The Portland daily press., 1890-06-20
BATTLE ROYAL WAGED IN THE HOUSE.
Friends of the Silver Bill victo s In
Yesterdays Fight.
They Succeeded In Overriding the
Reference by the Speaker,
But Were Badly Beaten In Their At
tempt to Censure Him.
Especial to the Press.l

WASHINGTON, June ia battle royal
has been wsged in the House all this day
over the free coinage bill. The silver men
have not carried their measure, but they
have been almost uniformly successful in
the great battle of today. and are only wait
ing for tomorrow to complete their victory
by the passage of the Senate bill. The issue
is too doubtful to warrant a prophesy, as to
their probable success or failure. This only
is certain, that they will triumph, if at all,
only after hard fight. Today's battle came
unexpectedly upon the Republicans. who
suddenly found themselves confronted by
the solid Democratic party, hard money
Democrats and all, reinforced by the free
silver Republicans, What few hard money
Democrats would join in the raid were away
or paired, so their influence was reduced to
a minimum. The battle came over the
Speakers reference of the Senate silver bill
to the committee on coinage, weights and
measures As the battle of today has been
over that reference, it is well enough to un-
derStand it to start with. The Senate, II
should be remembered, passed not a bill OF
its own, but the House silver bill with eve
erytbing after the enacting clause, stricken
out and the free coinage bill substituted.
Now when a House bill has been to the Sen
back to the House and goes to the Speakers
table. Then it is subject to the following
rule:
Rule "a, paragraph 2-Business on the Speak
ers table shall be disposed of as follows: Mes
sages from the President shall be referred to the
appropriate committees without debate. Reports
and communications from the heads of depart
ments, and other communications addressed to
the House, and bills, resolutions and messages
from the Senate, mag be referred to the dpproprt-
ate committees IN the same manner and aUdtb the
same right of correction as public BUS presented
nlents aUIich do not require consideration in q
committee of the aCIoe may be at once disposed
of as the House may determine, etc.
The italics denote those parts of the rule
which apply to this case. 1t is evident that
the silver bill should be referred to the ap-
propriate committee, which would be the
committee on coinage. weights and meas
ures, unless it is a "House bill with Senate
amendments which do not require consdera-
ton in a committee of the whole"
This brings the question down to whether
the silver bill does or does not require con-
sideration in committee of the whole. Up
on this point rule 20 is authority. Any
amendment of the Senate to any House bill
shall be subject to the point of order. that 1t
shall be first considered in the committee. OF
the whole House on the state of the Union.
If originating in the House it would be sub
ject to that point.
Now the free coinage bill, as it has come
from the Senate, plainly must be considered
in committee of the whole, since rule % pro-
vides that all bills Involving tax or charge
upon the people" shall go to the committee
of the whole, for the free coinage bill
plainly involves a charge upon the public in
that provision that provides that
the government shall coin for
nothing. all the silver brought
in this respect the Speaker was perfectly
clear, but In order that there might be no
ground for complaint of unfairness on the
part of the silver men, he consulted Messrs.
Blount of Georgia, McMillin of Tennessee
and Bland of Missouri, told them what the
rules provided. and suggested that # there
were any reasons why his construction OF
the rules was not correct the should state
them. None of them could present any OBJ
jections and the reference was made.
But this reference seriously interfered
with the plans of the free coinage. men and
last night they mature1 their plans. MIR.
Mills Of Texas, was to lead, and this morn
ing, he brought in resolution with pream-
BILE reciting that the Speaker had wrongfully
referred the silver bill, and a resolution to
expange from the journal the record 9f that that
malice towards the Speaker, was brought
forward with a long speech. Mr.. Mills's
evident purpose nearly defeated the object
of the Democrats, for it alienated part OF
their support on the Republican side. Some
Ol lu6 ulOSb CUuoplCuUuo llOO SOlhaSO uuChs
like Anderson and Funston of Kansas, re-
fused to be parties to a mo Vement which be-
gan by riding over the Speaker, but the sill
yer men strained every nerve to whip their
support into line. Silver Senators came over
and took places on the floor of the House
among the Representatives from their states.
The Republicans strove to lay the Mills reso-
luticn on the table, but were defeated by a
close vote. Then they tried to adjourn, and
again were defeated. Finally, after long
battle, so much of the resolution as expunges
from the journal the reference of the bill to
the coinage committee was passed, but the
preamble which Mr.. Mills intended as a GEN.
sure for the Speaker was defeated by large
vote.
At this point the Democrats were forced
to an adjournment, having passed res olu-
tion which seems to reverse the Speakers s
reference of the bill to the coinage commit
tee. Tomorrow they will muster their
whole force undoubtedly, to pass the bill
They may succeed, although the Republi-
cans will make every effort to get their alb
sent men here. The battle would not have
been lost today had it not been for the neg
ligence of some of the Republicans who are
here, but did not attend until the end. Feat
ures of the long and stirring debate were
the brilliant speeches of Messrs. Butter
worth and Burrows and the loyalty of
some of the free silver men like Anderson,
Peters and Funston of Kansas.