The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-02-16
NOT ON THE RECORD.
Scenes in the House During the
Fight.
GOODNESS OF SPEAKER REED,
Three pays ~ Parliamentary Rsssing-
DETERMINATION az the speaker
"a Carry His Point

wasHsxercS CRY. Feb a--The three
days which speaker Reed sat In hts chair
aud with perfectly anief. calm manner
faced the Democratic storm that burst and
ragged furioassy while he insisted that q
physical qscram Is . quorum IA do hsssi-
ness IN the House Of Representatives.. have
been characterized as the widest since re-
construction times. The three days fsght
was 10 maintain . position which had not
been assumed by q speaker OF the House
or the party behind him for century. and
rs such are destined To be read IS days
historic.
II il hard 10 describe the scenes. Little
arithmetic il needed % understand the
situation. A hundred and sixty ave votes
were needed 10 make majority o. ali the
members The Republicans mustered out
les The Democrats refused 20 vote. aud
under the precedcnts OF hundred years
there was no quorum. The speaker took
the position that voting or not. the pres
ence Of Democrats should he recorded and
business so on. The first storm Of insiig-
nation that met the speakers railing Was
IKE a cyclone.
was once at . iynching when mob bat
tered down the jail doors and barst into
the cell Of . murderer and then strung him
up amid the shrieks and yeslx Of couple
OF thousand men. and have seen a mob
OF 500 men and boys smash strees-ears
and tear up tracks during a street-car strike:
but for confusion. for inaiscriminase action.
for bitterness in the shrieks Of human he
ines. neither occasion was up To the first
minute or two in the House Of Representa-
tives when the Democrats and their sym
pathizsrs saw that the speakers ruling shut
Them out of their sole power this session.
the power to delay business. The physical
violence alone was lacking. The galleries
were packed and the pargisans shrieked,
Republicans in applause. Democrats ia In
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Of voices. A hum
dred and sixty-three Republican members
yelled in approval of the speakers action.
A hundred and fity-odd Democrats
stood on their seats and shrieked
defiance at the speaker. Stenographcrs
from the desk oi the Congressional
Record ran mp and down the aisle in vain
endeavor 10 catch what was said. Kisses
and cries OF .tyrAnt, "revoiution. = "the
car" and the like went up from the Demo
cratic side. Fifty men shook their fists al
the speaker and cried out for recognition
and in vain. There was confusion irT every
corner Of the hall 1t was said by old.
umers TO be like rebel mass meeting be.
fore the war. No modern indignation
meeting could riyalit
Speaker Reed alone sat AZ unconcerned
- II he were craven image. chad con-
sidered his ruling beforehand and was In
accord with Z caucus action. His party
was behind him ana he knew Il After
awhile he raped with his Ravel, bat the
tap could not be heard. lie waited. The
storm began TO subside. and At last above
1t all came from the speakers desk. in the
metallic drawl which always chafacterises
Mr.. Reeds utterances rs he presides, the
words.
1.-THE House will be In order.
He said 1t with the same emotion and
with no moro, no less force than he says IL
every morning when the gave. falls for the
session 10 begin
When he began reading the list Of mem
hers present and refusing 10 vote. !" the
storm began again and kept growing until
the name Of Breckenridge Of Kentucky
was reached. The Kentucky man has
snow-white hair that Ia long and wary. and
his closely trimmed beard Ii also white.
His face II rosy and bis hearing IL erect
His voice is clear and ringing on most &C.
casions, and he II one of the leaders on bis
side Of the House. When his nanc was
called he arose and uttered the cry that
was echoed and re-echoed and played upon
time and again during the three days fight.
His face was red as an Italian sky, and
with elenched fist. aimed straight ~ the
speaker, he strobe down the aisle and
Numbered:
II deny the power Of the speaker and de-
nounoe IL ~ revolutionary.
Then pandemonium rrigned again IL
reigned 1T intervals all through the three
DAYS. II raigned in = way that would sink
into insignihcauce the proceedings OF
Democratic state convention with biz
minority bolt II reigned In way that
made the ears OF the spectators in the gal
Ieries ache 4, reigned In Wild biiiows OF
Indignation, that broke on IA speaker's
head like the waves on rocky brador.
while the speaker sat IS imnoyabie - those
very rocks.
The House will he in order" he said a
hundred times during the three dass. each
time with tone msrs metallic than the
one before. il possible. ard more exasper-
atIng.
The several steps. In The three days pro-
are q part oil h.stary, and are in the Recofd
"a accurately rs the stsnogfaphegs coutd
get them. bnt the R<eosS does not show he
picturesque situation. and history wila not
hear the metallic s~ang OF Speaker Reeds
voice Both should be immoF.Aiizsd.
SPEAKER Reels eoolness was natural aud
when the denunclasion Of bis action was
hottest be was coolest When Breckinridge
xas denouncing him rs fyraut on Thurs
aas the speaker observed Representative
Hoax, Of Tennessee. smoking aud he
thought II psopes piace for bit % what.
under the circumstances. wss Eam humor
Mr.. Houk's son il assistant doorkee
The speaker, rnhsesEnx the dennneission
sent a note to Doorkeeper Hoak. He
came down 10 the speakers desk In re-
sfSpnse. and the SPEAKER. with \ saraonic
grin, said 20 him:
sWos's you 20 10 Representative Houk
and ask hisa to step smoking. Ills against
the rules AMI dlsturbs the order ef the
Hoszen
fnasmuch o. the Democrats hal been
sformlug at the absence o. rules, and a an
nproar ~as going on al over the House, the
speakers request indicated the grinezt and
most unexpected nnnsof.
Mr.. Reed vas rot disturbed at the hard,
hot words that were spoken. For three
dmys be saw the Democrats storm and rage
ard denounce him wish the fesoeGGy Of sid
beasts lie was - caEsfs rs MAJ NON
inr IL took three days 10 make sss point
II required long hours 20 ret the question
OF considering . contested election case.
After IL was ali over. and be was master ~
IL Il. 5f~.s4~