The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-12-30
CONGRESSMAN AT PLAY.
HOW TIME Is WASTED IN THE
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVE


tice-Debate on the Direct Tax Bill
Fighting for Time-Snarls for the
Speaker.
WASHINGTON, Dec 29-Any man can
tange fishing line, but not one in ten can
untangle it. 1t is easy to involve deliber-
alive body in parliamentary snarl, but
not one in hundred can unravel it. Scores
Of young men interested in debating socie-
ties have learned to their sorrow that the
study Of Cushing's Manual does not carry
with it practical knowledge of its rules
The brightest of men is apt to lose his head
when in the chair. Minds as shrewd as his
own are below him, ready to profit by the
least of his mistakes. All remorselessly bad
ger aim on the first opportunity. Points of
order are made. and puzzling questions Of
privilege momentarily confront him.
Once ratified. he is gone. Every effort to
release himself fixes him more firmly in
the parliamentary mud. He must either
counsel with clearer heads or trust to an
adjournment for relief.
The possibilities Of parliamentary prac-
tice were aptly illustrated in Che House last
April. The plummet sounded depths never
reached before. The House finally surprised
itself. 1t wound itself finally into a knde
that only the sword Of an Alexander could
unite. Mr. Carlisle is as clear-headed as
any of his predecessors, yet he lost
himself in the maze OF his
own decisions, and only regained
his footing by the kind consideration of
| equally clear-headed parliamentarians on
the floor below him. The details may be
| dry, but they will interest thousands who
| enjoy such tits.
The trouble arose in the consideration of
the direct tax bill. 1t was debated in COM
mittee Of the whole for one afternoon. Ga
the next day Ezra Taylor, who had charge
Of it, tried to limit debate to al hour. It's
opponents wanted six hours Taylor would
| not give way, and after a sharp fight sue
| ceeded in making his limit. He then moved
| to go into committee on the bill. The op-
ponents Of the measure were fighting for
! time. 1t was of vital importance to them
TO keep the bill out of committee These
four motions indicate their line Of defense:
Gen. Oates-I move that the House take
recess Until o'clock this evening.
Gen. Weaver-I move to amend that motion
by striking out IS o'clock" and inserting ~
o'clock"
Mr.. Northumberland move an amendment
to the amendment that the recess be taken un-
til 4:30 o'clock.
Gen. Weaver-Pending those motions, move
that the House do now adjourn.
The speaker put the question on the latter
motion, and said "the noes seem to have it.n
Gen. Oates wasted all tne time possible by
securing the yeas and nays. 1t takes about
| forty minutes to call them. The motion
was lost Oates, however, voted yea with
a view of moving a reconsideration. He
had bitten of more than he could chew.
| The speaker ruled his motion out, basing
| the ruling upon the decision of the chair on
| point of order made during the second
session of the Forty-fifth congress. He de-
| clared the reconsideration of a vote on ad-
tournament out of order, because a motion
to adjourn can be repeated
again and again after other
business has interviewed. The question next
came on the 4:30 amendment of Mr.. Breck-
iuridge. Gen Oates moved to table it.
The speaker said that a motion to table an
amendment was not in order. Mr.. Taulbee
then moved to table Gen. Oates motion
for o'clock recess and all the pending
amendments The speaker replied that it
was not in order to lay either a motion to
adjourn or a motion for a recess upon the
table. The full parliamentary mill was
then applied to the Breckinridge amend
ment The yeas and nays panned out to
III. This left the situation thus:
/. Oates motion for a recess until 5p m.
.. Viewers o'clock amendment.
The tangle grew worse under these CON-
plications:
8. Amendment to Viewers o'clock amend
ment making the time 10 a. m. Offered by Ezra
Taylor, who demanded the previous question.
4. Motion 10 adjourn, by Mr. Breckinridge.
s. Motion that when the House adjourns 1t be
to meet on Friday, by Gen. Oates.
G. Amendment to strike out Friday" and in
sert saturday"
The latter was offered by Mr. Beck
inridge. He at first moved to amend by
making it FRIDAY at 10 o'clock" The
speaker ruled this out of order, because it
involved a change Of the rules. The House
might take a recess until 10 o'clock but it
could not adjourn until that hour. Gen.
Bayne made point of order against motion
5 in the list above. He said that the mo-
ton to adjourn had the priority. Mr.. Car
Isle replied that motion to fix a day took
the lead over a motion to adjourn or take q
recess. The sixth, fifth, and fourth motions
in the list went to grass. Fully two hours
were spent in roll calls, the yeas and nays
being drawn out on each. This left the
list thus:
1. Oates motion for a recess until 5. p. m.
2. Weaver 8 amendment until p, m.
8. Taylor's amendment to amen&ent until
10 a. m.
Gen. Weaver then moved that when the
House aojourns it adjourn to meet on Mon
day. As the motion was madeion Wednes-
nesday, Mr.. Taulbee raised the point of Or
der that neither House could adjourn for
more than three legislative days without
the sanction of the other. The speaker
said that it was exactly three legislative
dsys-Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Mr..
Taulbee replied that "if the House adjourns
to meet again tomorrow, that is one day.
IL we adjourn to meet on Friday. that is
two days, and il on Saturday, that is three
days. The chair ruled the motion out Of
order for different reason, thus:
The last vote preceding the one just taken was
on a motion to adjourn over until Friday. IL
has been decided, and is the practice o. the
House. that although the motion to adjourn
over may be repeated, some intervening bust
ness mnst nave taken place before the motion
can again be in order and il has been held that
a motion to adjourn is not such intervening
business
Gen. Weaver then wanted recess until
o'clock p. IN. TIE Speaker reminded him
that there was a motion for a recess peniiug
lsee on the list, and two amendments to
it, which we're the limit Of amendments in
that direction. This brought up the Ezra
Taylor 10 o'clock a. m. amendment.
1t began to look as though the filibHters
were losing ground. On introducing his
amendment. Taylor had demanded the
previous question. This was apparently a
waste of time. He now saw his miscake
and withdrew his demand Mr.. McMilin
renewed il. Thona' B. Reed protested, on
the ground that the only object of the pre-
vious question is to limit debate, and de-
bate was already limited by the rules of
tina House on this question III there can be