Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-01-07
AT THE CAPITOL TO-DAY
(Continssed from First Paqe.l

porarily, it was true) for a code Of rules. He
| thought the time had come when the House
| Qf 1t was to be governed by rules) should have
those rules. Applause on democratic side.l All
gentlemen on both sides of the House had the
| right to know precisely what their rights were
here as representatives of their constituents
II was now the It'll Of January. The House
mad been In session Except for the recess)
since the first Monday in December, and vet
| all that had been done towards the adoption of
the rules was to agree from time to time that
the House would be governed by part Of the
rules OF the last House. He had
| no special objection to this consideration
OF the appropriation bill at the time;
| minority had no assurance that the House was
| not to go on without any rules. Rules were in
tended not only for the government Of the
! House but also that the representatives of the
minority Of the American people might be
protected, and those representatives had
the right to know by what
rules they we're to be governed.
| The democrats were ready at any time to con-
slider the whole body of rules; and until the n
| 1t was hardly fair to thrust upon them parts of
the rules temporarily aud leave them without
any knowledge as to what rules would govern
| them when the next measure came up for con-
| sideration. He hoped that the appeal would
| be sustained; but if it was not he hoped the
resolution would be defeated and the House
allowed to stand where it was until the perma-
|
Mr.. CRISP IN THE SAME LINE.
Mr.. Crisp (Ga.) followed in the same line,
| contendlng that q question of consideration
could be raised against proposition to enact
certain rules temporarily just as we'll as against
| proposition to enact a permanent code Of
rules. For six weeks the House
had been waiting for the committee
on rules Why could not the House have rules
for its governments II the majority said that
it was not ready to report the rules, let the
House adjourn from day to day until that re-
against this practice, which entrusted
to the Speaker the power of deter
mining what was and what WAS not
in order. without reference to fixed rules
He appealed to members OF the majority, as
falr-mlnded men, to present a uniform code of
rules. They could make the code as they de-
sired, but he had right to ask them to pre-
sent the code so that the minority might know
what its rights we're.
Mr.. Bland (Mo.) was opposed to adopting
the rules OF the last House piecemeal, and Mr..
Rogers (Ark.) and Mr.. Hooker Miss argued
against the position taken by the Speaker.
Mr.. Breckenridge, while controverting the
ruling of the Speaker, addressed himself more
especially to the question of the discourtesy
which was shown in calling up the bill in the
absence OF the two democratic members Of the
subcommittee.
Mr.. McComas (Md. said that the District of
Columbia appropriation bill had been passed
in the last Congress during the absence of the
minority members Of the subcommittee; but
the minority had made no complaint. If the
gentleman from Kentucky would say that he
had authority from either Of the absent mem
bers to say that they desired that the bill
should not be called up today he (Mr. Nc
Comas) would withdraw the resolution There
N rat faiI Tn ha
bill, which was entirely non-partisan in its ma
ture.
THE FIRST TIME IN SIXTEEN YEARS.
Mr.. Cannon (Ill } said that for the first time
in sixteen years the District of Columbia ap-
preparation bill had been reported to the House
before the holiday recess. 1t had remained on
the table for three weeks and now when the
republicans wished to proceed with the bust
ness of the country, gentlemen on the other
side held up their hands in horror and said:
"Ohi DON'T we have no rules"
MR.. M'KINLEYs POINT.
Mr.. Mckinley (Ohio) said that the committee
on rules would report code Of ruies within a
| reasonable time, and the only question before
the House was whether, while awaiting that
report, public business was to be suspended
The country was infinitely more concerned in
what the House did than in the rules under
which they did it. Applause republican
side.l He called attention to the fact that there
was no bill seeking priority Of consideration
with the District bill and there was no ques-
ton OF consideration to be raised.
Mr.. McMillin (Tenn.) contended that ques-
ton of consideration could be raised even if
there was not another measure pending in the
House. He urged the importance of the speedy
adoption of code OF rules.
MR. HENDERSON STATES THE DEMOCRATIC
POSITION.
Mr. Handercon Towal aid that nc he undar
stood the matter, gentlemen on the other side
were opposed to doing anything without rules
and wanted rules adopted under which nothing
could be done. Laughter and applause on re-
publican side.l The majority was charged
with trying to ravish the other side without
rules. How?
By proposing to consider and pass a bill on
the calendar under rules by democratic
House. Was that ravishment? He wanted the
republican members to come up shoulder to
shoulder and show that they were ready to do
the business of the country. He
DEFENDED THE COMMITTEE ON RULES
from the charge of delay and elected applause
from the republican side by his reference to
Mr.. Mckinley presiding over the ways and
means committee, giving to the business
interests of the country that hearing which had
been denied them by democratic committee.
Let the committee on rules take its time and
obstruct business.
OFFENDING THE SPEAKERS DECISION.
Mr.. Butterworth (Ohio) contended that the
decision of the Speaker was proper one; and
he advocated the adoption of the resolution.
Mr.. Heard (Mo.) inquired whether any ex-
igency demanded the passage of the bill before
the rules were adopted
Mr.. Butterworth replied that an exigency
always existed to do anything when it was
n
Mr.. Herbert Gala. maintained that the House
had the right any time to decline to consider
any proposition, and he argued that the Speak
er's position was mistaken one.
Mr.. Adams (Ill) thought that it was in the
interest OF the House and people that the COM
mittee on rules should have all the time it
wanted in order to formulate code of rules
which would facilitate the transaction of pub
lie business.
THE SPEAKERS DECISION SUSTAINED.
After further debate in the House, after the
| report on the first edition closed the decision
of the Speaker was sustained on vocal vote
143 to 130-and the yeas and nays were then
ordered.
Capitol Topics.
AN ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF WAR NEEDED.
The bill authorizing the appointment Of an
assistant secretary of war at salary of $500
was today reported by Senator CockrelI from
the committee on military affairs without
amendment and with unanimous recon-
mendation that it pass. After recitng