The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-12-18


for . House that shirks the Work Al
ressy Grouad-Remarhabis Discovery !.
the Rules OF the House-The First bright
Debate or the session-.James w. Covert
Fitted Against Thomas j. Geary-John
Alian's Latest storY-Frank Pommcrs
Adveuture-A story OF A. II. stephens.
WASHINGTON. Dec II.
y-s, ae Congressional Record.
Monday Dec at 1897 r. N. the Heuss adjourned
uli To- morrow at II o'clock noon.
r,e.d,y De-. s--At 40 p. N. the House adjourned
tI omorrow noon.
weirs.iay Dec AT A,2h r. NJ the House adjourned
Thu,iay. Dec s-At4!25 r. N. tho Hsuss adj surnsd.
Friday. Dec. s.-At 1880 r. NJ. tile House adjourned
till Monday. at IL O'Clock noon.
Monday Dec. I2-At 40 +. NJ tho House adj GU ned
Tuesddv Der. 13-At 3;t8 NJ. tho House adj ourned.
Wednesday. Dee. if-At242 NJ the House adjourned.
Tnur,dap. Dsa I5.-At <lo p NJ. the House adjourned
I'LL Saturday.
Tho House mot on Dec. s. Up to Dec. II
there were eleven working days. The Record
shows that the House sat twenty-slx hours in
all during this time. an average OF less than two
hours and q half q day. 1t began work with
2027 m easures on the calendar ready for con-
sideration. In the eleven days 100 new bills
have been introduced and referred to commit
tees. The committees have put ten new meas
ures upon tho calendar Tho House hns
passed thirty-three bills in this time. The
only important measures are what are known
Is the Printing bill and the Army Appropria-
ton bill.
1t is evident that tho leaders OF the House
arc determined to cut the estimates down to
tho lowest figure and that very few mca sures
Involving expenditures Of money will become
laws, aside from tho regular appropriation
bills. Judge Holman therefore. Chairman
Of the Committee on Appropriations. becomes
the central figure In the House. Indeed.
many members. both Republicans and Dem
ocrats. consult him before bringing triaing
bills. carrying small sums. before tho House.
The other day tho Secretary Of the Treasury
sat at Judge Holmans side In the House for
half an hour. comforting with him. He as
sured the Watchdog that the Republican Ad-
minlstration would 60 out OF power leaving
at least S2O.0o0.0oo surplus in tho Treasury.
Nevertheless tho House has authorized the
Committee on Ways and Means to mako an in
vsstigation to determine whether there will
DO deficiency.
There have been two private bill days since
the meeting OF Congress. In one case the
House adjourned Immediately after the Morn
Ing Hour. cutting of all efforts to pass private
bills. and in tho other the House adjourned
over Friday. private bill day Friday nights
are set apart for the consideration OF private
pension bills. In both weeks tho House has
adjourned over. without taking the recess re-
Quired for the Friday night session. The only
private bills that have been passed ere half
. dozen brought before the House BY unkni-
nous consent.
The Committee on Rules keeps its hand
upon tho helm OF Legislation. 1t has given a
day to tho Committee on Indian Affairs. q day
for the consideration OF the La Abra and Wiel
awards q day for tho Florida Claims bill. .
day to tho Committee on Public Lands. and
ono for the consideration Of bills from tho
Committee on Commerce.
Beyond this nothing has boon done. Won
ders In the way Of legislation. however. never
saass. Tho bill stopping the reduction OF the
Engineer Corps Of the navy and several other
bills were passed. In the Morning Hour during
the nrst week OF the session. They came over
Into tho short session as unfinished business.
On Friday Mr. Cultivate Of Ohio. Chairman
o! the Military Committee. called up in the
Morning Hour . bill to extend the provisions
Of an act to provide for the muster and pay OF
certain officers and enlisted men OF the volun-
tssr force lie was sailing along quite conf
IDENTIFY whom Buck KilEore OF Texas arose In
tho back part OF the House and shouted:
Mr.. Speaker. I want to submit q point Of
arder upon that bill"
.ur. OutnWRlto lOOkeQ at Nlm with some as
constituent But Buck Wake right ahead
with his point OF order. drawing the attention
Of the House to rule 81. page 80. Hero Is the
rule:
After six days from the com mencement Of q second
subsequent session OF Congress all bills resolutions
and reports which origin atcd In the House and
NAMED undetermined At the close OF the last preced
ing session shall be In order for ac.isn and all bust
ness before committees of the House tho end
nj he Mt fhp of
next session of tho Congress. in the same man.
uer as II no adjournment had taken place.
It will be seen that, by mplcation. this ex-
eludes all business in the Morning Hour until
after the six days. AS Mr.. Cultivate did not
desire to be heard upon tho subject. tho
Speaker said that tho ruie had found a place
among the rules OF the House for many years.
and 1t was the first time that tho attention Of
the Chair had been specifically called to 1t.
He was not aware that there had ever been
any decisions Of his predecessors upon the
point.
To the surprise OF everybody Buck Kilgore
rerlied that the question was ruled on by
Speaker Reed at the beginning OF tho second
session Of the FIty-flrst Congress. Speaker
Reed then held that the House could not con-
slider any measure named In the rule at any
time within the first six days OF the short sos
sion. 4 he remembered Alright.
BY this time MIR. Cultivate had recovered
his usual self-poss ession. He said that the
rule did not prohibit ANYTHING. It did not
deny the right OF the House to consider any Of
the business which might come oyer from tho
order would be to rule that this House. upon
reassembling, at the beginning Of u second
session. should virtually do nothing for six
days. unless it be to consider Senate meas
In order.
Then Julius Caesar Burrows got up. with a
smile upon his good -natured face. The whole
difficulty. it seemed 20 him. arose from tho
fact that this House failed to adopt the rules
OF tho last House.
The Chamber smiled. and Benton McMillin
said. I'VE accept the difficulty"
Mr. Burrows said that the rules OF tho last
House eliminated from this rule that portion
which related to tho first six days. and which
prohibited business until six days had passed.
That rule was modified byt the last House SO as
business OF a previous session. tho same as II
NO adjournment had taken place. This fact
the statement Of Buck kilgOre that
Speaker Reed had ruled that tho House could
session, As tho Fifty-flrst Congress had no
such rule, Speaker Reed could not have made
All CHI q rulinH