The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1890-08-05
THE FIELD DAY REPORTED IN DETAIL
Beginning With the M Tempered
Attack on the Sp eaker.
Orator Brecklnrldge Tries to Conceal
Ugly Facts With EIoquence
And A HEaino Member Makes Both
the Speeches Seem Feeble.

into committee of the whole on the general
deficiency appropriation bill and Mr..
Henderson of Iowa, explained that the bill
carried an appropriation of $5,140,000. The
items of deficiency submitted to the com
mittee on appropriations aggregated
$13,200,000. The House could see that the
committee had carefully scrutinized all the
proposed appropriations. The Pacific rail-
road claims were not provided for in the bill.
Mr.. Rogers of Arkansas, in the absence of
Speaker Reed, critized the code of rules
under which the House was proceeding.
1t gave the Speaker power to stifle debate,
gag the House. and force the passage CT bills,
avoid the exposure of outrage. mistreat the
minority, and bulldoze the majority.
Mr.. Funston Of Kansas, suggested that the
Speaker might be good bulldozer in the
South.
Mr.. Rogers thought he might be a good
bulld0Zer in some sections of the country but
did not thing he would bulldoze long in
Arkansas.
Mr.. Allen of Michigan, (sotto voce)-
'They kill such fellows down there"
Mr.. Rogers denounced what he termed the
tyranny of the Speaker and the majority of
the committee on rules: The House, he
said, had degenerated into state Of anar-
chy and chaos. He suspected the Speaker
had turned his back on full, fair and frank
discussion, on the opportunity for amend
ment, on parliamentary decorum, on official
urbanity on historic and patriotic memories,
in order that he might unlawfully perpetu-
ate his party in power and draw to his sup
port for the presidency an INSCRIPTIONS
mass of ignorant and vulgar partisans who
practiced the Infamous, and corrupt maxim
that the end justified the means. He had
degraded the majority with the full assur-
ance on the part Of the Republican members
that if this scheme should break down under
the Judgment of a liberty loving
people. they would perish like
Samson under the ruins and that If
it succeeded, he alone should reap all the
glory Their want OF patriotic courage was
exceeded only by their suicidal stupidity.
Among them all there had not been found
man with the courage of a Jackson, the pa
tri0tism of a Henry, the love of liberty that
inspired the fathers. who could say; "This
is our country, these our liberties, these our
cOuntrymen. You are our servants. We
will not have the one trodden down under
foot or the other outraged and wronged."
mo-" Mr.. Rogers continued, May tell
you, Mr.. Speaker, they curse, despise and
hate you. When you are assailed in private
and public they are silent.
Mr.. Henderson of Iowa said the House
had done good work and much more good
would have been done If the majority had
had the patriotic cooperation of the minori-
ty. If Democratic members, regarding their
oaths as lawmakers. had made an earnest
effort to secure legislation, the House would
have done much more than it had done.
Each and every bill of importance passed
by the House was passed in spite
of stubborn Democratic opposition. In spite
of this opposition, this House had made
record unparalleled in legislative history.
A simple statement, without abuse, without
criticism and without falling below the dighi-
ty OF membe' House would answer
the gentleman rkansas When the
gentleman intiI = 1t was necessary
for some membeA .epublican side to
check the ALLEGED ~ Of the Speaker
and Republicans W, nb In the presence
of abuse sof power 5plied the Speaker
was only part of the solid majority bent on
so amending the rules that the business of
the country could be executed IN this cham
ber. He challenged the gentleman to name
Republican who had critized the course in
volved in the adoption of the rules. Mr..
Henderson said that although some Repub-
licans might desire to amend the tariff bill,
by reason of organized opposition on the
other side, the time was so consumed that
those amendments could not be made. 1t
seemed as though the minority was
bent on preventing all amendments
The House had passed general court bill,
and bankruptcy bill. 1t had passed a silver
bill, whereby silver was already marching
forward to take its place beside gold. This
House had been the first one with the cOur-
age and patriotism to pass an antitrust bill.
bill, as its enemies took pleasure in calling
it. The bill was merely an enlargement and
improvement of the law in force for 10 years.
1t sought to gag the right of no citizen and
do no citizen or the South any wrong. 1t
simply provided that every man, black or
white, strong or weak, rich or poor, should
be safe under the flag of his country to exer-
else the fundamental powers of an American
citizen. [Applause.1 Instead of being
force bill, it was in every sense an anti-force
bill.
The House had passed the ''original pack
age" Dill and was marching boldly forward
to the demands of the best thought of the
people of the nation, North and South.
It was contended that the Repub-
licans had not recognized the claims
Of the committees on agriculture and labor.
Those committees would have ample time
granted them by the Rouse. Their
measures being backed by Republican votes
and Republican energy should be observed.
Personal abuse was spewed upon theSpeaker
by the state of Arkansas, as the gentleman
from Arkansas stretched upward to reach
the mighty man from Maine, the Speaker,
grew grander and nobler. The Speaker
figure of this age of legislative victory and
reform. II the people of this republic did
not appreciate what earnestness, courage
and patriotism had done in this Congress,
there was no gratitude in republic for 10y
| atty to its best interests. Applause.
Mr.. Breckenridge of Kentucky referred to
his criticism of the present code Of rules at
| the time 1t was up for consideration. He
predicted that it would lead to friction be-
| tween the Speaker and members. He was
| not now surprised that the Speakers i'm
| partiality was called in question and his
| judgment criticized. The true jugment of
the country would be that, however
the rules might produce political
| legislation, they had failed as to the great
| domain of legislation. which lay outside the
| fierce contest of party. They might carry
through great tariff bill, but did not carry
| through the general appropriation bills ne
cessary for the sustenance of the govern
ment. The majority might, under these
| rules, put upon the statute books force bill,
| iniquitous in its provisions and Infamous in
| its object but could not obtain the commen-
| dation of the people for its action on the
general legislation of government. A force
| bill could not escape the fierce criticism Of
| the people. On account of the absence of
| discussion here 1t was necessary for discus
| sion elsewhere. He was not speaking of the
| Senate, but the newspaper press, the fireside
assemblage OF the people. OF the bills
| which passed under the rules Of the House,
would, in his Judgment, remain
| upon the statute books. lie
had no criticism to make upon the Speaker.
If gentlemen on the other side were satisfied
with that officer. God forbid that he should
attempt to remove that satisfaction. If they
were willing to accept the Speaker as fair
| type of their party, he would enter no dis
sent. The Speaker had won his supremacy
and had exercised the supremacy he had
| won. Laughter He had been the Repub
| lican leader on the floor and the Republicans
had made him their leader in the chair. He
had exercised that leadership. Laughter
Mr.. Breckenridge proceeded to contrast
the personal and political relations which
existed between Speaker Carlisle and the
members, and that which existed between
them and Speaker Reed. In the last Con.
gress, the members Of the minority were al
ways treated courteously. Now member
of the minority rising Tor recognition die
not know what treatmen. lie would
receive at the hands of the Speaker
He then made an earnest appeal
against the force bill, concluding
as follows: Gentlemen OF the North-Why
shall we not come together? Why car WI
not lay aside these suspicious? You cannot
take your rotten burroughs" from the
South. You cannot hold power here by mer
cenaries put at the polls. You cannot con
troll this House by the use of the army You
cannot keep political power by debauchlne
the ballot-box or the jury box. You cannot
make the country one by turning out mem
bers elected by 1.-The people and seating men
elected by your votes What you can DO i
this: You can aid the people Of the S0utl
to build up that country. You can heip u
dig our mines, bridge our rivers, tunnel Oul
mountains, endow our schools, make oul
colleges prosperous, erect our churches anC
I lFw.A At q Cl