New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-01-22
A POWERLESS MAJORITY.
LONG HOURS WASTED IN THE SENATE.
REPUBLICANS SUBMIT TO A wEARIsoME COURSE
OF OBSTRUCTION BY THE MNoR1TY-AN
ADJOURNMENT AFTER FOURTEEN
HOURS SITTING, AND NOT
THING DONE.
nr TELEGRAPH 10 TIE TWDUSE.l

IBY TELEGRAPH 10 TIE TWBCNKl
Washington Jan. o1.--Tlc repeated threats oil open
flibustering indulccd in recently with increasing l'
quency by Mr. German and other Democratic Sc"''''
were carried ont today. and for twelve or l'I'o-"
hours there was an absolute deadlock of business a.
the north end of the Capitol Mr.. German iaa "P
parently taken hint from the Democratic managers
in the House. and he directed his fight. aS thcN h'O
ituay do to delaying and hndcring the appioVhI 81
the journal the first and essential item OF each
DAVIS programme of business. With the iacHl'c' al
his command under the senate rules this was an ell
trely easy task. and on his motion TO correct lIN''
technical error which the VicePfcsdcnt ana the he'
nubican side were willing TO set right without pro
fest he managed to hold tbs senate in a barron ana
frutess session until midnight or aller 40 o'"oi
business could be done until the Democratic managers
were willing to to vote on Mr.. Oofha ioho''
and that naturally they took every possible pc'"u'o"
TO avoid.
Long and irrelevant speeches were maze 10 consume
time The real issue before the senate from 10 a. H.
ill midnight ignored forgotten, except "herc
served as a starting point for some ne" O"r9' VA
wandering eloouence The Republican senators iouhd
themselves caught In trap from which, uhuef tlc
present code of the body there no escape except
by an actual assertion OF arbitrary force ana 'eS SAT
in their seats and watched the lbu>tcrN. no" WIN
weary resignation, and with bitter disgust 40
more humating spectacle has been seen III me Sc'
ate for years. and nothing could nave iiiu'ud'cu '0
fully the grOesquencSs and folly OF the senate par
Hamcntary methods. The majority had been reu"'eu
10 state Of ridiculous impotence, and the Whole D"si
ness Of the body had become the sport OF an HIc-
sponslble and defiant minority.
The deadlock was absolute as long as Mr.. German
wished to maintain it, He had taken the bun by tla
horns and forced the fighting upon the maJOnN' Ho
had anticipated the movement to close dcDa'e Nv
precipitang direct issue regarding the HShJ 10 ii"
limited discussion on a question of undoUbted privilege
.Ia hat n
dilemma was some ruling or iudcCisvc truce. lie
ruling would help out for the moment DuI """I' I'''
only to another motion to correct the Journal Oh tc
dav following while the truce wonld mean the actual
gain of a long days delay for The Democratic leader
Neither horn commended itself to the Republicans
as the evening wore on. and they decided, - USUAL To
lei things take their and trust TO an Invisible
Providence for an issue out of tie dnhcutV' Ilcie
were few who were not convinced. However. Tat tlc
only way 10 pass the Aldrich rule is to pass 1t REGARD
less of the rules and that policy gre" III strength anu
popularity AZ the absolute paralysis OF business Duci
present conditions became more and more pronounced
The present rules offer, Of course, the wid'si
latitude for obstruction; and the iist item Oh ud'H
routine business, the reading and approval OF the
iournal was made the pretcxt for diiatory debate
Mr. Morgan, Mr.. Daniel, Mr.. Eustis Mr. Carlisle
and Mr. Vest continued the supposed discussion over
the correction Of the journal until an evening session
was seen TO be inevitable. Mr.. Eustis dill no even
| pretend to talk Nr. Gorman's motion or or tH'
| Aldrich rule. but made violent and Ntlpc"'Fc
assault on the Election BILL Ma~-aclu>c & and on
! Mr. iioar-an attack which was soon returned WIFE
crushing force by the Massachusetts senator. Nj.
| Vest too made no pre- Of talking on The SUD
ject before the senate; and rambled over the Whplc
question of restriction Of debate and Of the mex ana
dement's of the Election bill. His remarks were III
terrpted after O'Clock by call Of the senate
quorum disappeared, and il was nearly oclocA
| NJ
| TO allow Mr. Vest to 90 on. About 10 O'clock an
other call of the senate was found necessary 10 re
| leve the strain on the speaker, and Mr. Vest got
| another brief rest. The galleries had been wei
! filed all day. From 5 O'Clock on they w're over
crowded, and many people who sought admission were
kept standing in the corridors. Much lnicrc~ va
shown, but The uncertainty to the possible length
of Mr. Vests speech finally became too decided. and
| the crowds melted away.
| The absence of nearly the whole number Of Demo
cratic senators during the evening made il impossible
| TO do anything toward making progress, and about
midnight after struggling for several hours 10 s"curp
| a quorum, Mr.. Adrich moved adjournment til
tomorrow when the fight Of to-day will be renewed.
When the Secretary got through reading the record
| OF Yesterday mornings business, Mr.. German 70
ouested that he read the remainder Of the journal
! more slowly. The secretary read: "On motion oi
Mr. Adrich that the Senate resume consideration Of
the resolution 10 amend the rules 10 limitation Of
debate determined III inc dlIlHldlNt WHICH,
motion Of Mr.. Adrch at $40 the senate adjourned
Mr. Gorman-I move TO strike ont the last clause
read bv the Secretary. as 10 the motion OF Mr.. Al
| drch II was determined in the Affirmative
! He made the notion he said. because that had not
occurred. The journal not correct in that par
! ticular Mr.. German read the report OF the pro
cecdngs from "The Congressional Record IN support
of his position and, commenting upon the ruling, Of
the Vice President. said No who had the slight
est idea OF parliamentary law could have made such "a
decision in the teeth OF the rule, Of the senate and boz
violation Of all the laws that govern legislative bodies.
NO presiding officer, no matter who he may he, can
take senator from the floor when by the rules hc
has a right to it. do not believe that the senate
will permit the Journal to stand which declares a
falsehood'
Mr.. Aldrich iniimated that the morning hour was
being consumed In discussion Of a matter OF no pric
teal Importance lie willing 10 conccdc that the
Vicc,PIe idcnt had not declared the motion carried.
and he had no objection 10 the motion q amend the
journal Iut he would, at II O'Clock, when the morn
Ing hour would expire move that the senate proceed
10 The consideration Of the resolution, and then there
could be no question 10 the exact rights and status
| Of all parties concerned
Mr.. sherman hoped that the Vice President would
decide the question to whether the journal was
! correct not.
The Vice Presidcnt-Thc Chair. from his rccol-
lection. supported by The Congressional Record +
Of the opinion that while putting the question on the
motion made by the senator from Rhode Island. he
did not formally declare the vote a carried though
he stated that the yeas appeared to have il; and he
will therefore again submit the quc ton to the Senate.
Mr. Uarrls-That is the exact fact.
Mr. sherman-Then do not hesitate for momeI\
| TO vote TO correct the journal
The Vice Prcsidcnt-The Chair will state. I'm add
tion that after the matter called to his aien-
tion Yesterday afternoon. he refreshed lis memory and
referred 10 THE Congressional Record This morning,
with the result announced.
The discus ion driited of to the custom Of the pre-
siding officer Of keeping list of senators VINO desired
to speak ON a measure. The custom was condemned
by some senators and cd by Others. In tho
course of the discussion. several Democratic senators
CMessrs Gibson Morgan Euter and ltarris) d.sclamed
any desire TO cast reflection the Nice-Presdent-