Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1889-12-28
Washington City News.

of Representative for the purpose OF ere
| ating new rules for the present House,
and there IS no anxiety on the part OF
either the majority or minority to hasten
ono for this purpose. Since its or6ani-
zation the House has been proceeding
under general parliamentary rules, which
means that the Speaker can enforce what
ever he assumes to &c parliamentary, pro
vided a majority OF the House sustains
him.
One Of the propositions over which a
battle VIII be fought, if it is embraced
in the rules, is now under discussion
among the republican majority, namely
change in the present method Of estab
fishing the presence OF q quorum. Il
carried oul it viii give tho majority in
the House plain sailing in the face Of all
the filibustering that the minority might
attempt. In other words, it is the prop
osition to regard a quorum as actually
present as participating in tha business
of the House, whether all vote or not,
II 1G6 members are present and within
the bar OF the House the quorum is re-
garded az established, whether they al,
respond to the roll-can or not. As the
House nov stands, the absence OF four
republicans will leave the Hoase with
out quorum under the late rules, pro
yiding the democrats refrain from voting
It was bold in the first session Of tht
forty-fourth Congress that "whero the
roll-calI discloses the absence ola quorum
the chair cannot go outside Of the record
in deciding as to the presence Of q quo
rum" However, it oan eqritably be
held without conflicting with this decis-
ion, that .he roll-oau is only part Of the
record, and that the recordel fact that
enough de-inquents had been brought to
the bar Of the House to aggregate a
quorum completes the inooutostabie evi-
donoe that a quorum is present.
The House was in the throes Of bill
day" on Wednesday. There IS bigger
delivery every year, and tie cry is 'still
they comer' The first bill il history
WIS 3 petition addressed By the parlia-
ment 70 the sovereign who signed, and
thus it became a fuI-grown act Of par
lament. Legislation proceeded from
the throne on the motion OF the psople's
wise men. Things are now reversed
The sovereign public asks Congress tc
hold its hand and by q judicious care
reduce the hours OF & first bin day iron
seventy-two to one-third that number
Only about three per cent. OF Tie vast
food OF these bills are passed anyway
and ths tino Tor even cUrsory consider
alton OF SO many little bills might vel
bs given to better work.
[ was startled the other day 10 see OF
! Pennsylvania avenue a very judicial fig
ure topped by broad brim light som
brero, very near akin to to the cowboy
style. It proved to be simply the some
what famous senior senator from Ken
lucky, Joe blackburn, in his nov winter
hat which is well calculated to make hin
a more noticeable figure than ever. They
tell good story apropos Of this som
brero. Tho other day the senator re
ceived draft for his November salary
and proceeded to Riggs bank to get il
cashod and send of some small drafts
Do you know any one connected witt
the bankY' asked the clerk At this
point one Of the officers Of the institu.
ton looked from his door and requested
the senator to give him call before
leaving. TIE clerk then only abandone q
his caution and remarked that it was al
right. WELL" said the senator, 81
would like for you to tell me what made
you doubt or question my Ownership o.
this draft?" "WolL" said the clerk, g
viii tell you frankly that did not think
a senator wore that kind of hat"
The international Maritime Confer
ence is drawing to a close and the foreign
delegates are beginning to count the days
before the happy time when they can pack
up their goods and chattels and sail FOL
their native shores. It was hoped at the
beginning Of the conference that the mem
bers would be enabled to eat their Christ
mas dinners at home, but it does not look
as though they would get away from here
much before the first part of the new
year. A vast amount OF work has been
done in the conference, and the founda-
dation has been laid for some EXTREMITY
salutary international legislation relative
to the rules governing the actions and
guidance Of ships at sea. It is generally
believed in the conference that whatever
has been adopted here VIII find its way
into the statute books Of every nation
| represented in the Conference.
Senator Hoar meets the suggestion il
the Presidents message by Introducing