St. Paul daily globe., 1892-03-13
LEGISLATORS ar PLAY.
The House Is Not Taking Life
SeriOusIV

seriously.
WASHINGTON, March 12-The ludi-
crous situation that may sometimes de-
velop from the rule that requires mem
berS to attend the sessions Of the house
under pain of arrest and arraignment
for contempt was fully illustrated in the
attempt made to amend the journal this
morning. The usual Friday nights
session for the consideration of private
pension bills found the house without
quorum last evening, and, some one
having raised the point of no quorum, a
call of the house was ordered and the
Sergeapt-at-armS sent out after the de-
linquent members.
Under the rules the sergeant-at-armS
in these emergencies may be directed
by the house to arrest every absent
member WhO-he can find i'll any part of
the city and conduct him before the bar
of the house. Here he is cited for con-
tempt of the house in absenting him.
self without leave and required to give
the reason or excuse for his derelletl0n.
The house is usually quite indulgent to
the culpritS on these occasions, and eX-
cuSeS so fiimSY that even truant school
boy would not dare to invoke them for
his protection are usually accepted
with much gravity as satisfactory to the
house, and the mantle of charity cast
over the erring member by unanimous
vote of his colleagues, purging him OF
contempt.
According to the journal this morn
ing, it appears that Mr.. COombs, of New
York, was last night, during call of
the house, brought to the bar of the
house in custody of the Sergeant-at-
! arms. This Mr.. Coombs denied. He
SAID he had been notified by page that
! his presence was required i'll order to
| help make a quorum, and. be had come
to the house voluntarily and not under
arrest He moved that there be stricken
from the journal those words which
showed that he was brought to the
house under arrest. Mr. Bynum thought
the journal should be an accurate ac
count of the proceedings of the house
! 1t was a fact that Mr.. COOmbS had been
| brought to the bar under arrest, and the
! journal should record that fact. On
Mr.. CoombS' motion the vote stood 72 to
| 81. MI DUNCAN, of Ohio, raised the
! point of no quorum. Mr.. CoombS there
upon withdrew his motion IN order not
to embarrass the business of the house.
Mr.. O'Neill, of Pennsylvania, also
took exception to the journal. 1t
showed that last night he had been ex-
| CuSeQ from alLenulnS OH account OIL
sickness. He had not been sick or in
firm; he had stayed home because he
had no pension bills on the calendar.
| During his twenty-seyen years Of sery-
ice III this house he had, by the blessing
Of God, been detained from the house
| but one day and half on account of
sickness. and he wanted the Lord to
continue that blessing. Laughter.
The senate amendments to the urgent
deficiency bill were non-coneurred in.
and Messrs. Sayres, Holman and Ding
ley were appointed conferrees. After
some further cross firing OH the lack OF
quorum, public business was then
suspended and the house proceeded to
the consideration of resolutions in re-
spect to the memory of the late John K.
Gamble, of South Dakota. After eulo-
gies by MIR. Picker, of South Dakota ;
Mr.. Perkins, of Iowa; Mr.. Johnson, OF
North Dakota; Mr.. Lind, of Minnesota
| Mr.. Bryan, of Nebraska, and MIR. Jol-
ley, of South Dakota, the house, as a
mark of respect to the memory of the
| deceased, adjourned.