Los Angeles herald., 1892-02-02
Car Car Reed Insists That His
Method Is the Best.
A Tammany Statesman Takes
the Same View.
Discussion of the New House Rules
Wakes Warm.
a Passage Mt Arms Between Two Massa-
ehusetts Members-sepator Fell
ton Pleads for Cali
fornia's Rights.
Associated Press Dispatches.

that the presence OF majority OF the
members constitutes quorum has had
the sanction of every court to which it
has been referred, and think it ought
TO have the sanction of this house. !"
This was the reply Of ex-Speaker Reed
today in defending himself against de-
nunciations by the Democrats of his
official actions in the last congress. The
rules are still the subject of narrowing
discussions in the house. There lie a
general disinclipation on both sides of
the house to regard them as party
question, and Bourke Cochran, the we'll
known Tammany congressman, this eve
ming surprised his colleagues by elo-
quently approving the principle OF rec
ognizing ocular evidence of a quorum,
and his speech was enthusiastically ap-
plauded by the Republicans as an able
defense of Speaker Reeds rulings.
Immediately after the meeting of the
house this morning, there was tilt be-
tween Hoar of Massachusetts and Morse
OF Massachusetts. Hoar charged Morse
with revising q speech the other day,
and interpolating remarks, etc., putting
in laughter on the Republican side"
etc. This greatly amused the house.
Hoar, continuing, said the only applause
the Republican party would ever give to
Morse's remarks, would be those which
were never delivered. Morse replied
that Hoar's statement was largely and
in substance false. He (Morse) had
ayailed himself of the privilege granted
every member to revise his remarks, and
added:
'My young friend from Massachusetts,
will be wiser when he is older. He is
reported, Mr.. Speaker, to have shed
tears over your election he is reported
to have wet his couch with tears be-
cause his candidate for speaker was de-
feafed. He had seen in the distance a
Craftsmanship and a clerk; also honor,
fame and celebrity throughout the coun-
try, and especially in his dis
trict in Massachusetts,. Those fond
hopes were dashed to the ground
by the defeat of his candidate.
The young man belongs to the kinder
sarten class at present. (Great laughter
ON the Republican side.l By the time
this congress has closed he will under
stand the position of the Democratic
party in regard to free and unlimited
coinage of silver, free raw materials, and
other great economic questions"
Arnold of Missouri presented for ref
erence . resolution requesting the presi-
dent to recall the minister of the United
States to Chile, Patrick Egan, to the
end that reciprocity of amicable rela-
fions between the two countries may be
had and maintained.
The house at 80 resumed considera-
tion of the report of the committee on
xnles.
The pending amendment in the rules
was one by Oates providing for COM
mittee of fifteen members ON order of
business.
Picker of South Dakota wished
to offer an amendment giving
the committee ON invalid pensions
the right it had during the fifty first
congress, to report at any time on gen.
eral pension legislation, but the demand
for the previous question by Catchings
pat him off.
Picker demanded verifcation of the
vote, but would not assert that an error
had been made, whereupon the speaker
declared the previous question ordered,
15O to 92.
Pickler then moved an adjournment.
Lost-2S to I64.
The vote recurring on Oates's amend
ment, no quorum voted, and Pickler
raised that point and endeavored to
speak for his amendment, holding the
floor until the services of the sergeant
alarms were called into requisition.
Oates's amendment was rejected.
On motion of McCreary, of Kentucky,
an amendment was agreed to, requiring
general appropriation bills to be re-
ported within eighty days of the ap-
pointment of committees, in long ses
sion, or forty days in short session.
AT this jnncture Bryan, of Nebraska,
aroused the enthusiasm of the Demo-
Gratis by taking advantage of little
motion to convey to them notice of
the supreme court decision in the Boyd
Thayer case.
An amendment by Enloe, of Tennes-
see, providing that committees in re-
porting private bills shall file them with
Abe clerk to be placed upon the appro-
pxiate calendar, was agreed to.
Burrows of Michigan offered an
amendment re-establishing the rule of
the last congress- empowering the
speaker to count a quorum.
Anderson of West Virginia moved to
add n clause providing that in no case
shall the hat, cloak or umbrella of
member in the cloak room be counted
Reed replied that his impression was
that the officers of the house elected by
whatever party were quite capable OF
honestly carrying out the rules of the
house, as they understood them; and it
seemed TO him it would be a great mis-
take for the presiding officer to omit to
take notice of what he (Reed) believed
to be quorum under the constitution.
Df course If any gentleman believed sim
rerely that it was necessary that the
majority of the members should parti-
cipAte in the business, it would be his
duty to stand by the ancient methods;
but if he believed as he (Reed) did, that
the presence of a majority of the mem
beers constituted quorum, he would
take proper means OF ascertaining.
Dockery, of Missouri, quoted from ut
ferances made by Reed in giving his
idea of what constituted quorum; the
gentleman from Maine then said the
constitutional idea of quorum was not
the presence OF all the members of the
house, but majority of the members
present and participating in business.
IL was not the actual presence of the
1nembers, but their Judgments and votes
that the constitution called for. He
1 fDockery) simply wished to let the house
know that the gentleman from Maine
had changed bis opinion.
Anderson said his amendment was not
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