Los Angeles herald., 1890-06-21
ON OR OFF THE TABLE
Where, 0 Where. is the
Silver Bill?
Will Speaker Reed Please to
Explain?
Most Emphatically Not-He Prefers
DilatOry Tactics.
The Contest Over the Position of the
Silver Bill Renewed-Reed Re-
mains Obdurate.
Associated Press Dispatches. |

today, yesterdays contest was renewed.
The speaker announced the pending
question to be the ordering of the pre-
vious question on the motion made by
Mills, of Texas, to approve the journal
of Wednesday, as amended by resolution
yesterday. The previous question was
ordered-yeas 1875, nays 122. Mckinley
changed his vote to the affirmative, and
moved a reconsideration.
Mills moved to table the motion to re-
consider. Carried-yeas 131, nays 1873.
The question recurred on approving
the journal of Wednesdays proceedings
as amended. The motion as amended
was agreed to-yeas 1872, nays 13O. The
clerk then proceeded to read the journal
OF yesterdays proceedings.
The journal was read and approved.
Stewart, of Vermont, presented the
conference report on the antitrust DILL.
Bland, of Missouri, raised the question
of consideration to offer resolution that
the house bill directing the purchase of
silver bullion and the issue of treasury
notes, with the senate amendments, be
taken from the speakers table, and the
senate amendments concurred in.
The house determined (yeas IA, nays
1922 to consider the conference report.
After a short debate the report was
adopted yeas, 243; nays, 0.
Bland then offered a resolution to take
up the silver bill.
Mckinley made the point of order
that the motion was not privileged.
Conger, of Illinois, added the further
point, amid sarcastic Democratic laugh
ter, that the bill was not on the speak
er's table, but in the hands of the coin
age committee.
Bland held that the bill was on the
speakers table.
A long discussion followed as to
whether the senate amendments to the
bill were new matter, such as would re-
quire consideration in committee of the
whole.
Conger, of Iowa, said that notwith-
standing the action of the house in cor
recting the Journal the bill had been re-
ferred to the committee on coinage, and
the chairman of that committee had
actual possession of it.
Crisp said there was no evidence of its
reference, as the journal did not show it.
Morrow of California said the action
Of the house yesterday was exceedingly
significant of its disposition. The fact
was that there had been no reference at
all. The speaker had no authority to
refer the bill his action was void. The
fact was the bill was upon the speakers
table. The mere physical fact that the
gentleman from Iowa (Conger) or his
clerk had actual possession of the bill,
made NO difference in it's parliamentary
position.
Butterworth denied that the house,
by adopting Mills's resolution, declared
that the bill had not been referred.
Henderson, of Iowa, asked if Morrow
would contend that if the house being
under Democratic management for the
time being, should burn up the records
of the passage of the senate bill, the bill
would fail.
Morrow insisted that there was no
material difference between the fact
and this supposition.
Butterworth declared that there were
not twenty-five men under the dome of
the capitol who believed that the bill
was incorrectly referred, upon their
oath. Republican applause
Morrow replied that the majority of
the house had declared otherwise.
w lllldllS, VI IllllO1S, Stlu llldI ycSlcI-
day, while motion to reconsider a
the chairman of the committee on coin
age walked up to the speakers desk,
took up bill that he (Williams) be-
lieved was the silver bill and handed it
over to the clerk of the committee on
coinage. This looked like conspiracy
to obtain physical possession of the bill.
COnger, of Iowa, chairman of the
committee on coinage, said the bill was
delivered to his clerk before II o'clock
yesterday morning. During the after
noon, upon request of the journal clerk,
it had been in his possession for short
time in order to make some clerical in
dorsements, but he (Conger) had again
taken it back to the committee clerk.
McCreary maintained that under the
constitution the bill had never been
properly in charge of the committee on
coinage. The constitution required the
house to keep journal. Until that
journal was approved, it was not proper
to send bill anywhere. The entry in
the journal was void. He held that the
bill was on the speakers table, and
should be placed before the house for
action.
After discussion by Bland, the
speaker, and others, Bland modified
his resolution SO as to direct
the speaker, under rule "a, to lay the
matters on his table, including the sill
yer bill, before the house for action.
The speaker said perhaps he could
simplify the matter, and suggested to
Bland that he understood his wish to be
simply to get at this matter when it
would naturally come up. Supposing it
was upon the speakers table (not pass
ing upon the matter at this
time), what the chair proposed to do
was that when the bill was reached it
should be brought before the house.
But the gentleman did not seem to con-
slider that this was Friday-private bill
day-and that private bills alone were
in order.
Bland asked whether the bill would
be laid before the house tomorrow
morning.
The speaker declined to answer that
question, until the proper time.
McComas demanded the regular order.
The speaker said the regular order
was private bill, which he passed to
the reading clerk.
Springer wished to know when the
chair might be expected to decide where
the bill was.
The Speaker-Whenevert the bill would
ha in OrHar orouiJ;prr +hot tha uiourc of