The Portland daily press., 1891-02-07
ACTING JUST LIKE CONGRESSMeN.
me Question of Adjournment
Makes a Row.
ANYTHING You Like on the Ballot
Question.
Something New Under the SUN In
Railroad Schemes.
Especial to the Press !,

Especial 10 the Press.1
AUGUSTA, February 6-Notwithstanding
the fervid eloquence OF Representative Ham
Oh Lisbon. the hasty exit of Representative
Porter Of Bangor from the House chamber
with the messenger in hot pursuit and the
| determined efforts of about half of those
members of the lower branch who were in
their seats this morning, the Legislature has
adjourned to Monday. The usual weekly
struggle beside which, for the time being.
all other parliamentary conflicts sink into
insigniicance opened in the House today by
the introduction of an order that when the
House adjourned it be to 9 o'clock Saturday
morning. The Speaker explained that as
adjournment to 9 a. m. Saturday was already
provided, for under the general rules, the
| tabled and the usual monotone of the
| Speaker reading bills and reports was un-
broken until along from the Senate came a
concurrent order. which had passed the up
per branch, providing for adjournment to
p. m. Monday.
Mr.. Harrington of Norridgewock moved
that the House concur.
Mr.. Peaks was Immediately on his feet to
express his belief that in the present state
OF business valuable time conld be gained
by holding session tomorrow. Messrs.
Harrington, Callahan and Haines were of
the opinion that session tomorrow would
not result in any material saving of time.
Mr. Harris Of East Machias made a touching
| plea in behalf of those members who would
be left in the solitudes of Augusta over Sun
day.
But the effort of the day was made by Mr..
Ham Of Lisbon, who, with all the power of
his elOQuence, referred to the unhappy re-
presentatives from Aro0sL0ok and other dis
taut parts of the state. They were, he said,
to be left here as If they were in bonds and
chains. He asked what would be the effect
OF this action on the minds of the people of
serfs, in view of the fact that the members
of the Legislature had asked for raise of
salary. Mr.. Hams remarks were heard
with marked attention, and their effect was
seen when the vote on the, question was an
nounced. Mr.. Trussell also spoke against
the adjournment. Mr.. Drew of Fort Fair
field, In supporting the order for adjourn
ment, referred to the remarks of Mr. Harris,
and said that 1t would be well to bear in
mind that the gentleman from East Machias,
who was now so anxious to stay In Augusta
had been absent from his seat until Thurs
day OF this week. Mr.. Harris joined in the
laugh at his expense.
The vote was taken by yeas and nays. and
resulted in the defeat of the order by vote
of 63 t. go The "rder went back to the Sem
ate In non-coDcurrence. But the Senate, not
having heard MIR. Haines's speech, voted to
adhere to Its former action, and, to make as
ouIduC6 uOuDly sure, pdSS6u an OTQtT pro-
vidlng for an adjournment of the Senate
alone until Monday. at p m. The consti-
tdtion provides that either branch may ad-
1ourn without the consent of the other over
two days.
Then the order started on its travels again
and arrived in the House, where it became
the subject of parliamentary tactics
&ln response to a question, Speaker Wis
we'll said that as Sunday had been held to he
legislative day, on which it was competent
y la0io lott Nod fn eli ha 70 md
the constitutional provision could not ad-
Journ from Friday to Monday without the
consent Of the House.
Mr.. Osgood of Lewiston then moved that
the House recede from its former action and
concur with the Senate.
Mr.. Porter of Bangor moved that the mo-
ti0n OF the gentleman from Lewiston be
tabled, and called for the yeas and nays, but
the Chair luled that the motion of the gen.
tleman from Bangor was out of order. The
question then came upon the motion to re-
CT de, and was taken by yeas and nays. The
result was that enough votes were changed
to carry the motion, go to "a
But the vote was not taken without re-
sort to what might perhaps be called fill
clustering movement. Mr. Porter of Bangor
was the only filibusterer and so the wishes of
the majority as expressed in the vote were
not subverted by the practices of the minor
ity. Neither was the Speaker compelled to
count the members as present and not voting
for Mr.. Porter adopted the course recently
made famous in the national Congress and
beat hasty retreat When Mr.. POrter's
name was called, he asked to be excused
| from voting, but the House promptly pro-
| ceeded to vote not to exclude him. Then 1t
was that as the Speaker was announcing
| that the gentleman from Bangor had not
| been excused, the form of Filibuster Porter
was seen flying toward the doorway in she
| rear of the chamber. The door closed on the
| retreating member just as Messenger Smith
started in pursuit to notify him of the action
| OF the House. But the messenger, who Is
| usually smart enough to meet any emergen-
| cy, was bsffied. He hunted for Mr.. Porter
through the spacious corridors of the addi-
| tion and the low aud dark entry ways of the
main part place admirably suited for fill
clustering TACTICS. But, so far as the filibus-
| terer himself had been concerned, the opera
| tion was successful. Mr.. Porter could not
| be found and the messenger so reported.
| Then the House receded from its action for a
| second time today and voted. that the gentle
| Thus ended the greatest le isla,ive battle of
| the session, and the House now stands ad-
| journmeDt to Monday, February 9, at p.
m.
Speaker Wiswelps statement in regard TO
| the right of the Senate to adjourn over Sun
| day without the consent of the
tention of President Libby. Mr.
Libby said that, barring out the question as
to whether Sunday should or should
still have the right to adjourn to
Monday, the constitutional provision
referring not to day of "a hours, begin
ming at the time of adjournment, but to a
day of the week, SO that in adiourning over
Saturday and Sunday to next Monday, the
Senate would not have exceeded the consti
tutional limit. This, Mr.. Libby said, had
been done in the past, and he believed it
could be legally done.
The Registration Gill.
In the Senate this forenoon the Haines
registration bill was advanced another stage
toward its tinal enactment Mr.. Walton OF
Somerset explained why he voted against
the measure, his objections not being to the
principle OF the bill itself but to some of its
provisions. Mr.. Walton objected to giving
the right OF appointment of the chairman Of
the boards to the governor. He also object
ed to the clause of the bill which refers to
reasonable compensation" not believing In
that method OF paying officers. Lastly, Mr..
| Walton objected to the section making the
bill, which is of public nature, go into ef
feet when approved
The vote by which the bill received its pas
sage to be engrossed was as follows:
YEAs.-Messrs. Adams, Haines, Hunt. Libby o.
Ahor0scQggin, Mallet, Mayo, Moore PetteDgl
Powers. Ryder, smith, spear, Stewart, Swanton,
NAYs.-Messrs. Chaplin, Mehan Sherman. Wad
| lin, Walton-6.
1t Is understood that an attempt will be
made In the House to tack a number Of
amendments on to the bill.
Off the Track Again.
The bill to allow the Boston & Maine Rail
road Company to issue additional stock te
the extent of $4,000, 900 came before the Sen
ate today. having been taken from the table