New-York tribune., 1888-04-13
PRICE THREE CENTS.
BRIGADIERS WIN THE FIGHT.
THE DEADLOCK ENDED AFTER EIGHT DAYS
OF SHAMEFUL INACTIVITY.
THE POLICY OF THE SOUTHERN BRIGADIERs Ex.
PoSED-IMPoRTANT LEGISLATIVE MEAS
URES NEGLECTED-THE RESPONSE.
BILIrY CLEARLY PIX ED-CLOS-


BILIrY CLEARLY FIX ED-CLoS-
ING SCENES IN THE HOUSE
WASHINGTON, April 12.--The deadlock is broken
by the abject surrender Of majority OF the Demo
Gratis In the House Of Representatives TO a hand
ful of Southern Brigadiers. The surrender is alb
solutc, the ascendancy OF the South is complete.
1t is great victory for the Democracy The
decision Of the Democratic caucus last night to
support motion today to adjourn practically
ended the deadlock then, though it was hardly
expected that the Democratic side would permit
itself to be disgracefully beaten just before the
taking OF the final vote. But this is precisely
what d1d happen when ut noon, after S. s. Cox.
with unusual soemnity OF men, had moved the
adjournment OF the House and the roll had been
hnished the Speaker announced in measured tones ::
On the motion to adjourn the yeas the nays
1873; so the motion is carried
II would be difficult to do Justice to the scene
which followed that announcement Every Re.
publican member was on his feet, shouting laugh
ing or clappins his hands The uproar was deafen-
ing Nothing like it had been seen in the House
since the defeat of the Morrison horizontal tariff
reduction bill in the XLYIIIth Congress- The
Democrats were dumbfounded. Here was clear
majority of the House. after solemnly resolving
in caucus to carry out certain line of policy
beaten on the very threshold Of starting out Fol
q moment OF so the Democrats were actually scared
Ihey dld not know how many men might be pre-
paring 10 desert their ranks and refuse to abide
by the decision of the caucus In silence and with
il[concealed anger they stood the jeers the aunts
the laughter OF their opponents. Even the galleries
conld not refrain from joining in the general
MARTY over the discontinue of the majority
On the floor, Mr.. McAIillin, OF Tennessee, upou
whom the mantle of MIR. Mills seems TO have faer
IN that gentleman's absence, ran about wildly
gestlcuating with his arms, and shrielSing at the
top Of his voice: Mr.. Speaker Mr.. Speaker.
3 Cox and > j. Randall tried in vain to obtain
hcarlng The cheers, the lau ghter. the uproari.
Gus hilarity on the Republican side drowned every.
thing.
THE MINORITY THOROUGHLY ENJOYS TrsELn
In his place the Speaker attempted, by pound
ing the desk with his gavel, to restore order
1t was of no use. The Republicans had to hays
their laugh and they ndulged in it to their hearts
content. Enough order was finally restored "a
hear Mr.. Randalls voice above the din: Mr..
Speaker, pending the motion for a call Of the,
House, desire to have read" The rest Of the
sentence was lost in cries on the Republican
side for regular order Seeing the utter i'm
possibility Of being heard, he shrugged his
shoulders and sank into his seat amid "A general
laugh or triumph from the Republican side.
There was a crowd about Mr. Sowden of Penn
sylvana, the only democrat who had refused 10
stand by the decision of the caucus and had cast
his vote with the Republicans against adjourn
ment. lie was impOred TO move a reconsideration
OF the vote, but he remained firm. The motion
Tor u call OF the House was voted down by the
Democrats and Republicans alike, and now that
some business had intervened since the motion
to adjourn had been made, Mr.. Cox, Of New
York. renewed the motion TO adjourn. aad with
out division the motion prevailed by vote Of
148 to 1871
The position Of the Democratic party is sufficient
ly well defined to be understood by the coun-
try. The South is now in full control and will
hereafter direct the policy Of the majority in
the House. No Northern Democrat will here
after venture TO oppose the will OF the Southern
Brigaders. Their proposal to treat the cotton
tax on an equal footing with the Direct Tax
of 1861 is a fair indication of what is TO be ex-
pected Those who have heretofore looked upon
Southern claims a bugabOo invented to
serve the purpose of politicians will need TO
wise their judgment.
The Democratic party, too has again given
startling proof OF its nsincerty. For years
1t has been standing in the marllet-place proclaim
ing the necessity for reducing the surplus Here
an opportunity presented itself TO do IL in a
rational and business-lil1e way But the Southern
Brigadiers didn't want the surplus reduced, lest
it should render their contemplated raid upon
the manufacturing interests of the country abor.
tive. If it had been a proposition to empty the
Treasury into the Mississippi River or disriD.
ute some seventy odd million OF dollars among
Southern States too indolent TO tax themselves
for school purposes, the Brigadiers would have
rallied like one man around the flag and voted
for the appropriation. But this proposition
to pay money which would have gone for the
greater part, to Northern States and would have
cancelled the debt Of q number Of Southern
States. The South, represented by its Brlgadicrs
in Congress, however, seems 10 prefer owing
debt to cancelllng 1t.
THE NATIONS AFFAIRS CAN WAIT, OF COURSE
Messrs. Oates Brecllinridge and other Southern
men expressed their willingness TO vote TO return
the direct tax to those who paid it, if the cotton
tax were refunded at the same. time. IL is doubt
ful whether such a brazen proposition was eveI
made on the floor Of the House before. Viewing
both propositions as the Brigadiers did it is not
very far removed from an offer to compound
felony.
Still another matter for which the deadlock-
ers' and those who aided them must be held re-
sponsible is the business which has been suffered
to go by default in the meantime. Important
measures affecting the welfare of the entire coun-
try were to have been considered, while forty
Southern Brigadiers engaged in bulldozin4
the majority into submission. Thus all measures
In charge Of the Committee on Commerce intended
be presented for the consideration Of the House
portunity to consider the Fertilization bills re-
ported by the Committee on Military Affairs was
lost. The bills reported from the Pacific Rail
road Committee were to have been discussed on
April o, but they are now see aside. The propoi
sition TO amend the Thurman Act, which was "a
be debated on April 9, is lost The plan to seo-
pcated attempts Of squatters to invade the Okl%
homa country by debate on April 10, is also aban.
been considered on April IL upon the recon-
mendation of the Public Lands Committee, but
they, too, are now lost sight Of A similar fate
has befallen bills TO be submitted by the Com
mittee on Territories on April 10 and 2, and thg9
Committee Foreign Affairs on April ii. All
these were measures affecting general Interest,"
but all had to yield to the exigency of the situa-
lion brought about by forty Brigadiers
A SESSION THAT WILL BECOME HISTORICAL
Aside from the logical deductions on these tao.
lies which thoughtful readers Of the papers are
likely to make, 1t is of interest to note, perhaps.
hat the deadlock broken to-day will go down into
5he history Of the House as having witnessed tho
ongest continuous session, with one exception,
which the records OF the House disclose That
exception occurred in the deadlock over the Force
ill In the second session of the XLIIId Congress-
ecess, for three days and two nights. 10 hour
n al On last Tuesday beginning at III :46 a. m
he House sat continuously for 81 IA hours
This is not as desperate test Of physical en-.
lurance as that made in January, 1875, over the