Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-05-15
HOUSE

road bill and the final passage of the bill men,
toned elsewhere, Mr.. Mckinley COhioD. from
the committee on rules, reported resolution
providing that hereafter the House shall! meet
at IL o'clock; that after the reading of the
journal and the disposal of conference reports
the House shall go into the committee of the
whole on the tariff bill; that the bill shall be read
through, commencing with paragraph Ill. and
shall be open to amendment on any part of the
bill following paragraph 10. and that on We'd
nesday next at II noon the bill, with pending
amendments. shall be reported to the House.
CRITICIsISG THE COMMITTEE.
Mr.. Blount (Ga.) criticised the majority of
the committee on rules for reporting the reso-
luton. The majority of the House had adopted
a code of rules which recognized the right of
debate in committee of the whole 1t had given
the committee power 20 limit debate. Ii had
provided that 100 should constitute a quorum
And yet, after all these restraints
were thrown over the consideration of a
bill IN committee. it was proposed to set aside
the rule governing the committee. Ii seemed
to be the policy of the majority whenever any
matter was OF a magnitude requiring debate
and careful consideration that this rule should
be suspended and become nugatory The
majority said to the minority: I'VE
Will allow you to debate until ~
o'clock Wednesday. At that time
We intend to stop discussion and pass the
whether the paragraphs of the bill had been
considered; it mattered not whether the ways
and means committee had taken weeks to
gather information upon which to base their re-
port; 1t mattered not that the measure involved
the business relations of all the people in
this mighty nation: it mattered not that IL
involved commercial relations with all the
countries of the world; ii mattered not that il
involved one of the great political issues of the
time; it mattered not that it fastened a system
upon the people for years-the majority
had determined upon the measure and was
impatient with debate. A powerful minority
was asking for freedom of debate. The repub-
lican party had elected its government by a
minority of the people. IL was TO the vast body
OF the American people that the majority of the
House was declaring that it meant to suspend
the operation OF the rule in regard to the com
mittee of the whole on the most important
question to which it was applicable.
PROTEST AGAINST THE RESOLUTION.
Before the bill had been considered at all the
fiat had gone forth that four days would be
permitted for general debate and eight days
for debate under the five-minute rule The yery
announcement had repressed debate. Gentle
men on the democratic side had felt that it was
idle to prepare for the discussion. He pro-
tested against the resolution un-American,
unwise and violent to parliamentary pro-
cedure. IApplause.l
Mr.. M'KINLEY DENIED
that the resolution had any purpose to stife
debate. 1t had no such purpose 1t was
intended to concentrate debate on the para
graphs and provisions of the bill. ANY
gentleman who had listened to the
discussion for the past three days
must have been convinced thai everything
was discussed but the real question TO be de-
termlned. The resolution was not TO DENY to
the minority freedom of debate. but to DENY 10
1t the right to delay public business by dilatory
motions and obstructive tactics. The House lad
been given thirty-fve hours of general debate
and fifteen hours under the five-minute deLate
and 1T was TO be given five days more. Did
the gentleman from Georgia remember that in
the Forty-fourtf Congress but one day had
been given to the consideration of the tariff
bill? In the Forthwith Congress the tariff bill
had been considered six days. In the Fortv-
eighth Congress 1t had been considered nine
days.
Mr.. McMillin suggested tha. there we're nine
days of general debate.
Mr.. Mckinley replied that that was all the
democrats wanted. The enacting clause had
been stricken out and that in a democratic
Congress-
CIRCUMSTANCES ALTER CASES.
Mr.. McMillin inquired whether the gentle
man would allow him to read what the present
Speaker had said upon the subject of limiting
debate
that when the Speaker was in a minority he was
clainoring for debate. Laughter
Mr.. Springer said that i'll the Forty-eighth
congress there were on the democratic side
twelve or fifteen members who voted with the
republicans to strike out the enacting clause.
THE NoBLEsT ROMAN OF THEM ALL.
Mr.. Mckinley-Yes; and among those twelve
or fifteen or twenty members was the noblest
democrat that ever stood on that side-Samuel
J. Randall. [Applause.l
The true leader of the democratic party he
led IN that resistance to stop the consideration
of the bill which he believed would DESTROY
the great industries of the United States lAp-
plausel
Mr. McMillin inquired what (under the reso-
lution) would become Of the amendments Of
fered in committee of the whole and not dis
posed of at noon Wednesday?
Mr.. Mckinley-They will fall.
MIR. McMillin-And it is your object to make
them fall
Mr.. Mckinley demanded the previous ques-
ton.
Mr.. Breckenridge '(Ky.) moved to lay the
resolution on the table. Lost-leas, ITO; nays,
THE RESOLUTION ADOPTED.
The previous question was orderd-yeas. 1873;
yeas, 1873; nays. SO.
THE DEPESnEyT PENSION BILL
Messrs. Morrill,. Sawyer and Yoder we're ap-
pointed conferees on the Senate dependent
pension bill
on THE TARIFF BILL
The House then went into committee of the |
whole Mr.. Gfosvenor of Ohio in the chair on |
the tariff bill
THE ALABAMA FARMERS.