upon the President to
signed But for Mr.. Edmunds' action yes
terday the bill would have been delivered
to the President at > O'Clock in the after
noon.
COULD BE HELD BACK.
Mr. Kilgore added that he had not consult
ed with any one in reference to the matter,
and " hatever he did was upon his own vo.
lition and responsibility. Bills had been
held by the committee on enrolled bills for
months after their passage before being
transmitted to the President. He did not
mean to say that this bill would bs delayed
any such length Of time, but merely cited
the feet 10 show what might be
dome without violating presidents.
He had hea ID that Representative Morrow
of California was about to introduce reso-
luton for the committee to deliver the bill
Immediately TO the President but such
resolution, in his opinion, would not give
any additional force to the requirement of
the rules.
ACTION OF THE HOUSE.
In the House to-day, Mr. Morrow offered
resolution directing the committee on en-
rolled bills to transmit the Chinese bin to
the President forthwith and without delay.
Mr.. Morrow'S resolution was presented as
a question of privilege. 1t recited the pas
sage of the Chinese bill by the House and
Senate, the signing of the enrolled bill by
presiding officers of the two houses, its de
livery to the committee on enrolled bills,
and the fact that it is now in the possess sion
of Acting Chairman Kilgore. 1t further re-
cites the report in the Washington Post,
that the bill is being withheld from the
President by the committee on enrolled
bills, and declares that such action of the
committee is without the authority of the
law.
POINT OF ORDER.
Mr.. McMillin Of Tennessee raised point
of order that the resolution did not present
squeston OF privilege. There WAS no allie
CATION of delay in the transmission of the
Bill that was unreasonable or unusual. As
matter of fact, there were other cases in
which the delay had been much greater
than in the present case.
Mr.. Herbert of Alabama took the same
ground, and stated that the newspaper only
gave the story as a matter of current
rumor
The debate upon the point of order was
lively and at times bitterly personal
between Messrs. Payson of Illinois. and
Breckenridge of Kentucky.
The point of order against the resolution
was sustained, and the resolution was not
allowed to come before the House.
NO LAW OR RULE.
Mr.. Cox added that there was no law or
rnle prescribing the manner in which a bill
should be transmitted to the President, but
the practice had grown up of entrusting
that duty to the committee ON enrolled
bills. One days delay was not unusual.
The average time it took for a bill
to reach the President after having been
signed by the presiding officers of the two
houses was three days While sustaining the
point of order he was not prepared to say
that if the resolution was again brought
forward in a few days he would rule that it
was not privileged.
Mr. Morrow then asked unanimous consent
for immediate consideration of the resolu-
ton, but demand for regular order oper-
ated as an objection, and the House at 3:l5
O'Clock adjourned
IN KILGoRE's POCKET.
The bill is in Mr.. Kilgore's inside pocket,
and Is likely TO stay there till next week at
least. ~ fear my state more than the SEN
ate" said MIR. Bowen as he chuckled last
night over the way he had distanced Mr..
Edmunds Mr. Bowen added that he sup
posed Father Edmunds' would elbow him
up" this moraing for hi, indecorous haste
Strange TO say, Mr.. Edmunds didn't but
finding the bird flown, quietly laid down
his net, and abandoned pursuit When the
nervous California republicans in House
beard that Mr.. kilgore had received
the bill from Mr.. Bowen yesterday
afternoon, they went TO Mr. Kilgore and
asked him to take the bill at once to the
President. Mr.. Kllgare replied that he saw
no reason for undue haste, and would await
the action of the Senate on MIR. Edmunds
resolution. To-day they went to him, told
him That the Edmunds resolution bad been
laid on the table and asked him what he
proposed to do.
II shall do my duty, gentlemen" he re-
sponded, with bow. This was not salts
faotory to teen. They wanted the bill
rushed right up to the white house, so as to
give the President as little time to consider
1t as possible. Seeing tnat Mr.. Kilgore was
not going to make an unusual effort to
hurry it TO the white house, they prepared
the resolution directing him to do 30,
which was offered by Mr.. Morrow
as question of privilege and ruled out
by Speaker PRO tenn. Cox. Mr.. Kilgore
smiled. but said nothing as Mr. Cox an
nounced his decision. Meanwhile Minister
DENLY is trying the difficult task of getting
some fresh informant n from Pekin about
the condition of the treaty. After that is
received the President will know better how
TO act on the hill