The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1891-01-24
Mills, the Fiery Democrat, Attacks
the Speaker Regarding
His Rulings.
The Democrats Cheer, the Republic
cans hiss, and Pandemoninm
Reigns For a Time.
The Members Almost Come to Blows
and the Speaker Calls the
Sergeant-at-Arms,
Who With His Mace in Front of him,
Drives the Excited Members
to Their Seats.
A Tempest in the House.

A Tempest in the House.
WASHINGTON, D. c., Jan. M-The house
of representatives of the Fifty-first congress
has been the arena of many stormy scenes;
but the Incident which to-day threw the
house into a turmoil eclipses any other in
noise, confusion and general ill feeling.
The duration of the tempest was brief,
not more than four minutes being con-
sumed in its enactment. But these four
minutes were replete with excitement.
While Mills was hurting his ~denunciations
at the speaker, members of the house
massed themselves on their respective
sides of the aisle, the democrats giving
cheer after cheer to their champion, and
the republicans greeting his remarks with
Kisses and other manifestations of disgust.
Words were banded to and fro;
but above the tumult Mills voice was
heard in 0bjurgation of the speakers rul-
ings N the action of the majority of the
house in sustaining them. The speaker
remained calm, while epithets more or less
polite in their character were passed; but
at the end, the dignity of the house re-
Iuired the services of the Sergeant-at-arms
to preserve order; and after some time the
tumult was quelled. though escape from
a general collision was a narrow one.
Some of the republican members
of the house are making
earnest effort to effect a compro.
mise among their colleagues on the silver
question. based on the lines of the suggest
ed senate amendment restricting full COIN
age of the American product.
HOW II ROW BEGAN.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 2O.-In the house to-
day, the clerk having concluded the read
ing of the journal, Bland made the point
that the journal had not been read in full,
and demanded a description OF the various
executive communications, resolutions,
bills and petitions (Which are referred to
under the rules and not in open house) be
read. The speaker directed the clerk to
read this portion Of the journal, which
is ordinarily omitted. This was by far the
longest portion of the journal, and its
reading was not completed until l O'Clock.
Then ensued one of the widest scenes of
confusion the house has seen during the
DlCSCllU COlk1CSoa LIN oPS"nOA lloNlIS
stated the question to be on the approval
of the journal, and having. counted and
stated the affirmative vote, Mills, of Texas,
rising to a parliamentary question, asked
whether the proper question was not on
ordering. previous question. This query
clerk had finished reading the first part of
Mckinley, of Ohio, had demanded the
previous question. The speaker, in re-
Spouse to the inquiry, stated this fact, but
said the demand had not been renewed
after the reading of the completed journal:
the speaker. Mills then expressed his
wish to debate the question of approving
tile journal, but the speaker declined to
recognize him, on the ground that the
house was dividing.
THEN THE STORM CLOUD BURST.
With excited gestures, Mills strobe down
the aisle, and shaking his fist at the speak
or, poured out a volume of denunciati0n,
accusing him of practicing fraud on the
house. ."You are perpetrating a fraud
upon the house," he Numbered, 'and you
know it" n his party colleagues burst
into a round of applause and cheers, and
gathered around the champion. But the
speaker was immovable, and amid the ex-
citemnt requested those opposed to the ap-
proving of the journal, to rise. Phlegmat-
ically he counted, zone, two three" and
announced the vote carried-N to 8.
The yeas and nays were demanded by. the
democrats and ordered, and as the clerk
proceeded to call the roll. Mills poured out
his denunciations. Again he accused the
speaker of perpetrating II fraud upon the
house, and referring to Mckinley, said:
1--WE did not expect the gentleman from
Ohio to lend himself to such 4 proceeding.
We relied on the gentleman from Ohio. for
and we KnOw he Indicating the sDeaker)
was not"
Perkins of Kansas (sarcastically): and
ne Indicating Mills) is a gentlman.
Allen of mississippi: That is more than
can be SAID of some persons on the other
side.
Nv calling the roll, Mills IGNORING HIM
proceeded substantially " follows: you
do not dare to go before the country with
such a revolutionary measure as you are
proposing to pass. We have q right under
the rules to debate the question of approx
ing the journal and you (add a om tue
cratic cheerS).
Kerr Of Iowa: Such proceedings as this
are reasonable; and they are headed by q
man who helped treason before.
Mills: You are q traitor yOurself 70 the
constitution and laws. You are trying to
surround the ballot box with bayolets and
to deprive the people of their right OF rep
Then followed enthusiastic democratic
applause, while the republicans crowded
to the bar Of the house and ,; annou nTsa
house was q regular babel Of voices, ex-
cited and loud, but unintelligible. Clutch
= oF AEioLinon efON1 i'm fhR centre aisle.
and as Mills went on. repeated with indig..
nation ana a, emphasis ld ,h,t the s one wold, nBS Ma!.
sRrinp in another resolution of censure.
then!%s BY this time affairs had approached
SO near to a personal rupture between the
gentlemen ON opposing sides that the
Speaker was obliged to call upon the ser
geant-at-arms for assistance, and that ON.
ciaI. bearing a mace In front of him. in
dnced Mills to take his seat, and the storm
passed away for 9 time. The journal was
approved-yeas. ~: nays, 1OS. Nicolas
st Maryland moved that the house go into