The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-02-13
HARD RAPS AT THE RULES
M,ADOO THINKS THEY WILL DO
AWAY WITH THE SURPLUS.

lucky Makes Humorous Speech.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 12.-The House met
at II o'clock this morning in continuation
of Yesterdays session. The debate on the
nroposed code of rules, Mr.. McAdoo said.
would relieve congress of the necessity of
repeating taxation, at least, as far as the
surplus was concerned. He predicted that
at the end of the session the surplus would
have disappe lred by reason of the prodi-
gality which the rules invited. Discussing
the question Of permitting the speaker to
count q quorum, he expressed his pro-
found regret that any conceivable party
interest could have induced the republicans
TO abandon constitutional grounds for the
unexplored region either of parliamentary
law or Of new power sought to be conferred
upon the speaker. The proposition to allow
the speaker to decide what dilatory motions
were was based upon the idea of the infalh-
biltv ,incorruptibilitv and impartiality of the
speaker. He would be glad that the speaker
should be shielded from this temptation,
however small the majority of his party
might be.
DEMANDS OF THE BUSINESS MEN.
Mr.. Morse of Massachusetts, in the course
of a defense of the proposed code, said:
"Ihe business men of the country are de-
manding business legislation, aud that the
do nothing policy of congress for the last
ten years shall change, and how shall you
change it without amending the rules that
bind the body hand and foots The busi-
ness men or the country want bankrupt
law. We want at least radical amend
ments TO the interstate commerce law. We
want greatly needed public buildings in
centers Of population and business. We
want life-saving stations, light houses,
and needed improvements to rivers
and harbors, to keep peace with this great
and growing country. We want laws
regulating and restricting immigration,
and we want wise revision of the tariff on
protection lines The union soldiers want
the soldiers dependent pension bill. A bill
that DEGREES that no soldier shall die in the
poor house, vetosd by Grover Cleveland.
We want navy and coast defens es that will
command confidence at home and respect
abroad. The country has been
demanding this legislation for ten
years, and the only way to reach it is to cut
the chains that bind this body, as is pro-
posed by these new rules and make it
republican body, where the majority who
are responsible for its acts can do business.
Mr.. Allen of Michigan strongly supported
the rules, especially that which permits the
speaker to refuse to recognize dilatory mo-
tions, and he eulogized the recent action of
Speaker Reed in this respect.
WEDNESDAYS SESSION BEGINS.
At 11:3O O'Clock the House adjourned, and
at noon the session of Wednesday began.
The journal having been read, Mr.. Boutelle
of Maine, asked unan imous consent for its
approval, but objections came from the
democratic side and a roll call was made
SAnp 81 Ax,.
vote of: yeas 1l9; nays l, (Mr. Buckalew),
the speaker counting 81 democrats as pres
ent and not voting.
Mr.. McCreary of kentucky entered his
emphatic protest against the new code, and
criticised the recent decisions of the speaker.
That officer had de1ed all precedents, and
had reversed the parliamentary decisions of
nearly all the speakers who had presided
over the House. He had not only over
ruled Messrs. Blaine, Garfield, Hawley,
and Conger, but he had overruled
his own utterances when on the
floor Of the House. The time had come when
the House needed rules instead of a ruler
and dictator; fairness and justice instead of
communism and CBsarism. He inveighed
against the new rules, asserting that their
effect would be to make the congress of the
United States consist of the Senate of the
United States and Speaker Reed.
BUCKALEW'S CRITICISM.
Mr.. Buckalew of Pennsylvania, the one
democrat who has acted when present upon
every question, criticised the rules because
they tended to stife adequate and necessary
debate The bad practices which had
grown up under the old rules had grown up,
not under their use, but under their abuse.
Mr.. Kerr of Iowa presented an argu-
ment in support of the proposed code.
Mr.. Hooker of Mississippi made consti-
tutional argument againt the code, espe-
cially directing his remarks against the
clause relative to quorum in committee of
the whole, which he regarded as the most
dangerous stab ever directed at the consti-
tutional form of government.
Mr.. Anderson of Kansas, while support
ing the proposed cole, ACKNOWLEDGED that
he had taken advantage of the old rules to
filibuster against consideration of the
Union Pacific funding bill. He was not
ashamed of his action, because he believed
the bill to be a gigantic fraud. But he
thought that the time had come when fill
clustering should be eradlcated.
USE OF THE EYES.
Mr.. Cummings of New York said that
up to the present session no person occupy
ing the speakers chair in the House of
Commons, or House of Representatives. had
ever presumed to use his eyes, except as
provided in advance of the House. The
speaker took it upon himself to declare his
own will as tire will Of the House. and made
his own ruling good, despite the fact
that the yeas and nays showed
that it was sustained by only minority.
Recent rulings were to be sanctioned by
the new code Of rules. If they were
constitutional there was no need that they
should be incorporated in the rules. II they
were unconstitutional such an incorpora-
tion could not make them constitutional.
Mr.. Chapman Of Michigan warned the
new members that one Of the greatest faults
of the old rules was that they gave too much
power TO the speaker and to the committees.
1t was n5w proposed to give to the speaker
larger control and to the committees larger
latitude. The old saying that "kisslng goes
by favor" would find strong illustration
under the proposed rules.
AN AUToCRATIC LAW.
Mr.. Caruth of Kentucky said he and his
democratic colleagues had discovered that
general parliamentary law" was an auto
crat, was a tyrant, was god. The
speaker was omnipotent, yet lacking in one
Of the attributes Of the omnipOtent-he
was not the same yesterday, to-day and
forever. daughter When he had found
that the gentleman who had occu-
pied the speakers chair was clothed
with such mighty powers he had
begun to grumble. Not only had
the speaker voted him against his will, but
had absolutely mispronounced his name.
Laughter He had arisen to protest, and