The Indianapolis journal., 1890-02-13
DEBATE ON THE NEW RULES
Powers of the Speaker Discussed at
Length by Members of Both Parties.
Speech of Mr.. Henderson of Iowa, in Which
the Majority Position Is Firmly Upheld
Brazil Recognized by the Senate.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 12-The House met at
IL this morning in continuation of yester-
days session. The debate on the proposed
code of rules was continued by Mr.. Dock
cry of Missouri, in the vein of earnest crit
icism. The proposed rules, he said, would
relieve Congress of the necessity of repeal
ing taxation, at least as far as the surplus
was concerned. He predicted that at the
end of the session the surplus would have
disappeared by reason of the prodigality
which the rules invited. Discussing the
question of permitting the Speaker to count
a quorum, heIexpressed his profound regret
that any conceivable party interest eould
have induced the Republicans to abandon
constitutional grounds fcs the unexplored
region either of parliamentary law or OF
the 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 in
fallibility, ,incorruptibility and impartiahty
of the Speaker Such powers were more in
harmony with the character Of the Car of
ali the Russias than with the spirit and
genius of our free institutions
Mr.. Morse of Massachusetts, defended the
proposed code, and then said: 1T has been
-
this debate that the present Republican
President did not receive q majority of the
popular vote of the country. What that
has to do with the question under consider
alton am not able to discover. But how
would it have been If there had been free
and fair election and honest count in tue
Southern States of the UniOnf Away with
this nonsense about Cleveland having
try, when there is no such thing as q free
and fair election in several of the great
States of the Union"
Mr.. Allen of Michigan strongly supported
the rules, and especially that which per-
mits the Speaker to refuse to recognize dill
atory motions; and he eulogized the recent
action of Speaker Reed in this respect. The
dilatOry motions had not been made to
further public business, not to prevent
raids on the treasury. not for the purpose
of settling some great question, but had
been made for the purpose of preventing
the consideration of the question whether
Jackson had a right to a seat on this floor.
He ridiculed the excitement which had pre-
vailed on the Democratic side, but said
that 1t had quietcd down when the Demo-
Gratis and the country had seen that the
Speaker was not o Reed to be shaken by
the wind.
At 1l:15 the House adjourned. and at noon
the session of Wednesday began. The
journal having been read, Mr.. Boutelle of
Maine asked unanimous consent for it's ap-
proval. but objections came from the Dem
saTy. The journal was approved-yeas,
lis; nays, 1 (Mr. Buckalew(-the Speaker
counting seventy-twO Democrats present
and not voting.
Mr.. McCreary of Kentucky entered his
emphatic protest against the new code, and
criticised the recent decisions of the Speak
er. That officer had deted all precedents,
and had reversed the parliamentary de-
presided over the House. He had not only
Overruled Blaine. Garfield, Hawley and
Conger, but he had overruled his own ut
terances when on the floor of the House.
rules, instead of a ruler and dictator; fair
ness and justice instead of communism and
CesarIsm. 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. The cyclone would
come, and the Republicans would be held
responsible for their action, and at the
next election a great people would drive
from power the Republican party in this
House.
Mr.. Cutcheon of Michigan supported the
proposed rules. declaring that they tended
to facilitate business instead of to obstruct
it, and TO give the control of the business
of the House into the hands of the ma
jority and not leave it at the mercy of the
minority. The rules substituted action for
inaction, legislation for obstruction, and to
that extent and that extent only they were
Mr.. Buckalew of Pennsylvania. the one
Democrat who has voted when present
upon every question, criticised the proposed
rules because they tended to stifle adequate
and necessary debate.
Mr.. Kerr of Iowa presented an argument
In support of the proposed code.
Mr.. Hooker of Mississippi made a consti-
tutlonal argument against the code.
Mr.. Anderson of Kansas, while support
ing the proposed code, acknowledged that
he had taken advantage of the old rules to
fllbuster against the consideration of tho
Union Pacific funding bill He was not
that bill to be q gigantic fraud. But he
thought the time had come when fllbuster-
ing should be eradicated.
Mr.. Cummings of New York opposed the
new code and criticised the recent rulings
Mr.. Chapman of Michigan warned 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 commit
Speaker larger control and to the COM
mittees larger latitude. The old saying
that kissing goes by favors" would have a
strong illustration under the proposed
code.
Mr.. Caruth of Kentucky said that ne and
his Democratic colleagues had discovered
that general parliamentary law" was an
autocrat, was tyrant, was a. god. The
Speaker was omnipotent, yet lacking in one
not the same yesterday, to-day and forever.
lLaughter.l When he had found that the
general who occupied the Speakers chair
exercised such mighty powers. he had be-
gun to grumble. Not only had the Speaker
voted him against his will but he had abb
solutely mispronounced his name. Laugh
ter. He had arisen 10 protest, and he
found his protest in the Record as follows:
Mr.. Cartuth-Mr. speaker-[Laughter.l
He had felt like the member of the So
ciety of the Stanislaus, who smiled a
sickly smile and curled upon the floor, and
him no more.n ILaughter.l He had
thought that there must be some de-
feet in the Speakers vision which
enabled him TO see Democrat when he
sat IN his chair. but which would not per-
NIT him to see q Democrat when he was
standing at full height, claiming recogni-
ton. He had come to the conclusion that
the Speaker should be dosed with Col Null
berry Sellers's eye-water externally, inter-
nally and eternally. Laughter.l He had
seen the came Speaker recognize a Repub-
iican before he had risen from his chair or
had raised his voice; and he had been re-
minded of the Lieutenant-governor of a
Western State. who. calling the Door keep
or, said: 'GO ont and find Senator Gunson.
He is somewhere about the Capitol Tell
him he is recognized and has the floor.
Laughter He Mr.. Caruth] had become
anxious that the arbitrary general should
be suppressed. The gentleman from New
York Mr.. Cummingsl had offered resolu-
ton for the printing of 1000 copies of Gen