The Portland daily press., 1888-12-05
WASHINGTONS FRIEND AND COMRADE.
The Question of a Monument to
General Knox. s.
Congressman Indulge In the First
Tilt of the Session.
Mr.. Dingiey's Effort to Secure a
Memorial at Thomaston.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 4.-During the closing
days of the last session Mr.. Dingley, of
Maine, succeeded in having made special
order for today in the House, the bill for the
erection of monument to Major General
Henry Knox, at Thomaston, Me-, but sub
sequently Mr.. Kilgore, of Texas, entered a
motion to reconsider the vote by which the
order was made. Mr.. Dingley today called
up the motion and moved to lay it on the
table. Mr.. Kilgore opposed, declaring there
was no warrant in the constitution for the
appropriation ef $4,000, as proposed by this
bill On standing vote, MIR. Dingley's
motion was carried Sc to AZ, but Mr.. Kilgore
raised the point of no quorum, thus eliciting
the remark Of THAT sounds natural from
the Republican SIDE" The yeas and nays
were ordered and Mr.. Dingley's motion pre-
vailed yeas, 125; nays. SO. The House then
proceeded to the consideration of the bill.
Mr.. Dingley explained that the bill was a
Senate bill but had been reported to the
House unanimously by the committee on
library: He sketched the public services of
General Knox and declared If there was any
revolutionary hero whom the people of the
cauntry might well honor and whose memo
ry they might perpetuate, ii was the associ-
ate and counsellor of Washington during the
eight years of struggle for independence.
Mr. Kilgore agreed with anything that
could be said IN praise of General Knox, but
did not think General Knox's reputation was
superior to the Constitution of the United
States. In his opinion Congress exceeded
lts authority in using money wrung from the
people by taxation to erect monuments in
Mainesor Texas or Colorado.
Mr.. Bland, of Missouri, commented on the
fact that the people of Maine had not gone
down into their own, pockets and. built
monument to one of the States patriots who
had died nearly 80 years ago.
Messrs. breckenridge of Kentucky and
Mcmillan of Tennessee opposed the passage
OF the bill, and Mr.. Morrison of Missouri fa-
vored the erection of the monument in
Washington, instead of Thomaston, Me.
Mr.. Spjnola of New York felt it his duty
to support measure which would transmit
to coming generations the memory of one of
those men who underwent hardship and suf-
ferlng that the Republic might be created.
On demand for the previous question, the
vote stood, yeas, IL; nays, 46; no quorum.
and a call of the House was ordered, 205
members answering TO their names The
question recurring on the demand for the
previous question, again no quorum was
voted, and the opponents of the measure re-
sorted to dilatory tactics to compass its de-
feat. Several Intellectual roll-calls were then
had, and finally Mr. Dingley yielded to Mr..
Mansur to offer an amendment locating the
monument in Washington.
The previous question was ordered on the
amendment and the the third reading of the
bill.
On Mr.. Mansur's amendment the vote
stood: yeas, 66; nays, 90, no quorum. More
calls followed, and this procedure was con-
tlnued until 8 o'clock when under an order
adopted at the last session, the House ad-
journed.