Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-08-27
A Scene Of Confusion Results From
Desperate Efforts to Count
Quorum in the House.
CONGRESSMEN SASS EACH OTHER.
Turner, of New York, Calls Cannon, Of
Illinois, the Windy Breeze
From the Prairies.
A SPEEDY VOTE on THE TARIFF BILL.
Revising the United States Statutes to Prevent
Election Frauds

Reed's ruling raised dDotner stoEu III She
House to-day, and resulted in the whole
session being virtually wasted.
Before the journal was read Mr.. Nc
Clammy, of North Carolina, made the point
that there was no quorum present. and on a
call but Log members responded. Mr.. Pay
son, of Illinois, offered resolution for the
arrest of the absentees, and Mr.. Enloe
bobbed up with a motion to adjourn, which
was lost by a vote of 3S yeas to 125 nays.
At this point the Speaker stated that the
clerk had announced that there were 169
members present-more than a quorum.
This matter being settled, Mr.. Brosius,
of Pennsylvania, demanded the regular
order of business, and contended that the
Conger lard bill was first in order, the vote
upon it Saturday being inconclusive, owing
to the absence of a quorum. Mr.. Baker, of
New York, who was interested in q Senate
bill on the Speakers table, argued that
useful article of furniture must be con-
sidered before any other business was at
tended to. About this time Messrs. Blount,
Cameron, Buchanan, Adams, Hatch and
Crisp chipped in, and after long discussion
the Speaker ruled that vote on the lard
bill was in order.
APPEALED FROM THE DECISION.
Mr.. Mason, OF Illinois, appealed from the
decision. The vote on sustaining the de-
cision stood, yeas, 12S; nays, 23-no quorum,
and a call of the House was ordered.
One hundred and eighty-two members
having responded to their names Mr.. Brosius
moved to dispense with further proceed
ings under the call, upon which motion the
opponents of the lard bill, in order to con-
sumo time, ordered the yeas and nays.
A motion to dispense with further pro-
ceedings was agreed to-yeas, 127; nays, 81,
and the vote required on sustaining the de-
cision of the Speaker. but the quorum had
vanished and the vote resulted: Yeas, 12O;
nays, 14-the clerk being unable to note
quorum. Another call of the House was
thereupon ordered.
One hundred and fifty-nine members
having responded to their names, and 19
members having reported their presence to
the clerk, the Speaker pro tenn Mr.. Payson)
announced that there was quorum present.
Mr.. Morgan, of Mississippi, moved an ad-
journment, stating that he did so in good
faith, believing that it was possible to come
to some arrangement in regard to the lard
y
46; nays, 123.
AFTER THE DELNQUENTs.
Mr.. Cannon, of Illinois, then offered a
resolution directing the Sergeant at Arms to
notify absent members to return to WASH
ington without delay and revoking all
leaves of absence except those granted on
account of illness. The resolution recites
that twice to-day the legislative proceedings
were interrupted by want of a quorum; that
certain members (mentioned by name) an
swered to their names under the calls but
did not respond on the regular calls many
of them leaving the hall SO that they could
not be counted.
The following are the members named in
the resolutions: Andrew, Baker, Beckwith,
Boatuer, Carleton, Catchings, Chapman,
Coleman, Covert, Grain, Crisp, Cummings,
EnIoe, Flower, Grimes, Hayes, Kinsey,
Lawler, Lehlbach, Lester (Ga.) }, McClam-
nv Moore (Texas), Morgan, Mutchler,
O'Ferrali, Osborne, Pughley, Rains, Rob
ertson, Rowland, Seney, Shively, Skinner,
Spooner. Tillman, Turner (Ga.), Turner
On; y, Wallace, Washington, Wheeler
(Ala), Whiting, Wilkinson, Wilcox and
Williams (IllinOis).
CONFUSION IN THE HOUSE.
Messrs. Blount, Grain, Wheeler, Osborne,
Hatch and others protested against the reso-
luton, saving that it was an unjust arraign-
ment of every member mentioned in it. aud
its adoption would be a censure of those
members. There was great confusion in the
House. Fully dozen members were on
their feet demanding recognition on a ques-
tion of personal privilege, and their efforts
to secure such recognition were heartily
seconded by their friends.
Finally Mr. Grain was recognized and
said: ''This is nothing but a species of bull
doing, the object being to threaten us in or
der to compel us to vote. / believe if we
had adopted this line of procedure when the
so-called Lodge bill was before the House it
would not now be in the Senate awaiting
consideration. l say the 'so-called' Lodge
bill, because 1 believe the parent was not
Lodge, but that he was only the wet nurse.
am responsible to my constituents alone.
went out OF the chamber Intentionally to
avoid being counted as present and not vot-
ing.
TOOK EVERY PROBATION.
'T even took nv hat and umbrella away,
because l have heard it asserted that clerks
and pages were sent to the cloak rooms to
hunt up hats and umbrellas in order that the
Speaker might count hats aud umbrellas
present and not voting"
''The charge was made" continued Mr.,
Grain, 'that the Democrats of the South
were depriving the negro OF the right to
vote, and refusing to count his ballot when
cast; but no man in the South had ever
done or attempted to do what the Speaker
backed by the majority, had done in this
House, and that was to count the votes OF
men who actually had not voted. 1t was to |
avoid this that the men who thought the
lard bill ought not to pass had gone out of
the chamber.
Mr. Henderson, o. Iowa. said that moth.
ing in the resolution could be construed into
a censure, and Mr.. Cannon said that the
naming of the gentlemen in the resolution
was but showing exactly what the roll call
showed.
Mr.. Burrows, of Michigan-Is not the
gentleman from Texas aware that he was
violating one of the rules of the House in
going out?
WOULDN'T BE COUNTED.
Mr.. Crain-It is perfectly immaterial to
me whether did or not II 1 sit in my |
chair and am counted as voting when did |
not vote, will get out of nv chair.
Mr.. Burrows-The gentleman declares |
that he is going to violate one of the rules |
of the House.
Mr.. Crain-For that am responsible to
my constituents alone.
Mr.. BuTrows-Tbis is q violation of one
OF the rules of the House. For this Won do |
not answer to your constituents, but to the
House.
Mr.. Crain-I am not prepared Ito be GEN.
sured unless am tried and found guilty.
Mr.. Brosius-You have just entered a
plea Of guilty.
Mr.. Henderson, of Iowa-You stood by
while the Lodge bill passed and did not Sc