The Big Stone post. (Big Stone Gap, Va.) 1890-1892, 1892-04-01
THE BLAND BILL DEAD.
so THE FREE-SILvER MEN IN THE
HOUSE ACKNOWLEDGE.

SO THE FREE-SILvER MEN IN THE
HOUSE ACKNOWLEDGE.
Closure Unat lnable-Crisp Charged with
Deception and Double-Dealing in the
Matter-The Speakers Explanations:
WASHINGTON, March 28.-The silver bill
is dead in the House of Representatives.
The free. coinage men this evening ac-
knowledged this. Speaker Crisp they
learned to-day, had decided not to report
n closure rule from the Committee on Rules
unless majority of the members OF the
Democratic party in the House should so
request The intelligence dumbfounded
them, as they had confidently expected the
rule to be reported to-day or tomorrow.
They were exceedingly angry, and at first
disinclined to make any effort to get
petition signed. Later in the day Mr..
Pierce, of Tennessee, circulated q petition
and got number of signatures to it, but
he found that many silver Democrats
would not sign, and late this afternoon he
announced that the petition was with
drawn and that the free-coinage men had
given up the fight in the House. Mr..
Pierce said: Eve will make no further eff
fort, and have decided to let the Com
mittee on Rules assume the responsibility.
have seen Mr.. Bland, and speak for him
also"
WHAT MIR. BLAND SAYS.
Mr. Bland this afternoon made the fol-
lowing authorized statement to the Assoc
ciated Press with reference to the silver
bill:
"When the rule was first reported set
ting apart three days for the consideration
of the silver bill insisted that the rule
should be continuing order, to be con-
sidered from day to day until disposed of,
knowing that three days could be filibus-
tered out and no action had upon the bill.
When made this suggestion to Speaker
Crisp he rather tartly replied that ought
to trust the Committee on Rules in that
matter: that if the three days were filibus-
tered out without disposing of the bill the
Committee on Rules would issue @ rule
preventing all flibusterng and compell-
ing vote upon the bill. The debate on
the bill ran until 5 o'clock of the third
day l moved the previous question
Several votes were taken upon the bill
and motions pertaining to it, when the OPP
ponents of the bill commenced flibuster-
ing by moving to take recess, moving
adjournments, and calling the roll. 1t is
we'll understood that motions of this kind
can be made without limit, and no bill can
possibly pass rs long as these motions are
kept up. These motions and flibustering
tactics were kept up unil after IL o'clock
on the last day for the consideration OF
the bill. The friends Of the bill were de-
tcrmined to continue in session so as to
prevent lapse of the legislative day.
Myself, Mr.. Pierce, Of Tennessee, and
other members Of the House went to the
Speaker, Mr.. Crisp, and asked his advice
about the matter-whether he thought
that flibustering had proceeded long
enough to satisfy the House and the coun-
try that the Committee on Rules would be
warranted in reporting a rule by which all
flibustering motions would be prevented
and the House brought to direct vote
upon the. bill. He assured myself, Mr..
Pierce, Mr.. Stone Of Kentucky, and
| number of others that he thought flibns-q
tcring had gone OH long enough to dem
onstrate the fact, and that the Committee
on Rules would report rule to bring the
bill to vote.
AT THE SPEAKERS INSTANCE.
II may add that moved that the House
adjourn Thursday night at the instance
of the Speaker and with his emphatic
statement that he would report rule cut
ting off iibustering motions and bringing
the bill to vote.
"The next day being Friday, went
into the Speakers room and met Judge
Crisp He then advised the introduction
of a rule to be voted ON to-day {Monday)
preventing all flibusteying motions and
compelling vote upon the bill. He sat
down and wrote out the rule himself.
THE SPEAKER CHANGES HIS MIND.
Il introduced at his request and sug-
geston, and had it referred to his COM
mittec with the distinct understanding
that the rule would be reported to-day.
never heard anything about his wanting
petition Of majority Of the Democrats
| until this morning, when we ought to have
been voting on the order itself Then the
Speaker said that he would not report the
rule nnless majority Of the Democrats
petitioned for it. He said nothing about
a petition Thursday night before the House
adjourned. Had he intimated then that
he wanted o petition we would have gone
to work and got the members Of the party
voting for the bill, which was majority
of them, to have signed petition, no
doubt; but no intimation of that sort.aass
given by the Speaker. We considered
that the roll-cal of the House, showing
as it did, II large majority of the Demo
cratic party in favor Of the bill, q sufficient
warrant for him to act according to the
wishes of the Democr ratio party, as shown
upon the record. About the time of the
Injecting Of the House this morning went
into his committeeman, and for the first
time learned that he had changed his
mind.
VERY LITTLE HOPE NOW.
"The fact that the Speaker himself has
OH N God hi ofkftu1o towo r3o thu r,oo ause