Los Angeles daily herald., 1890-01-22
AT THE CAPITAL.
A Tilt On Parliamentary
Practices.
THE CzAR OF THE HOUSE
Speaker Reed Will Not Bend to the
Usages and Customs Of Pre-
vious Houses.
Associated Press Dispatches to the HERALD.

Associated Press Dispatches to the HERALD.
WASHINGTON, January 21.-House pre-
ceedings: Yesterday, just previous t
adjournment, Bland moved that tn
House adjourn, and on division tn
Speaker declared the motion lost. Blan
thereupon demanded tellers, and, accord
ing to the Record this morning, tn
Speaker replied: "There is no provision
for tellers." There was no record of thi
fact made in the journal, and this morn
ing Bland moved to have the journs
amended accordingly. The Speake
stated that he had made his reply in al
interrogative form, and the gentleman
from Missouri had seemingly acquiesce'
in it. The Chair was informed that sucl
details were not inserted in the journal
The Chair submitted Bland's motion
to amend the journal, and on division
declared the motion lost by vote of 81
to 49,.
Bland demanded tellers.
The Speaker inquired whether the gen
tleman from Missouri had discovered any
ground why tellers should be appointed
The Chair last night had suggested thai
he would like to have his attention called
to any provision regarding tellers.
Bland said he had demanded tellerE
under the general practice of the
House.
The Speaker declined to entertain the
demand for tellers.
Bland demanded the yeas and nays,
but almost at the same moment ap.
pesled from the decision of the Chair.
The Speaker said the appeal came
rather late, but he would enter tain it,
A long and heated debate then began,
which lasted three hours.
Mills, from Texas, Breckinridge, of
Arkansas, Blount, of Georgia, McMillin,
of Tennessee, and others argued that the
vote by which tellers was asked, was as
much part of parliamentary law as
motion to adjourn.
Mills said it was the only vote by
which the House could correct decision
of the Speaker, and without this vote the
Speaker became more than q Gar.
When the Speaker refused to permit the
House to have tellers to verify his count,
he simply refused to allow the House to
say whether his decision fright or wrong)
should stand.
Cannon, of Illinois; Bayne, of Penn
sylvania, and others upheld the Chair.
Carlisle inquired what redress mem.
ber had against q wrong count by the
Speaker, if he could not have the yeas
and nays. The House in the absence of
conventional rules established by itself,
was to be governed by general parlia.
mentary law as modified by the rules
heretofore prevailing.
In submitting the appeal to the House,
the Speaker said: "The Chair has been
unable to see how it is possible for
House which has passed out OF existence,
to bind by rules and regulations House
which was to come into existence in the
future. Recent decisions by the Speaker
have been to the effect that the rules of
the last House did not become the rules
of the present House, directly; the Chair
is unable to see how they can become
the rules of the present House indirectly.
If they became by indirection the rules
of the next House, it would not become
necessary to re-enact them. The sug-
gestion which has been made that the
matter is under the exclusive control of
the Speaker, is at this very moment
being negatived, because an appeal is
pending in this case as it has in many
others. All decisions from the Chair
which are made under proper circum-
stances and good faith, are subject to re-
vision by the majority of the House con-
seouentlv there is not, and cannot be,
any arbitrary control of this body against
it's will, and the present occupant of the
chair has frequently ordered tellers since
beginning this session, and is not unwil-
ling to do 80, but the question has now
come up as question of right, and what
ever the personal wishes of the occupant
of the chair might be, he was obliged
TO decide in accordance with what he
regards the unmistakable parliamentary
laws of the land. All parliamentary law
must be made on the eupposition that
the man elected to preside must be an
honest official, honestly performing his
duty. 1t has been suggested also that
the Speaker may, on the question OF
ordering the yeas and nays, miscount,
and if tellers can be ordered that mis-
count may be corrected; but it is neces.
sary in order to have tellers to have one
fifth of a quorum demanding them, and
under the rules of the last House the
Speaker must count that one. fifth.
Ultimately, therefore, the Speaker is the
counting officer, and any supposition
that he would betray his duty is not
supposition on which parliamentary Law
is founded or the rules of the last House
Finding parliamentary law to be as CON
ceiyed, I take it to be that division
may be had whereby the Speaker may
take the count, first by sound OF voice
and second by members arising in theil
seats; and that his record may. be cor
rected, under the constitutional right: by
yeas and nays. have been compelled
to make the decision have made"
Cannon moved to lay the appeal or
the table.
Mills raised the point of order that par
liamentary law recognized no such mo
tion.
The Speaker overruled the point o
order, and submitted Cannon's motion
1t was agreed to; yeas 149, nays 1876. :.
The question then recurred on BlandI
motion to amend the journal, and tina
was lost; yeas 130, nays lao. The jour
nal was then approved.
Grain, of Texas, offered resolution
directing the Committee on Judiciar;
to report within one week whether th'
late Sergeant-at-Arms was disburslni
officer, and, if 30, to report bill .provld
g. e Il ~,sn nf mn